The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-11-25
THANKSGIVING DAY.
How it Originated, and What Deter
mined its Date.
Some of the Blessings for Which we
Should give Thanks This Year.

EDITOR HERALD:-It was thought,
take it, at the birth of our ma
tioE, that i6 would grow and
expand continually, that its fame
would reach to the ends of the
earth; and up from the North, from
the South, from the East, and from
the West, there would flow such a
stream OF praise and triumph, that
it must needs find expression in
some outward form; and in these
thoughts, lodged in the minds of
the founders of our Republic, must
have originated the plan of Thanks
giving, rather than in obedience to
any old-time practice. The custom,
TO me, is more beautiful than any
legend OF fairy lore. 1t is full of
grace aud poetry.
A simple, ferveut "I thank yOu,"
coming from the depths OF grateful
heart, III response to some gracious
act, is touching in the extreme; but
when q nation bows in humility, and
millions of hearts give praise and
THAMES to the sovereign on His
throne, it is something grand and
impressive. A fitting time was
chosen for the occasiOn-a time when
the old year has almost done its
work, when the cost has been
counted, and the result known
Then we can realize indeed how
great debt of gratitude we owe.
Thanksgiving, 70: what? For life,
it's blessings, its long continuance,
and for that sweet hope that lives in
every Christians heart of another
life purer, sweeter, richer, when we
have done with this. For the joys of
life, yea and its cares also, lest we
grow cary of repeated pleasures aud
a W thew
come. AS every life knOweth it's
own needs best, SO doth each in
dividual know what need OF praise is
his Thanksgiving tribute. We pay
our dues to earthly benefactOrs, shall
we repudiate the greatest dent We
have ever incurred, the inteseSs of
which has been growing and deepen
ing all these years? Render unto
Caesar the things that are Cesar's,
and unto God the things that
are Code" Give unto Him a
life of devotion anu reverence-a life
filed to the brim with good deeds,
a greater renewal of the lofty aud
hOly prOmptings Of duty, with the
advent of every Thanksgiving morn.
Thank God for peace. TIE time
has been when the monster war, was
abroad i'll our land, and there was
great mourning then. Many heroes
life went out la that dark time. The
clash aid clamor of battle, the voice
of the war drum and fife were heard.
Now they are sLilled, and peace,
silent and deep, has been ours for
many years Would that 1t might
never be broken!
The Asiatic plague troubled not
our shores, or at least, but slight
ly. While thousands We're stricken
in the land beyond the sea, We Were,
happily, free from the terrible infec-
ton. SEmpathZIng with them i'll
their sore distress, We utter prayer
Of thauksg living that our land WAS
more favored.
The famine curse visited the great
aud powerful natloL of Russia this
year. Our fields teemed with plenty,
and from our abundance, We were
able to give that relief that would
assist in driving the demon from her
plains.
Look where we may, the vista
leads through royal paths of p ace ami
plenty, and every blessing discovers
to us a new source of gratitude. In
the development of our nation. there
have been struggles, grand and
gloomy, as there are i'll every life
worthy of record, but she has
from each clothed with
grea' or glory and honor, the scars en-
Iy remsining to tell of that which
once hath been. Through it all, W.
have been safe, safe in our Father
Keeping. Let us thank III m now
AMI ever. Ia tn. cos ly marble man
sion, in the quiet hOma in rurai
places at the altar, by the hearth
stoae, by the way side, alone, or in
the assembly, let our hearts go up in
grateful praise to our great Creator |
for his love and wondrous gifts to all
mankind.
Give thanks to God! Above all else
Allegiance first we owe to him
From the sunrise of life until deaths |
low setting,
We draw from His fountain OF mercy |
each day;
Yet how prone we are all alike to for |
getting
When the tenor of life is smooth,
And nothing disturbs our way.
LESHIA.