The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-11-05
GIVE THANKS TO GOD
President Roosevelt Names Nov.
26th as the Day for Annual
Thanksgiving
MANY CAUSES TO GIVE THANKS


The president las issued the annual
Thanksgiving proclamation in which
he pointed out the steady growth of the
nation in strength, worldly power,
wealth, and population and that our
average of individual comfort and well
being is higher than that Of any other
country in the world For this he
declares, Americans owe it to the AL
mighty to show equal progress in moral
and spiritual things.
The proclamation follows:
By the president of the United
States Of America-A proclamation:
Once again the season is at hand
when, according TO the ancient custom
Of our people, it becomes the duty of
the president to appoint day Of
prayer and thanksgiving to God.
Year by year this nation grows in
strength and worldly power During the
century and quarter which has elaps-
ed since our entry into the circle of in
dependent peoples, we have grown and
prospered in material things to a de-
gree never known before and not now
known IN any other country. The
thirteen colonies which struggled along
the sea coast Of the Atlantic and were
hemmed In but few miles west of
tideWater by the Indian haunted wild
erness, 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 ex-
ercises dominion alike in the Arctic
and tropic realms. The growth in
wealth and population has surpassed
even the growth in territory. No
where, else in the world, is the average
of individual comfort and material
well being high as in our fortunate
land
For the very reason that in material
we'll being We have thus abounded, we
owe to the Almighty to show equal pro-
gress in moral and spiritual things.
With a nation, as with the individuals
who make up nation, material we'll
being is an indispensable foundation.
But the foundation avails nothing by
itself. That life is wasted and worse
than wasted, which is in piling, heap
ing up those things which minister
merely to the pleasure Of the body and
to the power that rests only on wealth.
Upon material we'll being as a founda-
tlon must be raised the structure Of
the lofty life Of the spirit, if this ma
ton is properly to fulfill it's great mis-
sion 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, it
is character that counts. Let us there
fore, as a people, set orr faces reso-
lutely against evil and with broad
charity, with kindness and good will
toward all men, but with unfinching
determination 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-
welt, president of the United States,
do set apart Thursday, the twenty
sixth day Of Nov. next, as a day of
general thanksgiving and prayer, and
on that day l recommend that the peo-
pie shall cease from their daily work
and in their homes, or in their churches
meet deyoutly to thank the Almighty
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 a
continuation Of these blessings in the
| future.
In witness whereof, / have hereunto
set my hand and caused the zeal of the
United States to be amxed.
Done at the city Of I, ashington, this
thirty first day Of October in the year
of Our Lord, one thousand, nine humid
red and eight, and of the independence
Of the United States, the one hundred
and thirty-third.
Theodore Roosevelt.