The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-11-15


proclamation setting apart Thursday,
November 29th, as day Of National
Thanksgiving and praise to Almighty
God for the blessings received at His
hands during the year of our Lord
1888. That it is eminently fit and
proper that the people should in this
public manner acknowledge the good
ness Of the Giver Of all things, per-
haps none vii! deny, while the day has
never been as strictly observed as it
should be. Referring to this the
Richmond UHIg voices our sentiments
so we'll that we quote at length from
a recent editorial On the subject. 1t
says:
The President says: "On that day
November 29th) let all our people
suspend their ordinary work and o. :
equations, and IN their accustomed
places of worship, with prayer and
songs of praise, render thanks to God
for all His mercies; for the abundant
harvests which have rewarded the toll
Of the husbaGdman during the year
that has passed, and for the rich re-
wards that have followed the labors of
our people IN their shops and their
marts to trade and traffic. Let as give
thanks for peace and for the social
order and Contentment within our
borders, and for our advancement in
all that adds to our national greatness.
And, mindful o. the affective dispen-
sation with which a portion OF Our
land has been visited, let us while we
humble ourselves before the power OF
God acknowledge His mercy in set
ting bounds to the deadly march Of
pestilepce, and let our hearts be chas-
tened By sympathy with our fellow
countrymen who have suffered and
who mourn
| Now we cannot for the life of US
see why Christians OF the South should
refuse or neglect to observe such 3
! proclamation, and yet we doubt if 6
single private place Of business in the
city will be closed on that day, or i
one in twenty of the members of the
various churches suspend their ordi-
nary work and occupation, and il
their accustomed places of worship
with prayer and songs of praise, rem
der thanks to God for all His merCies
Nay, more than this, we doubt if one
half the ministers OF the city, ever
open their houses of worship on tina
day. # they do, it will be far bette
than what has been the custom o
former years. We therefore believs
that the ministers themselves arr
largely responsible for the utter neg
leCt of the observance Of the day o
thanksgiving by the lay members O
their respective churches. Certainly
it would be very poor compliment
to the ministers to say that they havl
not influence enough with their mem
bers to induGe them to attend relig
ious services in a given day.
We are native Nisginian, but W,
confess that we have a liking TO
thanksgiving day, even if it is {
Yankee custom" Surely our pref
udices should not prevent us FROM
performing a plain religious duty. l
is perhaps as much our duty to rem
der praise and thanksgiving to CO,
for His blessings and His mercies as
the duty Of the "Yankee." He is a
much our God as He is theirs, and a
we worship Him on the same Sab
bath they do, it would not hurt us t.
do SO on the same day set apart 70
that purpose by the President. VIVA
grander or more impressive spectacle
could be witnessed than that of
whole nation, on a given day and a
a given hour, suspending all their bus
mess and repairing to their usua
places of worship, there to unite as
whole people in returning thanks t.
God Drills blessings and mercies t.
us as d nation as we'll as individuals
And yet that is spectacle which ha
never been witnessed in this country
because the people of some parts re
fuse to unite in the observance of TIN
Presidents proclamation prescribing
plain religious duty. We say plainl
that the conduct of the Southern PEG
pie in regard to this matter is no
creditable to them. Moreover,
. does not conform to what we regart
as the duty of a people protesting to b
Christians