The daily enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1884, 1883-12-05
THANKSGIVING DAY.

Sermon at Bunsen's Camp.
Special Correspondence of the Daily Enterprise
MAMMOTH Hot SPRINGS, Dec. L.
Thanksgiving day in the National
Park had some Incidents worth record.
ing:
! Swanson s artillery ceased lombard
ing the rocks beneath Bunsen's Peak.
The captain having no chaplain. heroi-
cally performed that function himself.
His culinary artist, Bascom, made
some extra pie and cake, and divine
services began in the usual way of
expressing thanks by making clean
sweep of what had been provided for
the material man. The spiritual food
was then administered in the moSt
deyout manner by the chief, the sub
stance OF which was as follows: ''La-
dies and gentleman, there was a
laugh passed through the ranks of the
grim blasters of rock, You laugh at
my supposed mistake in addressing G
that portion of my audience whose
presence is not visible ON this solemn
occasion. Spiritually they are present
in every one of your heads and hearts.
and il. there is a man among us in
whose heart there is not enshrlned
that visible manifestation of God
| among men - women = either as
mother. sister, wife or lover; then he
has little to be thankful for. and he
might as well be drilling and blasting
rock in Kingman's pass, as to be keep
ing this day sacred for rest and thanks
giving. There is not a man in this
camp who has not sacred tie that
bi. dis him to some woman in one or
more of these four forms of relation
ship. Do you think that mother, a
sister, wife or lovsr can be in any
assembly to-day to return thanks
for any human blessing without think.
ing of us! And were they fully aware
of the dangers to which we are daily
exposed, from falling trees and shat
tered rocks while forcing our way into
this land where the eternal forces of
fire and flood are Transforming the rocks
into jelly and dust, that their prayers
for our safety would not be daily
uttered in the inaudible language OF
the hearts purest love; and shall we
forget these silent petitions, for whom,
and by whom we exist. Gratitude is
one form OF worship. The objects Of
worship are almost innumerable.
Every day of the week and the twelve
months of the year were instituted to
express the sense of gratitude for
some gift Of nature. All mankind felt
the influence of the SUN as the source
of light and life; hence Sunday. The
moon took second place in our world,
hence Moon-day. Tuesday and
Wedne' days were also made sacred
to some star in heaven whose influence
for good was felt, or supposed to be
felt on earth. But this, Thors.day,
was one of the most sacred days Of our
forefathers. He was the god Of
war. and all the warlike nations wor-
SHIPPED him as the source of courage,
patriotism and heroic self-sacritice.
It is NO mere accident that thanksgiv-
ing days are on Thursday. And we
o ught not to be ashamed of, or con-
denim the feast days Of our forefath- |
ers, because they were the beginnings |
of civilization that needed war as .
means Of discipline and courage, as a
virtue requisite to the conquest of ma
ture. First in the subjugation or ex-
tlnction of the brute world; second.
in the elimination of the inhuman ele-
ments from the human world. The
war upon animals is but little needed
now. The savage and uncivil-
lzable races of men are near
" extinct or assimilated. But
the war in (which we are still en-
gagged must 90 OH until every part OF
our human world is made accessible
to man. The rocks must b blasted,
the rivers bridged, the mountains tun-
nelled, and every sea made navigable
and every desert flooded until ths
whole earth is made habitable. Our
future heaven upon earth is to cone
made with human hands. The man
sions in the skies vanished with tho
new heavens and the new earth which