Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-11-02
Will This Year Come on
Thursday November rs.
President Saiurday|ssued Proc
Iamation to That Effect.
Pres. RooseyeIt's Last Official
Document of That Nature.

Washington, Nov. 1. The Pres
ident saturday issued the an
nual Thanksgiving proclamation, in
which he pointed out the steady growth
of the nation in strength, worldly pow
er, wealth and population and that our
average OF individual comfort and we'll
being is higher than that of any other
country in the world. For this, he de-
clares, Americans owe it to the AL
mighty to show equal progress in
moral and spiritual things. The procla-
nation follows:
Ey the President of the United States
of America
A Proclamation:
Once again the season is at hand
hen, according to the ancient GUS
tom Of our people, it becomes the duty
of the President to appoint a day of
praise and Of Thanksgiving to God
Year by year this nation grows in
strength and worldly power During
the century and a quarter that mas
elapsed since our entry into the circle
Of independent peoples. we have grown
and prospered in material things to
d degree never known before and not
row known in any other country. The
Is colonies which struggled along the
seacOaSt OF the Atlantic and were hem
med in but a few miles west of tide
water by the Indian-haunted wider
ness have been transformed into the
miGhtiest republic which the world has
ever seen. Its domains stretch across
the continent from one to the other of
the two greatest oceans, and it eXer
piSpS dnIr,ajn alike in the Arctic and
tropic realms. The growth in wealth
ard population has surpassed even the
growth in territory. Nowhere else III
the world is the average of individual
comfort and material well-beipg as
high as in our fortunate land.
For the very reason that in material
well-bellg we have thus aboundcd, we
owe it to the Almighty to show equal
progress iii moral and spiritual things.
With a nation, as with the Individuals
who make UP a nation. material Well
icing is an indispensable foundation.
But the foundation avalls nothing by
itself. That life is wasted and worse
than wasted. which is spent in piIinS,
heap upon heap, those things which
lainistel merely to the pleasure Of the
body and to the power that rests only
on wealth. Upon material wcll-beine
as foundation must be raised the
structure Of the lofty life Of the spirit,
il this nation 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
hest Of all are the things of the soul;
for. in the nation as in the individual.
in the long run, it is character that
courts. Let us, therefore, as a people.
set our faces Tesolutely against evil,
and with broad charity. with kindli-
ness and good will toward all men, but
with unfinching determination to
smite down wrong, strive with all the
strength that is given us for right
eousness in public and in private life
Now, therefore, l, Theodore Roose-
welt, President of the United States,
do set apart Thursday, the Goth day
of November next, as day of
and prayer, and on that
day l recommend that the people shall
cease from their daily work, and, in
their homes, or III their churches meet
devoutly to thank the Almighty for
the many great blessings they have
received in the past; and to pray that
they may be given strength so to or
der their lives as to deserve a contin-
uation of those blessings in the flu
ture.
In witness whereof I have hereunto
set my hand and caused the seal of the |
United States to be affixed.
Done at the city of Washington, this |
21st day of october in the year of |
our Lord, one thousand nine hunG d |
and eight, and of the independence of |
the United States the one hundred and |
thirty third.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
By the President:
Alvey Adee, Acting Secretary of |
State.