The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1883-12-08

to the hallowed solitude of the closet and
re-colect the scattered thoughts and ener-
gies. How congenial with the evening hour
of rest to bow again in His presence, i'm
ploring pardon for imperfections and mis-
deeds, invoking benedictions on ourselves
and all men else. How blessed to suppll-
| cate for our enemies. How endearing be-
come all the ties of life-their joys and sor-
rows are consccrated by mutual prayers.
How precious the tender affections of pa
rents and children, of brothers and sisters,
whose home life is thus imbued with the
Bancity and consolation of religion, and
how the memories of such home follow
its members when dispersed over the world
with. salutary lessons and holy sympathies.
Assuredly, an institution which inaparts
sanctity to ordinary life, cementing its Of
fections, purifying it's joys, relieving Its
sorrows and assuaglng Its passions, COM
mends itself to us as one of the most salu-
| tary ordinances of our religion and worthy
of the interest attached to it by our wise
men, who have taught us that prayer and
| gratitude elevate man to the loft1est posi-
| ton on earth and assure him the enjoyment
of eternal bliss. Oh, give thanks unto the
Lord, for he is good; for unto eternity en-
dureth his kindness.
| In the Talmud Treatise Brachoth we find
the following regarding Thanksgiving: Rab-
bi Jehuda said in the name of Raw, there
are four classes OF people who should and
| must by their virtuous instinct tender
thanks to the Almighty. Voyagers that
have crossed the vast stormy ocean-they
| have encountered great dangers and have
ESCAPED unhurt They that travel in des-
erts, who are exposed to numerous dangers
and emerge from their wanderlngs safely
should praise and thank God. He who has
| been Frustrated on q bed of sickness: he
sees death in various forms; mOmentarlly
! is he expected to be cut off from the land
! of the living, but by the aid and mercy of
| God he becomes convalescent;. restored to
| his natural health, he also must thank and
praise God for his wondrous deliverance.
| And he that sits in darkness in the shadow
| of death, bound in fetters of iron, who has
been accused of degrading crime; he can
no longer behold the beauties OF nature;
| the brilliant sun of glory is entirely OBJ
scured, the pure atmosphere Of freedom he
no longer inhales, but when at the last hour
| his innocence has been proven, his reputa-
| ticn ro9stabished, the fetters torn asunder,
the sun again smiles over his head, should
| he not render thanks to God for his merci-
full restoration? You see, my dear friends,
that the sages of the Talinud, although adj
vanced in science and absorbed in philoso-
ply, never failed to explain to their people
| minutely and most graphically the neces-
sity, nay, the vital importance of thanking
! God for his unbounded kindness to his chill
dren. I believe that those four character
istic classes of the Talmud which | cited
| represent our own selves. We have been
for centuries voynging on the raging ocean;
the waves-the different nations-tossed us
| about many years. We have been raised
up once very high, and then our enemies
! have pfunget. It's down into the depths of
the sea. We have been barbarously perse-
! cuted, and for no just reason-slmply be-
! cause we cherish the religion Of our fathers.
| We have traversed an isolated wilderness.
| What of the destruction of Jerusalem, the
captivity in Assyria, the terrible lnquisition
| of Spain, and various other base, inhuman
| atrocities that were perpetrated upon us!
! People forsook us, shelter we found no
where; we were deserted undeservedly.
| What nation is there on the surface of
| the globe that can show q record of more
suffering than the people Of Gods own
choice? Our ancestors have been driven
from their peaceful homes. They were ex-
posed to great dangers, they suffered NOR
| ally and physically, they were compelled to
wander from one place to another, from
one tyranny to another; they were treated
worse than slaves, looked upon as worse
savages; their freedom has been taken from
them, every dynasty, every monarchy has
| invented new Instruments of torture and
devised new plans for our eradication; to
cool their monstrous hearts i'll our blood
| WIS tIlSli gi5uttSi dLioAs anu WIZ 10
there that can enumcrate all the mlserles
that environed the road of our nation?
| Consult the annals OF the worlds history
and diacOver for yourselves the proVlden-
tinl aid extended to our nation. When the
flames of persecution attained the highest
point of destructive fury, when the winds
of heaven were gathered into hurricanes,
temrests and gales, when everywhere the
voice and hand of persecution pursued our
| people, the future world, the new life, the
land of tranquility predicted by the seers
was discovered. Thither our exhausted
brethren hocked-here to America, the
promised land, the land that the eye of God
| is upon from the beginning to tho end of
| the year. The voice of the oppressor is no
| longer heard, thank God. The stormy sea
has calmed its fury; tho desert has become
beautiful city: our physical strength has
| been restored to us; the fetters have been
| Sundered: the storm has broken, the threat
| ening clouds have rained abundant bless
ings on us. Here in the land of tolerance
we are persecuted no longer; equality and
brotherIy love is the aim of its adherents.
The sun shines over all heads, irrespective
of religious opinions. Sleep Is given to all.
Liberty, oh, liberty, thou priceless gift Of
| God to mankind, here we no longer fear its
annihilction. We have sown our seed, we
have gathered our harvest. Gladly and will
| lingly We unite with the numerous voices in
sending up OH high our innermost feeling
of gratitude and thanks to our great pre-
server, to the fountain of our life, The con-
so!er Of our tribulations, the emancipation
of mankind from the bonds of tyranny.
To make true demonstration of con-
genial Thanksgiving we must remember
those who are in misery. 10 relieve tho
distressed poor, to open our hands to allevi-
ate suffering humanity, to extend charity
and protection to tho needy-theae are the
tokens of true sense of gratitude md will
surely be acceptable before God.
"Honor thy God with thy wealth and
with tho first fruits of thy products. So
shall thy storehouses be filled with plenty,
and with new wine shall thy presses over
llow." Happy art thou, oh, Israel, who is
like unto thee, oh, people saved by the Lord,
the shield OF thy help, and who is the sword
Of thy excelIency, and thy enemies shall
fawn upon thee, and thou shalt tread upon
their high places" Amen.
Col. A. T.. Campbell. Waltorboro, S. G., says
"a member Of my family used Browns lroI
Bitters with good results
TIE HECoNFEDEaArE KsAPsAca.-This is tho
unique title of a monthly journal about tc