Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-11-25

Las Vegas celebrated Thanksgiving
morning In reverent spirit. Two
church services were held, one ut st,
Paul's church where tho rector. Rev.
c. ]. French preached n scholarly and
eloquent sermon appropriate to the
day; the other at the Baptist church
where Dr. Lefkovits delivered an able
and beautifully.worded discourse 10
u union congregation, AZ both
churches fine special music was rem
dered DIR. Lefkovits spoke as fol-
lows:
Friends:
The sentiment Of gratitude Is the
most universal of sentiments. II II
potent throughout the compass Of
organic creation. II looms large In
human life; 1t manlfests itself In AMI
NAL existence; It IL discernible even
In the vegetable world. Plant the
seed. provide the proper conditions
i for its growth. and II will reward you
a thousandfold. Be kind To the ca
nine that watches at your door. and
he will become your pravest and tru-
est protector. Show helpfulness ana
generosity towards your felow-man.
and he win bless you from his heart.
Gratitude is. inde\sd, inherent In
everything that grows and moves
With the animal world and In the
vegetable kingdom II is a mere mat.
ter of instinct, an unconscious, though
certain. process of reciprocity. With
man, the sentiment Is conscious,
gladstone response to kindness re-
celved .a response Of heart to heart,
Of soul 10 soul. Gratitude" II has
been well said, "is the faires, blossom
which sprlngs from the soul. and the
heart Of man knoweth none more
fragrant (Ballou.) Again, "A thank
fill heart Is not only the greatest vlr
tue bur the parent Of all other yir
tues" tCicero)
And there Is a corol;ary 10 this. Il
gratitude Is The parent OF virtue and
he falrest blossom OF the soul, 4
follows that ingratitudc ~ the engen
derer of vice and the basest growti
OF moral swampiness. fts sting Ii
sharper than ser,~n,'s tooth, III
touch chilier than death, Its breatl
more yenomous than poison. mi no
mine terror peius migrate Great
| Earth produces nothing worse than al
nngrateful man. (Ausonius)
That this Is true.who will ques
tion? who that has experienced th,
marble hearted Indifference of soi
or daughter. brother or sister, !
friend or protege or disciple, who vii
doubt that there Is nothing so base
nothing so perfidious, a. cold ingrati
tude? or all the characters in tn,
worlds literature, we bestow our In
tensest contempt on Goneril and Re
gan, the ungrateful daughters Of KIM
Lear And Is there human being
Jew or Christian or heather, whos'
soul does not utterly loathe Juda
iscariot, who repaid with treacher.
/. his Masters selfsacriflce9
But. friends, while We condemn In
, gratitude when evinced In the individ
uaI relations of life. we are rathe
prone TO condone II, when manifesto,
. as regards life az whole. Some no
. only condone Il, but even Justify Il
They are lpose who style themselves
! philosophical pessimists. They nav,
weighed the scales Of existence nnt
non existence, and found the forme
, wanting. See. they tell us--"see
how much misery life holds, hos
! many misfortunes II heaps on the hap
piest Of us. how fun Of trials II is an,
of troubles and tribulations,- s,--now I
Is crowded with egregious failures
!. how uneven its scales OF justice are
, how 1t has to bear the whips an,
scorns Of time. to suffer from the on
; pressor's wrong, to crouch under th
proud mans contumely, TO writh
} amidst the pangs OF disprized love. :
look at all this, reflect and ponde
thereon. and then tell me. Is lif
worth livings Is it not mere irony