Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-28

blind the whole picture looks black. But
these are only incidents in the great
cosmogony of life of the day. Where
thousand men are fighting and shoot
ing, million are getting better wages,
living in better houses, eating better
food, and living better lives than the
hungry, groveling specimens of their
class few hundred years ago. In this
country the school is no longer lux
ury for those who can pay for it, but is
a constant gratuity from those who
can pay to everyone who cares to en-
joy it. Magnificent church edifices
no longer represent the blood of toll
ing serfs forced from them in tithes.
but represent the free will offerings of
men who toll but stand erect, breath
ing a free air, enjoying a free oppor-
tunity and unshackeled liberty. Even
the bullets that sing thru the jungles of
the Philippines carry not the message
of death for deaths sake, but call upon
a benighted people to rise up and hail
the dawn of civilizations coming day.
AS shown in Puck's strong cartoon of
yesterday, Uncle Sam offers soldiers
and teachers to the Filipino. The SOL
diers they will have so long as they
want them, but the teachers they must
take whether or no, and Uncle Sam has
plenty of both.
In the churches of this nation the
morning was spent in devout thanks
giving to the Creator OF the universe.
Learned men, inspired as a rule by
noble hearts, have talked to thousands
of mans duty to man. In the after
noon feasting around the family boards
began. No nation on earth is SO well
kind, for no nation on earth lives in
a land where the good things of a feast
are so plentiful, or where SO many fam
lilies are able to enjoy them. Even the
fallen and misguided souls give thanks
today at the turkey dinners in the pris-
ons. The fields of America are feeding
the world, so the statistician says, but
first the fields of America have fed and
clothed the people of America almost to
a man. The governmental policy of Its
statesmen has been to provide work for
all at good wages and amid good sur
roundings. For these things the peo-
Pile give thanks and in the evening the
newspapers of the land apear to tell the
the way upward to still better things.
For many things we give thanks, for
full stomachs, healthful climes, happy
homes and broad minds, but for no
one thing can the people of the United
States give thanks more than for their
newspapers. From the day the fore
fathers Incorporated the freedom of the
press as a principle in the Fundamental
law of the land, the newspapers of
America have been a constant inspira-
ton for the uplifting of it's people.
Americas greatest men have been
newspaper men. Its other great men are
constantly being forced and drafted
into the columns of the newspaper to
give to the public the fruits of their
wisdom. We have the unclean news
paper, to be sure, the newspaper of
perverted purpose owned by some other
elf-seeking corporate interest, but for
everyone of these we have hundred
fearless sheets, crying loud and long
for the right and highest in all things
and nowhere on the face of the earth
are there so many people reading news
papers as in this country of the
Thanksgiving day. While preachers
and orators are talking tc their thous-
ands the newspapers are holding quiet
heart to heart conferences with their
millions, not only today and once
week, or possibly once in many weeks,
but constantly, all the time, every day
is the editor of high moral purpose
talking. urging. arguing and coaxing
his people on to better things in gov
eminent, morals and prosperity.
Locally the people of Iowa and of
Marshall county have cause this year
for greater thanks than do the people of
any other single community. Based up
on the products of the soil is all mate
rial prosperity measured with us. The
sweet goddess Ceres, while negligent in
many parts of the land, has been par
ticularly kind to Iowa with the result
that the misfortunes of others have
the farmers of Iowa receive glorious
prices for their corn, their hogs and
their cattle. But this is not the great
est cause for thanks that should app
peal to them. The last twelve months
have witnessed intellectual progress
and progress in the comforts of living
for the farmer more than for any 9TH
err class of our citizens In the days of
the first Thanksgiving the farmer
scratched between the rocks Of a noun
tain side to sow his grain. He cut the
harvest by the laborious sweep of a
hand scythe and threshed out the grain