Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1877-11-25
SUNDAY READING.

Supervision of human affairs, and when Pub
lie Thanksgiving for blessings enjoyed is
deemed an appropriate expression of graft
tude to the Supreme Giver. If we were to
preach Thanksgiving Sermon the effort
would not be untimely or misplaced. We
might with consistency and in full accord with
the requirements of good taste enumerate the
causef which conspire to excite our sense of
satisfaction and gratitude, and we also might,
with propriety, refer to history for an authen
tic statement of the antiquity Of the custom
of holding, by authority days of public rejoic-
ing and praise to God for blessings enjoyed.
But we will not mar the pleasurable anticipa-
tons of cheer of Thanksgiving Day by any
dull recitals. We choose, rather, to stimulate
the sense of thankfulness by abstaining from
any labored attempt to deal with matter
which needs no elaboration. Those who are
happy and content need no reminders of their
duty; and the unfortunate do not require any
admonition of ours to "Thank God it is no
worse" The pithiest thing that can be said
is to Remember the Poor; and we may we'll
emulate Governor Van Zandt's sententious-
ness in his official treatment of the subject
ct strikes US that Governor Bradley's frugal
dodgers" represent that false economy whose
effect is to belittle the sub ect in whose behalf
it is exercised. 1t is true that the Executive
may quite as effectually publish his proclama-
ton in a cheap handful as by the more for
NAL publication through the medium of the
press; but there is just the least suspicion of
something akin to contempt for the Thanks
giving custom in so unusual a mode of dealing
with it, The MORNING APPEAL extends its
heartiest wishes to it's readers for thorough
enjoyment of the approaching holiday. That
there are not wanting certain casuists who
have found something to wrangle over in the
presence Of Executive Proclamations, Ma
tional and State, we arc reminded by an arti-
Gle in the Christian Register. That paper OBJ
jects to the appointing of our Thanksgiving
Days by Presidents and Governors. There is |
a smack of Church and State, it says, in the
custom. ''What sort of Christianity" it asks |
''is that which forgets or ignores the equal
civil rights of non Christians, and supposes it
self entitled to seize upon that public machi |
merry which is common property, and to use it |
as an instrument for its own advantage }"
Another religious print, the Christian Mirror,
seems to think its contemporary disposed to
strain at gnat Commenting upon the Reg
listers manner of dealing with the matter the
Mirror asks: "What sort of civil rights We
are tempted to ask in reply, are those which
are infringed upon when the Chief Magistrate
of the nation asks its citizens to be grateful to
God for his goodness?" While one of the
world would naturally prefer to have the Gus
tom of Executive appointments Of Thanks
giving Day left to a more impartial judge
than Congregational organ like the Mirror
(Congregationalism and its church tithes hay
ing been, in its day, so near combination of
church and state), we are free to admit that
the Register seems to be straining point in
favor of continued severance of things polit-
ical from things sectarian and polemic. In
deed, the Matchmaking of Thanksgiving Day i
is the very movement which has relieved that
festival Of its amenabiity to the charge of sec
tarianism. Everybody knows that the Gus $
tom ION this side of the Atlantic) had it's orr
gin with the Puritans-the Pilgrim Fathers
1t was purely and narrowly Protestant in :
stitution. Emancipated from its local bounds
and adopted by the Republic, it becomes as
far removed from thing of sect or bigotry as
it is possible in movement which (by impli-
cation at leas) recognizes the existence of a
Supreme Being 'The Bible in the Public :
Schools" contemplates an infringement of the
lights of free conscience. But proclamation + :
If Thanksgiving which, so far as it commits =
anybody at all, merely commits the author of r
t to an implied declaration of his belief in
God, is not a very dangerous missive 1t Ger =
ainly involves no taxation; it imposes no re-
trictions, restraints or duties it commits no.
body to anything and compromises no rights i
either of the worldly or the elect. Free think n
RS are in no danger from any semi official ac- d
of belief in the Deity and
he so-called inidels are VIGOROUSLY the most o,
LIBERAL minded and least fanatical of mankind i;
.....1n a late sermon by Rev. Joseph Cook, :,
whose Monday morning discources in Boston n,
ave attracted SO much attention, and who is ot
ntitled to the everlasting gratitude of every q
ody who does not like Boston superciIhous- n
ess, for having said that 'Boston is in its a.;
wear and does Mt know II '0 we