The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1882-12-07
THANKSGIVING Sermon.
DELIVERED BY REV. j. A. ROSS, AT THE NORTH
CHURCH, BELFAST.

lie sheWeth his word unto Jacob, His stat
utes and His judgments unto Israel. lie hath
not dealt so with any nation; and rs for His
judgments, they have not known them. Praise
We the Lord" Ps. cXlvi 10. 20.
y nation praises God to-day. All over this
broad land are these Christian congregations
met and from the pine forests of Maine, and
the everglades of Florida, from the crowded
city on the Atlantic coast, and the pioneer set
Element on our Western frontiers, from New
EngandS rocky hills and Iowa's broad and fer
tile prairics. from ocean to ocean, and from the
Lakes to the Gulf, in the spacious city church,
and the rude village chapel, from cushioned
seats and bare boards, go up the hymn of
praise and the prayer of thanksgiving. Maine
does not hold her Thanksgiving service to-day.
New England does not. But this service, orig
mated by our pious Puritan ancestors, and in
those sad days when by frequent travel the
path was worn bare from the village bv the
seaside to burial hill, and when the Thanksgiy-
ing feast was Il few Holsters and cold water
this service, halloWed by many pious and patri-
otic associations, and made sacred by Il ceutli-
rvs observance. has spread and grown. until
to-day we keep not our State, but our National
Thanksgiving.
And for what do we give thanks: Simply for
fruitful seasons and abundant harvests? Be-
cause no pestiencc has cmpticd cur homes. and
no widewaSting contagration consumed them?
Because no internecinc strife has delugcd our
fields with blood. and no foreign war has ray
aged our coasts: Yes; for these, but not for
these alone. nor for these chiefly. There are
other blessings which largely secure these to
a ,-it1, 4, ~ /
worth. Our fields might be as productive, and
our seasons as fruitful: our country rs healthy
and her reach of territory rs wide: but suppose
our liberty was stricken doWn-suppo>e this
cdice of equal and Just laws. the expression
of the peoples will, should fall in ruins about
us-ycs. suppose the machinery of the govern
ment were to remain a. now, its name and
forms unchanged. but the administration of
the government to fall into the hands of d.
signing and Unfortunately ambitious men, who
should ruthleSs Y trampe our political llbcrtic,
III the dust. and run the whole administration
for the perpetuaton and advancement of their
own political power, what would these other
gifts be worth to us? Mexico has better eli
mate and more fertile fields than we. and her
land is as healthy rs ours but is Mexico the
United States: Yes; ana Mexico is republic in
NAME and her forms of government are repub
lican; but who of lis wishes TO live under Mex
lean rule: 1t is our free government, a govern
mcnt of equal and Just laws. which laws are
the expression of the will of the peOple-to use
Mr.. Lincoln's happy phrase. "a government Of
tle people. by the people, and for the people
that Is our chlcfest national blessing. and which
largely secures. and gives all their value to other
temporal blessings. AS long AS we are true to
oar national liberty we are safe The Trojan
legend is, that the wooden image of l'aas,
thrown to the earth by Jupiter. was the sure
protection OF the city. As long a. this image
remained within the walls of Troy no enemy
could prevail against her: and not until lys>r>
and Diomcdes stole the image, were the walls
OF Troy laid low and The city destroyed Our
national liberty is or palladium. As long IN
we jealousy guard this. we are safe When Wc
lose this. the day Of our doom is not far OF. And
il seems 10 me that these Thanksgiving service.
should be timely that on this day We Should
speak Of the present cal!sc> of than,fulncs>.
and dwell on the lessons involved in the social
ant political conditions which surround Us Just
now. And with this intent have prepared this
sermon.
repeat, then. our national liberty must NJ
jtaloU>lY guarded. One sole danger lies IN hc
ing false or tickle to our trust Our liberty ~
COTS choicest national Gift to u>. oar feet to-
day on an unchartered soil. When OR au-
cC>tur> came over to this country there was M
rubbish Of feudali>m or ancient customs to clear
away. No old chartered monopoly held the soil
in fee. No privileges. boar With age and but
tresSed with long uSc. frttcred thv full growth
Of the young nation. They could build up from
the foundation. And right nobly They built.
YES, and when intrudcr> came atros, The sea To
compel them to cease building, they drove them
Oft with blood. 1t was not the tea tax OF stamp
duties that caused the Revolutionary war.
These We're only The occasion, That war had
to be fought simply because this Noung nation
IA free people with its feet on an unrharttred
soil-mu>t not. could not be hampcred by fet-
tcr> Of loyalty to any power outside itself. And
these feeble folk, true TO themselves, success
fully dcticd the then first naval and military
power in the world. And this larger nation. if
true TO itself, need to-day fear no foreign foe,
even though IFS army is 4 skeleton. and it, Navy
is not
our great danger is over-condcncc WI
are disposed to think that Providence iIus such
>pecial love for US and such Il Signal futuu
in store for lis. that our pcrpctuity is safe. even
though We neglect and ignore all our political
duties. Many of Us may thcologically be Az
mnianS: but nationally we ali are CalVinist>.
The old Puritan heaven clm@S to Us. We are
the chosen of God; and we shall be saved
politically and territorially. do what we may or
omit to do what We may. Providence will take
care Of Us in any event.
Now Providence will not take care Of u, I'M
ic>> we take care Of ourselves. God has done
great deal for Us, whereof we are glad. iir
has planted us to all mtcnts and purposes alone
on this continent, Wide oceans srcItrc Us
against all outside cntanglements and intcrfcr-
encc>. our borders reach from SEA to sea.
Our territory extends across every variety Of
climate, and embraces every variety of soil.
Untold riches are locked within our hills. and
our condition. give employment to every NuIi-
ETY. of labor. Here the farmer and the fisher
man: the miner and the manufacturer: the
trader and the sailor; the lumberman and the
explorer; the man of brains, and the man who
has only his two hands. find remunrratyr en-
ploympnt. For all this to-day in our homes
and houses of worship we praise the Lord. But
there IS a danger, and that danger is within.
We may be unfahful to our trust. Our libcr-
ty which makes this of ma homo
of Il happy. prosperous, and mighty people, is
ours to keep OF lose as we prefer + we are
true to our history and true to our trust, our
national liberty will be like the statue Of Miner
VI clad IN complete arnor from the height Of
the Acr0pOlis looking down on Athens, and
her braZcn spear extended over the city safe i'll
her protection, lis tutelary deity. If we are
false TO our history and fal>e to our trus., our
republican name and republican forms of GOV
eminent may remain unchanged, but our great
ness and prosperity Will have departed. and
these forms be only useful as guide and warm
ing to other peoples; like that same statue of
Minerva looking down on the PROSTATE walls
and ruined homes Of Athens, and from IFS
lofty height now only useful to the sailor yoy-
aging over The blue Mediterranean.
Political parties are a necessity to free GOV
crnment. And still the existence Of untagoni>-
tic political parties, Il necessary safeguard to
free institutions, may under certain conditions
endanger them The danger consists i'll putting
the government for the interest of the party.
Country must always be put first, the party cN-
lists for the good of the country. The party
claims my service and vote because it carries
on the government economically, honestly, and
faithfully; and because the principle, which it
advocates makes for the country SAFETY and
prosperity. Party allegiance is i nli>nomer.
Treason 10 party is Il missioner. | owe no 10y
atty to the Republican party: you owe no loyal
ty to the Democratic party. Our loyalty we
owe to our country. He who deserts his
country is Il traitor, and no longer deserves to
live. He who deserts his party when false to
its trust, is acting the part of a good and loya
citizen. Parties come and 80, like the clouds
that form, break, and reform about the mount
ain as the temperature rises and falls. and the
wind blows from this or that quarter; but. oh
may the country stand stable as that mountain,
about which the storms of centuries have ragged
without harming it, and whose serene head
shall be crowned with the sunlight of coming
cycles.
There is much said at present about the dam
ger to free institutions arising from dcprying
free citizens of the ballot. This is Il burning
shame, which should not be tolerated.; but it is
more disgrace than a danger 1t is sclf-ln-
tied disease and will cure itself. Much is said
about the danger to free institutions from the
great mass of ignorant voters. There is dan