The record-union., 1896-11-26
Thanksgiving Thoughts.

Eds. Record Union: 1t is time
for national thanksgiving, and we OF
this nation should be the happiest peo-
pie on earth, because we are the most
highly favored of any. We look upon
England as our greatest rival. but
twenty-seven of our States are each
larger than her, our mother. When we
remember the fertility of our SOIL, the
richness of our mines and our posi-
bilities in manufacture, who can say
how many times over England VIII De
duplicated in our country? When we
remember that a place on the map OF
our country which the end of your hnger
will hide. that containing the cities or
New York and Brooklyn, contains as
many people as there were OF while
people in our nation when we de-
clared our independence and gained IN
our contest with England, the thought
arises, What are the possibilities or our
country from the standpoint of popu-
lation? If you could round up the whole
human race, /, 800, 900 900, and put them
all in Montana, they would only be
fourteen to the acre, and they would not
crowd California so much, as it has T.
and still less would they crowd Texas.
We therefore have three States, any
one of which would contain the whole
population of the globe, and not De as
densely peopled as are our cities. we
have, then, a great, compact country
with possibilities beyond that OF any
other nation. What other nation mas
been able to give 100000 farms OF
eighty acres each in thirty years to its
citizens?
Another fact to be pondered is that
this great, rich body of land is peo-
pied by the Anglo-Saxon race. About
one-third of this race is still in the orig
inal nest, England, but one-haf the
race is in our country. And this means
much because it represents the most
intellectual, enterprising and practical
race in the world. 1t is largely doing
the business of the world. That they
are the ones who are pushing out into
all parts of the world to transact bust
ness, acquire knowledge, carry the gos-
pei and seek pleasure is evident from
the fact that three-fifths of all the rail-
road tickets sold in the world are bought
by them. The overwhelming majority
of inventions that have relieved life of
slavish toll have magnified production
so immensely and increased the COM
forts of mankind to so large a degree
are owed TO them.
AT the beginning of this century the
French language was the world lam
guage, and the English ranked fifth,
in the number of people who spoke it;
but the Anglo-Saxon race has forged
to the front, until the English is spoken
by more people than any other, and has
become the world language. In India
alone this language is spoken by more
than million natives. 1t is significant
that the greatest compact body of
most fertile lard in the world under one
Government should be peopled by the
most enterprising race in the world.
Now add to these blessings our form
Of government. Mr.. Gladstone IS with
out doubt the greatest allround man
of the age, and consequently his opin-
ion should have weight, and he says
that the Constitution of this country is
"the most wonderful work ever struck
off at a given time by the brain and pur-
Jose of man. Certainly, the fact that
the multitudes that have poured in at