The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-28
Copyright.. 1895.

'Has peen adopted throughout the Unit
ed States. of appointing a special day.
the last Thursday in November, of
thanksgiving and prayer. is now OBJ
served. L think. by every denomina-
tion. services being held in the morn
ing In adj the churches. These services
are much less attended. however, than
they formerly were, because the day
has recently lost favor theologically or
religiously and gained favor socially
People who feed that they should give
thanks to any supernatural power may
not recognize any one day more than
announcer for 50 doing, and consequently
MAY refrain from observing any spe-
cial day. Whatever the cause, Thanks
giving has host much of dts popular
hofd so far as ecclesdastic ceremony
Is concerned. But as a day for the re-
union of kindred. near or remote, at
boun'tiful dinner 1t DIS highly revered,
and the beautiful custom more and
more widely followed. New England
has been called the brain, sometimes
the conscience of the republic. 1t has
certainly done "a good deal toward set
thing the land. New Englanders have
immigralted all over the land.
The custom is SO human, so bemevo-
Tent. so a attractive that descendants of
the Dutch. Germans, Huguenots,
Scotch-Irfish and Other races that have
also peop1ed the republic have initiated
the 4>dW EneSldIlu example ana IOunQ
enjoyment and strength and fresh I'M
spiraItion I'm II.
In New England In the early days
religion was mostly theologic, theolo-
gle pure and simple, a thing of entdre
faith. of absolute dogma, the vigorous
Interpretation of certain intensely
earnest men who felt themselves call
ed upon to expound the Scriptures.
They considered 1t their bounden duty
10 be merclessly logical, whether or
not they offended reason or shocked
humanity. LIT maittered not IL they por-
trayed the Deity as a monster. He
was what he was; what the eterns'
word declared him ito be. There could
be no pallia tion OF the word. If God
appeared psuiless, cruel. malignant. he
was really just, good, compassionate.
and they. in their naTrowneSs and big
otry. labored to reconcile those glaring
contradictions. Thank nature and COM
mon sense. this so called religion, the
most depraved form of theology, has
long since grown obsolete. Its EXIST
ence ait any time seems to the last
quarter of the century altogether i'm
possible. During the last so years, the
whole educated world, the western
world especially. has grown less theo-
logical and more and more religious
We see This continually ON every side.
Greed Is no longer fixed and binding.
The sense of duty 10 our fellows, the
spirit of charity has strengthened and
expanded until every class and every
Individual. however alien or humble, rs
now included. We are beginning at
hast TO recognize that mankind is but
one vast human family; that vice and
crime arise from stress of circum-
stances rather than from malevolence
or deliberate choice; that people are
not so wicked as they are unfortunate
and need cheering, sympathy, develop
ment.
The government of the world, the
regulation of the entire cosmos, we
now see, rs dependent on law, unvary-
ing and eternal The special dnter-
position of Providence" of which we
heard so much i'm the beginning of the |
century. is now generally rejected by |
the thoug'htful We believe to-day that |
a man. whether saint or sinner, will |
be drowned If he fall into deep water |
If he cannot swim and there be nobody !
to rescue him. Miracles are not cred |
TIED 10 any EXTENT, although tfheolog-
Sans may still proclaim and voudh for I
them. Consequently special THANKS |
giving for recovery from Illness, for a
stroke of good fortune, for unexpected I
avoidance of evil. is not nearly SO
common as at has been unless as a |
ceremonial of the churches. The spirit
of thanlfulness remains, If the act of
Thanksgiving has become less fire.
quent, though many may not know to
whom or what Ito be thankful. Thank
fufness. gratitude, satisfaction, glad
ness that anything desirable has hap
pened or that any thing undesirable
has not happened are substantially the
same. The sole difference is In terms
-1the feeling, express ii as we may,
Us universal. But what Is desirable to
one man may not be to another What
we regard as blessings often prove
curses. as apparent curses often prove
blessings. Everything must be judged
by time. There is a mystery in all
events. an Observation-Disclosures in the hap
pentngs of every day.
We are taught that life Is a boon; I
that we should be thankful, grateful,
satisfied, glad GAS you VIII that we
have been born But everybody does
not regard 1t as a boon, as we are
aware from tine many who are always
destroying themselves. and from the
earnest adverse opinions we are ever
hearing in respect ito IT, Life Is little
IN itseh-ft is what we make of 1t,
what we think of It, We should all
love it. doubtless. If we could have 1t
on our own terms. but how very few
of us do or can so have It, Never
theless. the great majority of men en-
10y fife and win frankly say as much.
Probably they do not think about II;
they simply accept Il. II they Should
think about 1T they would be discon-
tented. Looffng at mems dives in dle
mass. from a purely rational point Of
view. they would seem sxretched. But !
they are not. We must take their
own opinions ON the subject. Every |
man must judge for himself, and his /
Judgment is final, irrevocaIble. Cir
do MOT determine what his
LIE Is. His life hangs on his sempeTa-
ment We all remember the ea stern
story OF the gloomy. hopeless gTund
vizier WHO had every earthly posses
sion. He consulted for relief an an
tent sage. who tod him 6inat he should
wear the shirt Of a happy anoCstal. The
happy mortal. after wide, dDigen< .
search. was found. He was 50 very
Joor that he had no shirt
Among mankind there are oprimLsts ,
md pess1mE-s Win hosts be1ween :
nose two extremes OF every shade OF :