The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-11-24
THANKSGIVING,

Up to the close OF the late civil
war Thanksgiving Day was neithel
Ezniform nor general throughout the
United States. It wss originally 6
EeW England custom, each state,
sod sometimes each county, selecting
IN day upon which toshold thanksgiv :
Tag service. The autumn. after the
Elasrvsst had been gathered and the
summers labors ended, was usually
the time for thanksgiving, though at
other seasons OF the year the day
has been observed. The custom
spread slowly over the country but
she war made it general, since which
the President has annually designated
one day upon which be recon-
amended the people to abstain from
secular en- pigments, and meeting
Ia their respective places of worship,
return thanks 10 the Almighty for
his blessings. The religious part of
she custom has pretty nearly passed
away. 1t is true, praise and thanks
sEiving services are held in the
echurcheq, and people attend, bat
G9niy as a duty that they owe to re-
sspectsble society. They are think
ing more OF the stuffed turkey and
cranberry sauce thst will be served
up IN their Own or q friends warm
aand comfortable dining room; of the
gpIeaaant social chat they will have
after dinner, and of the
ssntire afternoons quiet en-
Segment. It is not because peo-
pie are are net thankful for the good
1Shings the Lord has given. They are
thankful, and per haps more so on the
s6ourth Thursday of November than
son any other day of the year but
e5his is su age IN which people may
Eae thankful to the Great Giver with.
eout being long-faced and miserable !;
when men may laugh without sin
ming, and when they do not find it
necessary to punish the flesh in order
TO save the soul. The modern Thanks
giving is preferable to the old style.
a good dinner with father, mother,
i3rOtheT Or sister, and the attendant
5ollity and merrymaking, are prefer
able to sitting for hours in straight
backed pews and listening to prosy
sermons and more tedious prayers.
If the Lord doesn't like the new way
better than the old he hasn't pat
termed man after himself in one par
kicular at least. II a man cannot be
more thankful when he is merry
than when sad and solemn and
thoughtfol he is a queer creature.
The United States always have coca
sion to be thankful to the Great
Raler, who hss watched over thia
great nation with a Jealous care from
the first. He has blessed and pros
5pered it as no other nation on earth
mas been blessed and prospered.
There should not be merely one day
a year of thankfulness and prayer
10y the American people, bu:
prayer and theRkfulness daily for
the blessings which are hourly show
cred upon this land, for the plenty
that we enjoy, and the peace that is
cure. When the American people
reflect that to-day they are one in
heart, brothers and sisters in a great
national family. all bent: on the sd.
yancement and coed OF the whole
when they look sroundashem and be-
hold peace and plenty on al sides
when they see gransries and larders
and bins and clothes closets all well
6lled-When they realize that there
is an absence of epidemic diseases
when they reflect upon and behold
all this, and then look abroad to the
different state ef things in other
countries and among sskeE peoples.