Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-11-28
THANKSGIVING DAY.
PRISE 10 eoD FOR BLESSINGS.

unusually large number OF churches yes
terdly. The presbyterians united al the
Second (Dr. Hoge'sl church, and Rev. Dr.
iIOge, Rev. Dr. Read, Rev. Mr.. Drew, and
Rev. FoytoD Il. lIoge oiilciaied. The con-
trepalion was Que Of the largest, II not the
largest. of the day in this city. Mr.. Boee
twho Is The pastor Of ID, Fourth church,
preached the sermon from |. Chronicles,
XIV. 1i-f3.
thine. o Lord j. the rrea;negy aud tho power
and the e'oly ard ihe victory and tbe majesty
Tor an that s IN the heaven and IN the earth ~
! Thine; iripo ls itc kingdom, . Lord, aud ri,on
| Art exalted ~ head above all.
10Th rchos and honor come OF Thee, and Thou
rcienc q over all; and In Thine hand IS power aud
might and IN Thine hand u 70 make great aud
Sow. ibeTsioT, c our God, VIC thanl Thee. and
| Vraisc Thy SloTious name.
Nj. IIogc said:
A country Ike ours. with territory eX-
tending one seventh OF the circuit Of the
globe upon the best parallels oil tne tempe
rate and semltropical zones with a sys-
tenn of oceans, and mountains, and lakes,
| and streams conspiring 10 give the most
favorable conditions Of climate, and to an
swer all the demands Of drainage, and
commerce. and manufacture; with re-
sources "a vast and so varied as to produce
in her fair and fertile fields and mines OF
| eNbausicss richness almost every form Oi
| wealth known 10 the wants Of the world
| country such ~ ours can never lack
| grounds Cf Thanksgiving when these re-
sources are developed by an enlightened
| and industrious people. and when these
blessings are crowned by free. Christian
| institutions handed down 10 Us from our
foreiathcrs.
| kycn under tnc most uniavOrable condi'
tions, and under the most disbear.enlne
circumstances, the rccuperatiye power
shown bv our own section Of the country
may well excite the admiration and aston
ishInCnt Of the world. Who that in 1865
beheld our iand desolated by war, our best
blood poured forth upon the field OF battle
| our social institutions PROSTATE, could have
imagined that i'm less than twenty years the
south could make such a display Of her
wealth ~ that which in a few Gays will be
attracting the attention Of the civilized
world 20 New Orleans! Who that stood
| upon the ashes Of Richmond the day after the
| evacuation could have pictured 10 his mind
| the population and wealth and beauty OF
the city which We have the good fortune 10
! inhabit to-day; There were men in the
| South who. at the close OF the war. thought
| Of CmigTating 10 other lands, and some OF
| them actually carried their purpose into
i
| future for the south in which they would
| care 70 have pant. But has not the event
| proved that, even through the distressing
| reriOd Of reconstruction that followed de.
| feat and humiliation. there was still that in
this land that might well make a man thank
| God that he was still permitted 10 live
| in the land Of hls fathers and the land Of
| his birth?
| And Yet the wear that is now drawing 10
| close, 80 far from having been year oi
| extraordinary prosperity, has been year |
Of extraordinary depres,ion-the deepest |
| depression that the country has known |
| since that which followed the financial |
| panic OF 1873. Tine failure Of the most |
| substantial business firms, the reduction Of |
| wages, the closing Of furnaces. the shutting |
| down OF large manufactures, are items of |
| news that we not only see. but expect 10 |
| see in almost every daily paper. Even the |
| extraordinary large wheat crop which re- |
| Wardcd The tabor 0f the husbandman haS |
| done nothing 10 relieve the general stagnl- |
| tiOn Of business, on account of the low |
| prices That il commanded; and. so far Is |
| We can sec, the end Is not yet
| II j. true that there are those that make |
| il thcr business TO study these things who |
| will not believe that the country Is getting !
poorer from tie very Superahundance Of |
! everything necessary to make her rich. bat !
| who see in the present condition OF busl- |
| utss ,trainnc of the ship a. she rights |
| herself to respond to different and trucr |
| conditions Of prosperity: but such a hope |
| is too abstract and founded on elements too |
/ uncertain and complex TO lie the occasion !
/ Of popular Thanksgiving.
II would be vain. then. to attempt 10 /
| hide from our eve, the fact that the occl- /
/ sion Of our observance Of this day i the |
| recent event that has taken place IN the p0- |
| lilical wOTij-the change that the people |
/ have decrccd to take place in the adminis- /
| lralion OF The National Government upon /
! the 4th Of next March. And that makes |
| the task assigned your speaker difficult /
/ one. ON the one hand, the discussion OF |
/ partisan politics l. no theme for the pulpit /
I even upon secular day, and for one half !
/ of the people 10 rejoice in their triumph !
over the other bali and cali il q national |
! thanksgiving j. certainly alien to the spirit /
/ OF Christianity. On the other hand. il would /
! be- idle 10 attempt to occupy your attention |
/ with any thing else than that which brought |
/ You together. For these reasons ] have |
said th3t NY task wGs difficult one. and !
might have added an impossible one. but |
/ that the extraordinary circumstances con.
/ ne1ted with this event remove IL from the !
/ sphere OF partisan politics. and so remove /
not only the Impossibiity but even the diff |
iCully from my task. and make il easy for |
/ all good men. who will lay partisan feelings |
| aside. 10 ejOce and thank God for at least |
/ such feature, of this event a. ! shall per- |
/ nit myself 10 present 10 YOU.
/. one ground OF rejoicing for which all |
men may certainty j0lnin Thanksgiving j. |
! peaceful election. Chc campaign was char |
acteriZcd by personal bitterness almost |
Unprecedented. The passions Of the con-
| tending parties both WaNcd very hot. In |
many placeSihe state and municipal author |
titles at the polls were supposed TO be par |
! tisans OF one party. whilc the national |
authorities were supposed to be placed |
| there in the interest Of the other party. |
| But month before, when the same condi- |
| tiOns existed al state election, the result |
| had been riot and bloOdshcd. Ii was not |
without reason. then, that men looked with |
| anxiety toward the national election. But |
| the daV came, and from every direction |
| came thS news, Election proceeding |
| quietly" The streets Of Richmond |
were quieter than on ordinary DAYS. |
| Every man went to the polls and deposited |
! his ballot. and that was all. Silently, aS
| the falling of the autumn leaves, more 81 |
| lently than the pattering OF the autumn |
ram. was the work accomplished that both |
| parties have termed a political revolution. |
| Thank God the American people can still |
| express their viii without coercion |
! Thank God the American people still |
| acquicsce in the will OF the majority! |
! Thank God that ~ we do not need vast !
standing armies to project lis from foreign |
! invasion. 80 We do not need vast standing |
armies TO preserve lis from domestic insur |
rcctIOn, but that the American people are |
| still frcemen, and still worthy OF being en-
! trusted with liberty.
,. Another proper ground for thanks. |
giving j. the restoration to the country OF |
! party gOce,Bmeni While the great consti- |
tutiOnal questions OF British Government |
were shaping themselves in the revolutions |
| OF 1912 and 1854 history shows us the con- |
| tentiOns Of two great political parties; and !
after these questions had been settled aud |
| the supremacy OF tine Commons established. |
we find essentially the same two parties in |
| conflict which had confronted each other |
| in the Long Parliament. From that time |
! statesmen have slowly )me to perceive that |
party government is essential TO popular |
| government. and so essential to liberty. |
! But party government implies the existence |
| OF at least two parties one standing guard |