The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-11-27
THANK SEWING.

Thanksgiving Day will be celebrated
in every part of the United States to-
morrow. In ice bound Alaska, in snow
covered Maine. in mi-tropical Florida,
in the Isles of the Pacific, each and
every one will strive to hold festival and
TO offer thanks for the measure of pros
perity which has fallen upon them dur
ing the past year. We are very apt to-
forget how many blessings we daily
have which we take for granted, and as
If it were our due.
Nationally we have had to mourn
over the untimely death of our chief
executive, but one must be thankful
that his place has been taken by an
able and experienced man who will
guide the destinies of the country upon
the same lines as were laid down by
Mckinley. The blow fell, but it created
no reign of terror or anarchy, the gov
eminent passed smoothly through the
crisis, and it was not necessary even to
call a special session of Congress.
The national progress and financial
prosperity of our country during the
past year have been phenomenal.
There has been no lack of work to do.
Every trade and every business has
been working to its full capacity. Our
prestige has grown throughout the
world, and at mo time in her history
has the United States had greater pow
er, and occupied a more commanding
position than now.
The wisdom of our policy in China
has been shown by the readiness of
China to grant us favors. We went to
China to rescue our Minister, having
rescued him, we withdrew our troops
And what a splendid record did our
troops make as the soldiers of a civiliz-
ed nation. We had an opportunity of
showing ourselves before the troops of
the world, and we obtained credit by
the contrast.
Peace and order in every part of the
Republic, and the difficulty in the
Philippines is gradually but steadily
being solved, as a great civilzing nation
should solve it by establishing order
and good government, by extending the
benefits of education and by developing
the natural resources of the country.
During this year we have made more
advance in the Philippines than Spain
made in centuries we have laid founda-
tons that can never he uprooted.
Foundations which will be for the
moral and material advantage of the
people who have come under our pro,
lection and whom it is our duty to
lead onward and upward.
These things we can all join in Offer
ing thanks for. The providence which
rules over nations as well as over indi-
viduals, has been most kindly and
beneticent. The thank offering of a
united nation will rise from many
churches and be put forth through
many forms of belief, but it will be as
hearty from the Roman Catholic as it
will be from the Methodist, from the
Episcopaian or from the Baptist. 1t
will be one line of praise rising at the
same moment throughout the length
and breadth of our land.
Locally we have our own causes for
thankfulness. People talk of depression, |
but the main stay of our prosperity |
yielded a larger crop than has ever been
garnered. and we can look forward to
still larger crop in the following season.
We have no dire distress, we have no
starving poor, there is employment for
those who need it, We have lost none
of our kindness of feeling our charity
is as ready as ever it was. We may not
be progressing quite so fast as we had
hoped, but we are progressing.
There is much that is going to be done
for us by the Federal Government,
things which without annexation We
could never have had, we shall get
now. There are careers opening out for
our young men which will afford them
a broader field, than the little insular
stage upon which they formerly played
their part
Then we ought all to be thankful for
our glorious climate, our pure air, our
lovely mountains and hills with their
ever changing colors, our overarching
blue sky and our softly tapping sea.
These are gifts given us by providence,
they belong to all in common, rich and
poor alike.
After all we have very much to be
thankful for. Tomorrow those of us
who join together in the praise services
can lift up our hearts with content, and
those of us who do not go, can still
breathe prayer of thankfulness for all
the benefits of the year. Take it all in
all and this is a beautiful world, if we
only look at it in the right aspect.