Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1885-11-27

sor the returning morning light,
i'or the bright sun that shines on high,
FOR the stars glttering In the sky,
for these, and everything we see,
o, Lord, our hearts we lift to Thee,
For everything give thanksi"
But let US be more specific 7. We
shonid be thankful f0r nafisv iand
God has implanted within every man
love for the spot where first he saw the
light:
MAN, through all ages Of revolving time,
Unchanging in man every varying cline,
Deems his own land Of every land the pride,
beloved by Heaven DER all the world beside;
His home the spot of earth supremely blest,
A dearer. sweeter spot than all the rest"
They tell this story IN connection
with the war Of the Rebellion in Amer
ica At one time during the war the
opposing armies lay idly close beside
each other, with only the waters of the
Rappahannock dividing them. When
a Union band would strike up "The
Star Spangled Banner" or other strain
sweet to the boys in blue, a Confed-
crate band would oppose it with
Dixie" or some kindred Southern
martial air. But one evening lone
bugler sat musing on the scenes about
the Northern fireside where heknewthey
missed him. Instructively he placed
the bugle to his lips and played the
mellow strains of "Home sweet Home" :"
Only for moment did he play alone.
His comrades picked up their instru-
ments and shared in his reverie Of
home. A moment more and, hark !
what tune is that which comes over
the swift waters Not "Dixle" now,
nor other discord, but the loved har-
mony Of "Home sweet Home, that
lis always the same all round the world.
Then up and down each river bank it
spread till, if the story be true, all the
bands of both armies were. harmoni-
ously filing the air with the blessed
recollection that every man in all those
ranks had home he loved, and would
see happy So on this day SO redolent
with old associations, how all hearts join
in the old sacred song, of "Home sweet
Home" How the thought of every
American goes swiftly out to that land
so dear where Thanksgiving Day had
its birth. AS Americans, met together
on this peculiarly American day, we
should render devout thanksgiving to
God for His mercy to US as people.
You have no need that | should re-
count again the oft-repeated story Of
our material greatness in the present
and vast possibilities for the future.
OF all this we have heard, and boasted,
till we are in danger of mis-spending
time in measuring the breadth of our
eagles wings andadmiring hislofty flight.
tits not because of these material things,
great and enriching as they are, that ]
as an American am most thankful
That which evokes my gratitude most
is the spirit of-peace and brotherhood
which now prevails in our nation. Thi:
is something which men of my age
have never seen before in America
congratulate you, my fellow Amer
leans, upon, and thank God for, thi:
national amity and brotherhood. Fol
many years before the actual clash o
arms we thought we had peace, bu
there was no peace 1t was war of pen
and tongue, and press. Our Congress
was constant battle field where tn,
Slave-holding South and the Free
North met. Their interests were anita
gonistic: their giants met in deadl,
struggle. 1t was challenge, alteration
and deadly duel. And this battle wa
not confined to mere contest o
words. Brooks caned Charles Sumner
Potter, of Pennsylvania, fought Pryo
Of Virginia; United States marshall
hunted down black men in our northern
cities amid riot and bloodshed. Th,
slave power tried to muzxlc the press
presses and type we're destroyed, anc
all papers which opposed the slaye-trad'
we're excluded from the United State
mails, in one half that land. Orator
|, we're mobbed, colleges we're burned 70
admitting colored students, churche
we're rent in twain, and hate, and re
, venge, and suspicious divided OH
nation into two great camps for thirt
years before Sumter's first gun-an,
yet We thought we had peace, and wen
on trying to bridge the ever widenin
chasm with our. paper compromises
Then came the final resort to arms, tn
desperate death-struggle for four year:
and then Appomattox x-but not peace
We thought we had peace. But it was to-
r much to expect that the passions en-
gendcred by that long war of words an,
war of swords should at once subsidc
5 and that hands from which had jus
! dropped bloody swords and deathd dea
/ ing arms, should at once be clasped il
! friendly brotherhood. 1t was not il
r human nature. 1t took years to brin
: that about, but the years hare accom-
: plished it. The people have learne
: that the war is over. Here and ther
lone politician is still to be found VIII
i. is yet on the war-path; but the al
I tempts Of the few to stir up old fend
1 between different sections OF ou
lc0,otr,, 70 ,o,x n I,,J,cro,s fo,l,,~.