The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-11-04
THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION.
President Desisnates Thursday, No
vombcr 26th as the Day.

dent today issued the annual Thanks
giving proclamation. In which he
pointed out the steady growth of the
nation In strength. worldly power,
wealth and population and that our
average individual comfort and we'll
being Is higher than that of any other
country In the world. For this, he
declares, Americans owe 1t to the AL
mighty to show equal progress in
moral and spiritual things.
The proclamation follows:
BY the President Of the United States
of MISUNDERSTANDING
"Once again the season is at hand
when. according to the ancient GUS
tom OF our people, 1t becomes the duty
of the President to appoint day
OF prayer and of thanksgiving to God
Year by year this nation grows in
strength and worldly power. During
the century and a quarter that has
elapsed since our entry into the circle
OF independent peoples we have grown
and prospered in material things to a
degree never known before, and not
now known In any other country. The
thirteen colonies which struggled
along the seacoast of the Atlantic and
were hemmed in but few miles west
OF tidewater by the Indian-haunted
wilderness have been transformed into
the mightiest Republic which the
world has ever seen. It's domains
stretch across the continent from one
to the other of the two greatest oceans,
and 1t exercises dominion alike In the
arctic and tropic realms. The growth
In wealth and population has surpass-
ed even the growth In territory. No
where elese In the world is the average
OF individual comfort and material
well-being as high as in our fortunate
land.
For the very reason that in mate
| rial well-being We have thus abounded
we owe 1t to the Almighty to show
equal progress In moral and spiritual
things. With a nation. as with the
individuals who make up nation,
material well-being Is an indispensa-
BILE foundation. But the foundation
avails nothing by itself. That life is
wasted. and worse than wasted, which
Is spent In piling, heap upon heap.
those things which minister merely to
the pleasure of the body and to the
power that rests only on wealth. Up
on material well-being as a founda-
ton must be raised the structure of
the lofty life of the spirit If this ma
ton Is properly to fulfil Its great
mission and to accomplish all that we
so ardently hope and desire. The
things of the body are good; the
things Of the intellect better; but
best OF all are the things OF the soul:
for. In the nation. as In the individual,
In the long run II Is character that
counts. Let us. therefore. as a peo-
pie set our faces resolutely against
evil. and with broad charity, with
kindness and good will toward all
men. but with unflinching determine
ton to smite down wrong strive with
all the strength that Is given us for
righteousness in public and In private
life.
Now. therefore, I, Theodore Roose-
velt President of the United States.
do set apart Thursday, the 26th day of
November as day OF general thanks
giving and prayer and on that day
recommend that the people shall
cease from their daily work and, in
their homes or their churches, meet
devoutly to thank the Almibhty for
the many and great blessings they
have received in the past, and to pray
that they may be given strength so
to order their lives as to deserve
continuation OF these blessings in the
future.
I'm witness whereof l have hereunto
set my hand and caused the seal Of
the United States to be affixed
Done at the city Of Washington,
this 31st day of October. in the year
Of our Lord 1905. and of the Inde-
pendence OF the United States the one
hundred and thirty-third.
Theodore Roosevelt.
"By the President:
ALVEY A. Adee.