The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-12-06
THANKSGIVING.
A Seasenable Sermon Delivered by
Rev. A. f. Skeele in the
M. f. Church.
The IWoHlsingman's Tbankagietns""S
he should be Thankml-Intemper-
.anoe and the Illegal saleot
Liquors Among us.

~.
the fields shall yield no meat, the nock
shall be cut Off.irom the fold, and there
shall be no herd in the stalls; yet VIII
rejoice in the Lord, l will Joy in the God
OF my salvation
1t may he that ms we gather Tor TINS our
beloved annual festival Of praise, some are
finding themselves less inclined than
usual to thanksgiving. Perhaps only
hall. uttered question. Are the causes ior
gratitude as many as they have been some
years
Perhaps only amounting to degree @
reserve and half heartedness as you pre-
pared to keep the feast.
Certainly in no one of us has 1t reached
the point of protest against the CUSTOM
and positive refusal to heed the sugges-
tions of our magistrates for the approprl-
ate observance of the day. IL Is one ot
the signs OF the times that this point oil
dissent has been reached, as shown In the
following remarkable quotation from the
Cleveland Citizen. which claims to be the
official organ of the Ohio State Trades
and Labor Assembly.
After quoting a part of Governor Nc
Kinley's proclamation, the editor COM
ments as follows:
What gigantic fraud the old custom
of issuing thanksgiving proclamations Is
As long as the people unite In thanking
God for the bountiiul harvests which have
been showered on the few. while the many
are In need Of food and raiment, The
country will continue to be a nation O.
hypocrites"
From the national proclamation he
quotes this sentence:
"Ou that day let us forego our Ordinary
work and employments," and then re
marks: ave wonder If Grover intended
TO be ironical.
The great majority of workingmen viii
not only rest on thanksgiving day, but OF
all other days. We do not think iha
workngmeu have reason to be thansiu
for anything"
dono. remember to have ever seen 81
radical aud open protest, against our age
honored custom, ami 50 sharp an arraign
ment of Official authority,
II strikes you as Il did me, II will n
least set us TO thinking.
II will not do for us 10 dismiss such Al
utterance with a few choice eplthe,s o
unsparing condemnation, such as sacrileg
Gus, foolish, socialistc, revolutionary
etc, etc.
These terms ATE not arguments, an
they only render our brother who ha
written such words moro bitter than eve
while they make us partakers OF like In
tolerance of him aud his doctrines, an
thus The misunderstanding grows MOI
hopeless, and the chasm deeper,
Moreover it is PLAN that these are n,
the words of an essayist or dilettante, HI
theze IS more conviction in them, MOI
fire, more Of the heart, ten IN one, this
YOU or | would be able To throw into Ol
denial Of them.
We ought carefully to discriminate b
tweerthe true and the false in such ,
utteranoe. We must distinguish the CT
OF the sLouter and labor Oglator from u
real roice Of the workingman, who
mouth piece he claims to be.
We may even address to the editor II T
spectful letter of dissent, asking him II !
deed II be.true that the great majority
workingmen will rest, not only on Thank
giving, but on all other days. II IL
true that worEingmen have no reason
be grea.ful for anything.
But after all due allowance has bee
made, II remains, does il not. that Il
workingman, or as we prefer to say, u
worker for wages. has grievance.
There Is. especially among artisans,
mighty tide of popular discomfort. /
feels that with the phenomenal increa
in the wealth Of this country, he has n
had his share.
II Is not necessary 10 Insist on III
ancient saw, that the rich are getting ric
er and the poor sre growing poorer.
This only we may CLAIM 10 his beh'
cha, the improvement in his condition b
aot kept pace With The development Of I
country.
i, may be that he Is twice as we'll Oft
Ids grandfather. But here is the poi
as Josiah Strong puts Il 10 his 'Sew Err
lie knows ten times as much and wal
ten times as much; hence his disconten
Bot can only refer you to the chap
on popular discomfort In that most va
able book.
But The laborer ieels thst 10 the cont
with capital he Is put at disadvantage
He knows that with him II "a the strr
gle for existence, at the poim Of actr
want, while with his rich compe,itor. pl
tected by his hank sccount and bis CO
Portable hone, Il Is only question OF
few more or less thousands 90 an ineor
already ample.
! BE is no, sure tat 10 the long run q
! lSep,ion Of machinery ijurr him. b
he knows that Il works against him at d.
sDd In the graduaj accommodation of u
man 10 machine. w he's 10 take The ha
ypbs.