The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-29
WHY THEY ARE THANKFUL.
Ideas Advanced by General Sherman, Fred
Douglass and e. Il. Hale.

1 Douglass and e. Il. Hale.
Washington Special.
The Philadelphia Press, to collect part of its
Thanksgiving matter, autographed to a lumber
OF distinguished citizens IN various stations OF
public hte, asking them their idea of what we
should be thankful for. Among its replies were
the following:
Sir beg you will excuse me from selection
out of the very great many causes why we
should be especially thankful on the approach
ing Thanksgiving Day, for publication. The
causes which are nearest to the heart are so
precious that they shun the light of day, much
more the publicity you intimate.
ST LOUIS, Nov. q w. T. SHERMAN"
From Frederick Douglass:
'Slr-You ask me for what should we give
thanks l answer: If at the bidding of the
President we should give thanks at all, we shonld
give them for life and for all the good or i'll it
may contain, at least so far as these may be
ascribed to the action of infinite power And
since man is finite creature, too limited in
knowledge and wisdom to presume to sit In judg-
ment upon the acts of the Infinite to pronounce
one thankworthy and another not, or, what is
the same thing, to single out one of several OF
his acts for special praise, and leave Others uu-
noticed 1t Is alike more rational and more reuer-
ent to give thanks for all the dealings of Provi-
dence, whether they be of sickness or health,
adversely or prosperity, peace or war, liberty or
slavery.
WASHINGTON Nov. 25.n
From Rev. Edward E. Hale:
Slr-lt seems to me that an American should
be thankful that he is an American. The
fathers and the course of history settled for us
in the providence of God ninety nine hundredths
OF the exasperating questions which rack and
distress the people of Europe to-day, and settled
them rightly. If you will permit me to say so,
the difficulty of all newspaper men, outside the
office Of the Philadelphia Press, is that in
America they have so few SUBJECTS for leading
articles They borrow from Europe the super
stition that four leading articles are necessary
in each number of daily journal; but really
ine-tenths of the subjects discussed by leading
editors in London and in Paris, are subjects not
even open to controversy here
" Happy is the country whose history is IN
written and more happy is the country which
has no need of leading articles. An American
should be grateful that his country and his daily
life are so much larger than the government
When dear Garfield lay four months a-dying, the
country went on without national executive
better than any empire went which had its
sovereign on the throne, with counselors around
him and prRtorians behind them, all trying to
set the country forward For the government
of America resides only i'm very small part in
Washington. The Washington dilution is al
most infnitesimal. The main functions of GOV
eminent, SO far as the life of the people goes,
belong to the State administrations to the cities,
to the church, to the college, schools and acade-
mics, to other organizations of public spirit, and
most Of ALL to the millions Of happy homes,
for maintaining which the whole system is de-
Yised-
"BosToN, Nov. "a"