The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1905-12-15

prevail III our land during the mOnlnS
Immediately before us. The manu-
featuring industries in other lines are
no less marked than are the energies
manifest in II. II. industries.
The use of farm machinery has
reached an extent in this country far
| i'm excess of any other land. Vast
factories with armies of workmen are
employed in providing machinery for
our American farms.
In nearly all lines of manufacturing
our country is right up at the front.
The ships of all waters are freighted
with our factory products sent to sup
ply the needs of the people of all sec
tiOns of the world.
These material good things bestowed
upon our people so literally cannot but
| incite within us feelings of thankful
ness to the great dispenser of life's
good things. 1t might not be worth
while to dwell at such length upon
these signs of material prosperity if
! this material prosperity were an end in
itself. But considered as a basis for
prosperity of q better kind these things
are highly important. The abundance
yielded by our farms, gardens and fac
tories furnish food and employment to
our people and is the basis for their
cultivation of the higher things of life.
A people can meyer reach high state
of intellectual culture if they must go
to bed hungry every night as vast sec
| lions of earth's inhabitants do.
A people will not be highly religious
| if the industries which furnish them
employment are such that they must
be idle large portion of the time. But
with conditions as we have them, there
is among our people continual up
reaching after better intellectual and
social and religious conditions and al
ready these conditions are in no way
inferior to those of the most favored
nations of earth.
No American can be indifferent as
he contemplates the place our country
occupies in the estimate of other peo-
pie. n few months ago great war
was raging between two mighty empires.
All nations were disconnected by the
strife. All were put to serious incon-
venience and loss. All were wishing
for termination of the strife but all
seemed pOwerless in the matter Our
American president interposed with his
| splendid American diplomacy and the
war was brought to an end. Where in
history do we find mention of a like
event. Now our president never could
have had such influence if he had been
the head of an insignificant state. But
President Roosevelt with the material,
intellectual and spiritual resources of
the American people back of him was
a mighty diplomatic power and that
power was most beneficently exercised.
Now with such abundant reasons for
thanksgiving we may we'll ask our
selves how we as people can best
manifest the thanksgiving spirit.
the prosperity and well being which
characterizes the American people to be
extended to all races of men every
where We will probably all agree as
was noted at the beginning of this SER
mon this American well being pervades
this people because the sentiments of
loyalty to God, justice, equality of
human rights and education prevails so
extensively. Whatever we can do to
bring other people under the influence
of these sentiments will minister to their
well being along all lines. Already the
American people have exercised a
mighty influence for the upliftment of
other people. And we might do much
more than we are doing. One recent
action of our people is most deplorable.
A number of years ago young man
came from Japan to this country and
gave himself the privileges of thorough
education, the meanwhile living Tor
several years in the atmosphere of the
sentiments and beliefs that prevail i'm
best American educational circles. He
went back to his country an educated
christian gentlemen. He founded a
college which has come to be one of
the formative forces of that island
empire. Many other young men
similarly came from Japan and were
educated in America and returning to
their own country have been among the
mighty influences who have transform
ed the people.
The great empire of China is arous-
ing from its sleep of ages and is feeling
around for guidance and leadership.
1t has pleased the governing powers of
our country to impose such humuliat-
ing conditions upon young Chinese
students who would come TO this
country that almost none at all come
here for education. 1t is said that
there are five thousand young men
studying in the schools and colleges of
Japan. A large part of these students
would be in this country for their
education if our government had given
them proper welcome and established
honorable conditions. Who can esti-
mate the influence for good which our
country could have exerted upon that
great empire, which is bound to be one
of the mightiest powers of earth i'm the
not distant future, if their future
leaders should be educated in the
atmosphere and sentiments pervading
the schools and colleges of this country.
And so while we felicitate ourselves
on our wonderful blessings this thanks
giving day let us strengthen our deter
minatiOn to do all we can to extend to
all other people the conditions and
sentiments that will bring like abund-
ant prosperity and well being to all
who come under the power of such
sentiments.
~. r~1