Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-11-26


rhsnksSi wing Day
0ur' andssiors s. thor removal o.
Am.rica, escaped The inaiotioa of r.
ligious tyranny, and plaosd thsnselvs.
beyond the power of'a State church
For these, and other blessings more
di.tinc,ively temporal, they we're led.
to the voluntary establishment 81 that
which has since been psrpetaated as !.
custom, Viz !: Thanksgiving. AZ arst,
. Spontaneous smanation from the peo.
pc, the eneralsobssrvance Of this fes-
tival i now made to depend upon III.
ecutivs Proclamation, by which the
people Of the whole country are bid
dea to feastlng and prayer. To these
acts, most man naturally incliae they
believe in the necessity Of tho one, and
in tho duty Of the other. It:seems 10
us that Thanksgiving should be 80 vol.
uotary that a Presidential reeoumsn.
d.tion would add nothing to ito uni
versatility, or to its value. Prayer, in
obedience to executive Proclaim alton,
is not less ludicroas than was the or
der Of General German, on = certain
occasion. Whom German was Colonel
Of tho First Regiment o. Minnesota
Volunteers, camping at island No. 10,
the Chaplain Of : Wisconsin regiment
visiting the First Minnesota did not
find bis brother officer At home. He
called upon German, aud after talk
leg Of other things, inquired after the
spiritual: condition Of tho men. Cor.
man said to him, that being the Chap
lain's especial business, pay no At.
tention to it," Tho Wisconsin Chap.
lain clated with tho success Of his own
efforts, told Colonel German that 81 nee
they went into camp a. Island No. 10
there had been !. largo company hops
fully converted. and that tho ordinance
Of baptism had been administered to
fourteen persons. Colonel German
shouted fov an officer, who appeared
Immediately, and received tho follow
ing order: Mr.. ADJUrANr, DETAIL
FIFTEEN MEN FOR BAPTISM. Iwo<T
HAVE TIE MINNESOTA FIRST, BEAT
EN- BY ANY OTHER REGIMENT IN TIE
FIELD.
This unique method Of bringing
men to an observance Of religious or
dinances, seems to US akin to the prac-
tice Of praying by official dicta ton
We should be glad to see more spon-
taneity manifested in the observance
Of this annual festival, and a nearer
approach to the simplicity and meek.
ness which characterized the day in the
time of tho primitive fathers.
The stomach, and not the heart il
the sensitive organ on modern thanks
giving day. Under the profession Of
gratitude We practice gluttony. In
the public meeting We pretend TO be
thankful for worldly prosperity
at the social board We credit ourselves
with the success Of schemes by which
We have become rich. There is too
little sincerity in the observance Of any
occasion depending upon official .u-
tho1i'y for its designation. Govern.
n'ent is form by the use of which
civil society prescribss the duties, aud
regulates the action Of its members
upon matters purely temporal, and
when any one Of its functionaries- az
such, assulnes-even by recommends
tisns to interfere, either to incite in.
creased religious observances, or to
give special religious tendency to any
public feeling that may have b.en oc.
easioued-no matter how; such inter.
ference, and such recommendation each
tends to .eeularizs the public mind,
to increase the reverence which people
feel for mere official position, and to
strengthen their reliauos upon the ef
fectiveness Of forma worship. Such
tendencies are bad. inevitably, and
|any custom giving rise to them Is more
honored in tho breach than in the Oh
servance. When depending upon IA
tional or State authority for its ob.er
vance, Thanksgiving has no more re.
lig,ous significance than election day
or General Training. Feelings Of devc
ton and thankfuIness. and brothe RI,
love are not evoked by proclamation
nor expressed at the bchest Of an. Of
fetal. u
There is christian. feeling ia Amer
lea, 81 deep and abiding as to rende,
the annual observance Of thanksyivinx
day perpetual, aud n"thins will be ad-