Smyrna times., 1898-11-30

ing up to the declaration of war are still |
fresh in your minds and l will not de- |
tain you with them, except to say that |
we have cause for thansgiving that the |
wisdom of the President avoided the |
folly of recognizing the independence
of the so called Cuban republic. The /
naval victories of the war were as bril-
liant as any that were ever won by the /
heroes of the past, and in the future,
Dewey, Schley and Sampson will be .
mentioned with Decatur, Lawrence, /
Hull, Jones, Preble and Farragut. /
With bravery that knew no quailing, |
Dewey slowly sailed his ships into the |
| harbOr of Manila, in spite of mine and |
battery, and won a victory which chal |
| lenged the admiration of the world /
| Not less brilliant was the destruction |
of the Spanish fleet at Santiago, July |
| the 3rd
The achievements of the army in
Cuba were glorious. In spite of every |
difficulty it encountered and overcome
! the well-entrenched Spanish forces.
THE war has accomplished great re-
suits. Cuba containing 4j, SS3 square
miles is forever free, Porto Rico con-
tanning $3.50 square miles is terri
tory of the United States; Guam, CON
tanning $50 square miles, and the Phil
ippines containing ia, 3j6 square miles
have been demanded by the Peace
Commission at Paris.
The Kingdom of Spain contains 198,
900 square miles, she lost in the war
territory containing 1853, ,919 square
miles. The war brought great results
to Spain. 1t was as though, after
trial of centuries, God said to her,
'"ThOu art weighed in the balance and
found wanting; Thy Kingdom is di
vided and given to another. Great
results to the Islands themselves. They
have been brought under the infu-
ence of constitutional government, and
must ultimately come to enjoy con-
stitutional liberty: Great results to us,
great tasks, great dangers, and great
responsibilities.
But there have been some events of
the year which call for humiliation
rather than Thanksgiving. Such were
the labor troubles in Illinois, the out
break of the Indians in Minnesota and
the race wars in Mississippi and the
CarOlinas But in spite of these, the
blessings of the year have been numer-
Gus, the seasons have been mild, the
soil has been fruitful, our people have
. enjoyed a degree of prosperity, they
have exhibited a splendid devotion to
their country, they have displayed an
unsurpassed valOr in the presence of
the enemy, they have won a glorious
victory and live in the hope of a right
eous peace. 'God grant that the
power which has brought us heretofore
: to safety and honor, may be graclOusly
, continued in the years to come.
Rev. L. H. Haynes pronounced the
benedictIon at the close of the services.
i -
$40, was divided between the King s
/ Daughters and Benevolent Society.
THE FESTIVAL.
The ladies of the Mite Society of the
NJ. E. church closed the day with a
, festival at the Town Hall. The falling
snow stopped as night closed in, but
: the slushy condition of the pavement
made the walking exceedingly unpleas-
! ant. Thanksgiving Day, from the
large number of family dinners, would
: hardly be considered the proper time
for festival were it not a holiday and
the mass disengaged from business.
The people, Notwithstanding the above
facts, were at the Hall in considerable
L numbers, and it was place of anima-
ted social intercourse throughout the
L evening. The promoters of the event
. met their expectations, and hence the
evening was a success. 1t had been
intended to reproduce the "Mother
j Goose Reception, - but the bad weather
! kept the most of the little folks who
u were to participate in it away. There
{ was piano music by Misses Edith Beck
{ and Bertha Smithers, and a splendid
7 7 elocutionary recital by Miss Katherine
l Beckett. The gross receipts were $50,
: | netting the society S60