The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-11-28
THANKSGIVING.

On tomorrow from the time the
morning sun sends his first rays
across the glittering snow clapt hills
of Maine and from there TO the palm
bordercd beach of Florida, until he
sinks in golden splendor behind the
rolling crest OF the waves OF the Pa
cific. from synagogue, cathedral,
church. and temple will ascend one
ever-beginning melody of thanksgiving
and one continuous strain of grateful
praise and gratitude
In response to the proclamation of
the nations chief executive, the peo-
pie have been called together to unite
in giving thanks to the great Ruler of
the universe for the favors bestowed
upon the people OF the nation during
the year which is near the closing. In
ten thousand edifices erected to the
God of the civilized world will be told
the story of the first Thanksgiving in
stituted among the hardy few who
had braved the rigors of a New Eng
land climate in order that they might
have the privilege of worshipping God
according to the dictates of their own
consciences-that they might have re-
Iigious freedom. But tomorrow will
be more than a day of retrospection.
1t will give to the world at large an
example of the greatest religious free
dom in the history of mankind.
In the call to Thanksgiving there is
absolutely no trace of discrimination
among religious faiths. The people
are eXhorted to assemble in their re-
spectivc places of worship and give
thanks. 1t may be church or .syna-
gogue, meeting house OF cathedral
There is no prescription for one or
against another. Nor can we regard
it as an invidious inputation to rec
ommend the giving of thanks, since
that is an essential and conspicuous
feature OF all faiths. We are not ac-
quainted with any important religious
body which does not practise the CIV
ing Of thanks TO the object of its wor-
ship. q.
The fitness of it is rendered in the
last degree impeccaole by the identity
OF the day which is Invariably selec-
ted. If It were Sunday, the Jews
might we'll object to being asked to
worship on day especially identified
with Christianity. If it were Sat-
urday, Christians might protest
against being called to worship on the
Jewish Sabbath. But Thursday is a
day identified with no sect or fifth.
We cannot for a moment accept, eli.
Their the proposition which some have
made, that, as there is no state church
or official religion in the United States
any official recognition Of God or
practice of. worship is uniting. We
need not go so far back as to recall
the fact that most of the colonies
from which this nation grew were
planted. on distinctly religious foun-
dations. But it should be sufficient
to remember that the Declaration OF
Independence expressed reverence for
Natures God" and recognition of the
Creator" and professed "a firm reli-
ance on the protection of Divine
Providence" while the Constitution,
in which some have declared there is
no:GOd" at least dates itself not mere
ly in the twelfth year of the indepen-
;dence of the United States, but also
I'm the year of Our Lord on thousand
seven hundred and eighty-seven." In
addition to these things, the inscrip-
lHn upon our COlDtRe, Iue lnVar1iDle
formula of official oaths, the practice
of the presidents in public documents
and many other details, all attest the
eminent propriety of regarding the
United States not as officially, Chris
tian land or Jewish land, not as
Protestant Or Catholic, not as eccles-
tical or evangelical, but as land in
which God is worshipped, In which
human dependence upon the Creator
is officially as we'll as individually rec
ognized, and in which it is eminently
fitting and is agreeable to the senti-
ments of the overwhelming mass of
the citizenship, that there should he
occasional recommendations. official
and national. to general supplicaticn
and thanksgiving.
rnNNDEC0TnEl vHADE