The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-11-29


As weeks aud months pass Ger Us,
And + Sc sublime nj this good time,
4 grand Thanksgiving chorus ,,ua,
II Ella Wheeler WiicoN'
There ought to be on Thanksgiving
Day an uplifting of all CHRISTIAN
hearts into a loftier spirit OF gladhess'
Be careful not to be pharisaical IN
,ur thankfulness. Lord, thank
thee that / am not as other men,, is
NOT a good sentiment at any time,
least of all on the last Thursday in
November, yet it is as frequently lelt
and even expressed now as 1T was l9OO
wears ago in Jerusalem. IN glad
I'm not like some folks is the Amer
lean form.
That it is really "a good thing to
give thanks" every one may discover
for himself by maring the experiment
MANY cloud has been driven from
the spiritual and mental sky by a
breath of praise. 1t is not good
thing to count over our sorrows ana
losses and perplexties as a rule, we
make them worse by doing so; but the
counting of our mercies has an lnVlg
Grating effect, and we are often sur
prised to find how much richer we are
than we had thought. - Christian Adj
vocate.
Thanksgiving should become more
an integral element IN all our worshiI'
in all our spiritual life. Anniversaries
are sad days because they recall tne
losses and SORROWS OF the year IN
many homes there is vacant chair
to day. Voices that sang IN the songs
last Thanksgiving are missed ana faces
that frightened the circle have van
ished. Tears will choke many hymn
Of praise. Yet, even III the sadness,
thanksgiving should not be left out OF
the song. Indeed, the purest, sweetest
ioy of earth is transformed sorrow.
ii. r.. Miller, ID. ID.
Let the Thanksgiving bells ring out .
Sound forth the old Gloria Patri. -
the 'sTe Deum.'' the doxology in
long measure - Let organs swell their
notes and give utterance in tones OF
thunder to our human praise. Let
Niagara roar, and the sublimity of
Yosemite, and the upspringing foun-
tians of Yellowstone proclaim the
thanks of the people to the God of the
nations. Let the palms 70 the sunny
south wave their fronds and let the
trees of the north and of the west
clap their hands, in praise to the God
who ruleth among the armies OF the
skies and among the inhabitants of
the earth. In all things, for all
things. through all things, be ye
thankful. - Bishop Vincent.
But there are many happy families
where there will be no empty seat no
vacant chair, where no losses and
sorrows will intrude, where. virtue will
preside and peace will abound, where
three or four generations Will meet
around the hearthstone, and the
children will light anew the torch of
love at the council fire. What unions
there will be on Thanksgiving Day
What sacred memories of the dead and
absent will cluster about the occasion
And what cause for Thanksgiving
are such homes, such memories, such
kinships. If the dead could come back
on earth and perhaps they do--the.v
would hover over such homes. They
would come on Thanksgiving evening.
They would make the old homestead
living place with their presence -
Christian Inquirer.
The first holiday which comes to a
home after it has been Swallowed by
bereavement. is very hard to bear. The
general blithe -heartedness, the happy
aspect of the world. contrasts with
our own sense of loss and grief, and
the pain deepens as we remember how
happy we were only little while ago,
and feel how desolate we now are. ~
will be very glad when Thanksgiving
is over" cries many an aching heart.
In the first feeling of loneliness words
of-cheer avail little. Far better is it
to extend silent sympathy to show by
tender tone and firm hand clasp and
loving looks that one is grieved with
the mourners than to speak, be 1T ever
so tactfully, when the ear cannot
listen. To those who sit in the shadow
only One heart in the universe can adj
minister comfort, only One can bring
the sunshine. In His own good time
the Master will send peace and
perhaps show the trustful and confiding
soul why He removed the desire OF
the eyes from the human sight. -
christian Intelligence.
Thanksgiving has mellowed and be-
come true home festival. an occasion
of family reunion and friendly greet
ing. Absent children come home
from long distances to sit around the
family table oEce year. Near rel
atives and old friends join the gather
ing, and the young people, their en-
thusiasm stirred by the turkey and
pumpkin pies, enter into the games
and frolics with a zest that belongs |
to no other day of the whole year. |
One who is not thankful on that day |
must be unhappy indeed. But it need |
not be wholly jubilee for ourselves.
AS far as possible, within the scope |
of our means and influence, we should
try to make it a day of real thanksgiv-
ing and happiness for others less for
tunately situated. BY abundant Kind
ness, love, charity, generosity and
then, no less than by feast
ing. let us demonstrate the joyful
gratitude we feel in our own hearts
and thus render to our loving Father
r. Ill IL