Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1901-11-28
Thanksgiving.

First Of ali let each one Of us give
thanks hat he is living today aud
living. not as an isolated. uninAuential
unit Of humanity, but as one among
the seventy-six millions Of people Of a
| great, and enlightened nation. This
is emphatically Americas age. You
may call it the .'age Of steam" the cage
of electricity" the "age of progress
whatever you will; but first and fore
most il is the Age of the American
Republic. Never before has age or
nation told" so profoundly as this
one is doing on the destinies of hu-
manity. And
In an ages on ages telling
To be living IS sublime.
The sublimity of the thing comes
home to us with sort of intoxication
as we slowly realize the position of
leadership which our Republic has
now taken in the councils of the world:
as we consider that to our hands, as to
those of no other people, has been
committed the PRONUNCIATION of the
Gospel of Human Rights: that our
banner planted in the Philippines,
means not only the redemption of
those islands from Spanish misrule
| and native barbarism but the lighting
up Of Asia through that Gospel;that it
has already stayed the hands of Eur
opean plunderers, stretched forth for
the spelling of China: that
it is slowly lifting Cuba from the mire
of oppression and poverty and ignor-
ance, and preparing for that island
bright and prosperous future: that as
we have shown the will so have we been
endowed with the physical power to
make our propositions in the worlds
parliament respected. We prefer,
where we can, TO preach the aforemen-
toned Gospel through protocols, ar
bitration proposals, ships laden with
food for starving peoples. But we
have shown that when necessary we
can preach it with booming cannon
and bursting shell, with our soldiers
and sailors in the pulpit. We have
much TO be grateful for ia the material
development of our nation in the
spread of our commerce over the habi-
table world But the privilege of lead
ership in the worlds moral and hui
mauitarian growth IS something to in
spire a nobler gratitude. donations as
to individuals the highest JOY is that
which comes of service. The benefac-
tor Of his fellows has rewards such as
no commercial or material successes
can bring: so the nation which uplifts
nations. as America is doing today
gathers TO itself matchless and "eter-
nal weight Of glory"
Let rs be thankful that the war in
the Philippines, waged in the pursuit
Of these noble ends. IS nearing its close,
and that very soon the reign of order
and peace and liberty will be estab-
lished throughout the islands. Let us
be thankful that we have at the head
of our government men who are en-
dowed with the wisdom and statesman
ship to deal in the best way possible
with the difficult problems involved in
the discharge of our obligations to the
people of all the islands which we have
rescued from Spanish misrule. and
that the efforts oe a few misguided
zealots to divert the American people
from the humane and patriotic pur-
poses which inspired the war with
Spain and the later war with the Tagal
insurgents have signally failed De
scending now TO things of smaller mo-
ment il such phrase may be used in
the presence of nation about to carve
its turkey. letus next give thanks that
in our country today probably a larger
number of Thanksgiving tables are
spread than ever before IN any nation
since the world began They are bet
ter spread also, with more numerous
good things and il larger quantity
In fewer cases proportionately also.
has il been necessary that they should
be spread by the hand Of charity. The
American welcomes tho opportunities
of Thanksgiving charity, out how much
more the general pros erity which en-
ables almost every head of family to
b. this year his own puryeyor. The
horn IF plenty cmptied hy Providence
upon our land in this year Of grace 1901
has buried hungry poverty almost out
Of sight. or its feW remaining victims
we may be sure the ready kindness of
their more fortunate brothers viii take
helpful cocuiZance