The San Francisco call., 1901-11-24


the true thanksgiving spirit cements De-
yond the fear Of dissolution the fraternal
kinship OF Christianized humanity. Inc
selfish man and the unbeltevtng man VINO
ignores the sacred obligations or the
Christian church and the house OF Goa
Is standing in the way Of the real ProtnS a.
him who gave himself for US leavens the
heart Of men and permeates society, tnar
the proper adjustments can be made pc
tween capital and labor, the employer
and the employe in the economic world;
Marianne birmingham, In the chris
tian World, expresses this great truth IN
the following lines: \
Gods world Is very large.
Our love is for our own.
His love for all.
The Fathers light and love
No change can dim;
Why have his children grown
So unlike him?
Faces careworn and hard
Hearts OF unrest
Hands swift to snatch and hold
For self the best
Insatiate greed OF gold,
What do the sons OF God,
Craving for theSeG
oh, for the love OF God.
Keep love to man;
Study the Fathers will,
Further his plan.
Self-loVe Is never Joy,
Never knows peace.
Ave in the GOd-Ike soul
Self-love must cease.
Children of love divine,
Learn larger ways;
Cherish the nObler life
Filled with Gods praise
Sorrow will lose its power,
Morning will break
II the heart lose itself
For loves dear sake.
Another way of cultivating this Thanks
We all have more blessings than we are
mindful of, but we get so used to them
they become common to US and we fail
to appreciate them.
We look upon the dews Of the evening.
or the crops in the harvest. as something
regular and customary, and, deprived of
these, we feel justified in uttering our
complaint as if their bestOwal was not
calculated TO call forth thankfulnesS.
We daily receive supplies or water and
the rays Of the sun, and we gaze upon
the stars of heaven which God kindleS
nightly as though they were very COM
mon things.
the regularity Of their coming make them
common to US and lead US to forget the
Giver- We accept many of our blessings
God gives us as if they were not sent
Many are prone to dwell upon their
sorrows and rehearse them who never
count Coos merc1eS to them None are
so. skilled in enumeration as to be able to
count all Gods exhibitions Of goodness,
which are as numberless as the sands by
the seashOre.
Oliver Wendell Holmes gives us a beau
tiful and suggestive illustration of the
thankful heart, finding abundant mercies.
Said he: IF any one should give US a
dish of sand and there were particles Of
iron in 1t, might look with my eyes for
them and search them with my clumsy
fingers and be unable to find them; but
let me take a magnet and sweep it, and
how it would draw to itself the most in
visible particles by the mere power of at
traction. The Unthankful heart, like nv
finger in the sand, discovers no mercfes
but let the thankful heart sweep through
the day, and, as the magnet finds the
In hon
heavenly blessingsi only the iron in Gods
sand Is gold.'
Then count your many blessings. name
tnem one Dy one. and you will find much
TO be thankful for. Jesus taught that a
mans life does not consist in the abund-
ance of the things he possesseth Tt is
not the abundance a man has that makes
him thankful; it's being faithful in that
which is least. Thankfulness. like justice
ana truth, IS the companion Of the soul
A sunny spirit is always a thankful
spirit, and to look on the bright side OF
Things is a fair way to cultivate the CRATE
ful heart. If we were Just as quick to
hunt for the bright places in life as we
are Ior the dark ones We would find less
which to cultivate the Thanksgiving spfr-
~, ana that is by considering the rela-
tive Importance and value of the things
seen and unseen The constant apprecia-
tion of the brevity of life and the hOna
OF Immortality will rob life Of it's drudgery
and make it worth living. We are told
marble cathedral of Milan there are three
Inscriptions spanning the splendid arches
over one Is carved a beautiful wreath OF
roses and underneath IS the legend "AIl
that which pleaseS is only for a moment
over the other Is sculptured cross. and
these are the words. 'tAH that which
troubles is but for a moment" Over tho
great central entrance, in the middle aisle.
is the inscription. THAT only is which is
eternal" To live In the light of these
great facts Will develop a thankful heart.
The hope Of the life which is to come
makes this life worth living. The belief
that life here and now has its roots In
immortality, that here and now we have
purposes and hopes that animate US to-
day. instead OF being destroyed by death.
shall find their completion and fruftton
in the realm beyond DEATH will crown
life here with Joy and gladness and yon-
der with glory.
Cultivating this upward look toward
life and immortality beyond the grave is
to bring into our lives sweeter and
richer consciousness Of the heavenly
world: rob our lives Of much OF their bit
bereavements have cast over our path
way. 1t Is an inspiration to live In an
ticipation of reaching the city which hath
foundations, where we shall be reunited
with those whose bark sped out into the
night and over the sea. while we stood
weeping upon the shore
May Thanksgiving day ind US enter
ing into peace with God" by bringing
to him the sacrifice of peace Offering.
which is "a broken spirit and "a broken
and a contrite heart
And while we call home our dear ones
and hold our family reunions around all
our hearthstones, while we render to God
services of praise and thanksgiving for
the bouuteousness of the harvests and OF
our general prosperity, may we also give
ourselves to deeds Of brotherly kindness
and loving charity, endeavOring to give
hack the upward looking and the light
to the sorrowing and to rebuild in them
the music and the dream"
How appropriate are Addison's lines:
When all thy mercies o my God.
Ny rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I'm Lose
In wonder love and praise