The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-12-03

WClOOhlO oSChC AidN biiC lOko pCOh WI
ected in the boom at the mouth of the
river.
The logging camps are in charge OF
two very competent foremen, Charley
Smith and W. G. Sloat.
UNION SERVICES
THANKSGIVING, DAY.
CONTINUED from Page A.
peace and domestic prosperity. True,
we lack in coast defenses, and our read
iness for war is inferior to that of any
other first-class power, yet we cannot,
by reason of our peculiar geographical
position, be easily surprised into COM
bat with foreign powers. Our "good
land" is situated in the temperate zone,
belt of the earth's surface which EN-
braces most of the energy and enter
prise of the human race. We are
not far from the frozen regions of the
North; we are good ways from the
burning suns of the South. We are too
far south to be bound in by the perpet-
ual chains of frost of the North; too
far north for our social character to
sink beneath the enervating influences
of tropical sun. Yet in our beloved
land may be found the climate of all
the zones, of the tOrrid, the temperate
and the polar regions, and here may be
found the products of all climates and
of all countries. Our good land is on
that side of the equator destined by
Providence to be the great dwelling
place of humanity. We are in the lat
itude and longitude where the great
nations of the earth dwell in prosperity
and power. A richer and more mag
nificent inheritance was never portion
ed out to any people, Palestine to the
Jews not excepted.
3. Not only is ours a good land in its
geographical position, but it is such in
the progress of its civilization. What
discoveries have been made! What in
ventions have been patented! The
farmer used to separate the wheat from
the chaff by holding up shOvelful and
allowing it to drop off slowly, thus
permitting the wind to blow the chaff
away. Our good ancestors, in a stern
way and upon theological grounds, OBJ
iected to any more improved method
of separating the chaff from the wheat.
The first tanning mills were objected
to. Our early forefathers said, "They
are sacriligious defiance of the Divine
dspleasure, and it is a usurpation of
the Divine prerogatlve for puny man
to raise the wind by any such contriv-
ance." What would they think now?
We gather our crops from the stem,
ready for the garner, with our compli-
Gated but smoothly-running piece of
machinery. We travel by steam and
electricity. We talk by lightning.
The unseen forces of earth and air are
harnessed to do mans bidding. With
the X-rays we can look into and
through the human body. The light
from distant planets is flashed to us,
separated from the component parts of
our world and used to serve man.
Surely ouTs is "good land" relative to
the products of mans inventive genius
and the fruits of our Christian civiliza-
ton.
4. Again, observe that we have a
"good land" with respect to education
al facilities. Our "good land" has the
best common school system in the
world. Our schools and colleges are
prosperous. Our people are growing
rapidly in the desire for higher educa-
ton. Illiteracy is decreasing. The
facilities for obtaining a higher educa-
tion are growing better. OF making
many good books there is literally no
end. Magazines richly illustrated and
ably edited-newspapers, filed with
;ntolI;onnoa frOno oil na rte nf tho uorld
fly by the million day from lightning
speed presses. And now the grange
and farmers institutes, as well as
teachers and unprejudiced educators of
our institutions of learning, have taken
up the matter of practical education
and are insisting that the science of
agriculture and horticulture shall be
taught in our common schools. Amer
lea is the only country in the world
which spends more money for educa-
tion than for war or preparation for
war. Great Britain does not spend
one-third as much money for public
education as she spends on her army.
France not one.ninth as much. Russia
not one-twentieth as much. Our lead
ing institutions of learning are being
largely endowed with money, thus in
suring their stability and perpetuity.
Ours Is the only land where rail split
ter and bOatman can rise from the
humblest log cabin and poorest parent
age to the highest position within the
gift of the people.
5. But the strength of our republic is
not alone in our superb common school
system and our higher institutions of
learning; not alone in our principles of
government, admittedly the highest
aud best; not alone in a high order of
craftsmanship; but the wealth Of our
good land and the strength of our re-
public are inherent in our religious
principles and blessings, our Bibles,
our churches and our Christian homes.
Lord Bacon said, "In knowledge with
out love there is something of malig-
nity.n Coleridge said that 'in the
mere products of the understanding
there Is death I" Strong and cultured
nations, under the pressure of moral
corruption, have sunk into darkness
and oblivion. The worth of our good
land is in its Christian civilization, and
this, and this alone, is the guarantee
of its stability and perpetuity. Abolish
the Bible, the churches and our Christ
ian homes, and our "gOod land" will
soon be a mere remembrance.
There are those who would destroy
our altars, hush the Ginning of our
church bells, abolish our sabbaths, exile
our pastors and injure Christian homes,
but notwithstanding these, the gospel
of the Son of God triumphs gloriously.
With our millions of Christian people
and Christian homes, with our thou