The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1909-11-24
LET US BE THANKFUL.


custom Of ancient origin, BY order q
the president OF the United States and
in obedience to Instructions from the
governor Of Oklahoma. we 'lorsake
our usual vocationsT and return
thanks 10 Almighty God for the bless
ings Of the year"
Thanksgiving comes tomorrow and
we shall proceed to observe these sol
emn mandates By assembling at we'll
ladened tables to stuff ourselves with
turkey, cranberry sauce and "sich;
hy betaking ourselves TO the fields and
meadows to fill the gentle quail full
Of shot; by going out to see eleven
long.haired, robust boys punch, pull
and pummel eleven other animals Of
the same kind in short. we shall APP
propriately observe the day in our
usual manner.
True, a few Of Us will vary this
program BY gathering In the house Of
worship to listen to the preacher dis
course on the Lords goodness and tell
Goa what we are grateful for, and a
few OF US will drop a nickel into the
plate for the poor. thereby showing
our gratitude ina very substantial way
Some OF us will stay away, not be-
cause we don't care for the loud-swell-
ing anthems. the prayers or the ser
mon, but because they always take
up a collection.
But. in whatever form we choose TO
express our thanks it is certainly right
and appropriate that we should give
some recognition for the blessings we
have enjoyed The best brand of graf
itude is tha. which springs sponta-
neously from an humble and con-
trlte nearta ard the best expression
OF it is not the words that we pour
forth in formal worship, but the service
we render to our fellow-men every day
in the year
But custom and official orders tell
us to count our many blessings on this
Thanksgiving occasion and let US do so.
As a nation, as state. as a commu-
nifty and as individuals, we have re-
ceiyed barrels Of blessings.
The nation as a whole has prosper
ed in material things during the year.
We have had no wars and no great
national calamity, unless the passage
OF the Aldrich tariff bill be regarded
as such. Most momentous Of all, the
stars and Stripes have been nailed to
the pole SO we are told, but we don't
know whether to thank Cook or Peary
for 1t. Yes, we have had an abundance
OF national blessings.
And Oklahoma, the giant young com
monwealth, has also prospered trench
dously during the past year. In spite
OF drouth and scorching breezes, the
returns in money to the tiIlers Of our
soil will be greater than the preceding
wear yielded While some Of our farm
ers have been short-changed, as a
whole they have Jared well. At the
same time, the commercial and indus
trial interests Of the state have gone
forward by leaps and bounds, our edu-
cationaI institutions have flourished,
more churches have been erected, and,
ii all things that make great state,
Oklahoma has grown greater.
No less striking is the prosperity
that has come to the city of Chickasha-
Steadily during the year we have seen
beautiful residences and handsome
business structures going up, munich
nal improvements have been under
taken and are being carried out on a
larger scale than ever before, hun
dreds Of good people nave come 70
make their homes in our midst and in
every way Chickasha has gone forward.
We should recall that It was during
the past twelve months that our great
water power plant. fraught with so
many possibilities for the city, was put
III operation; that during the same
time. the work Of erecting a big cotton
knitting mill which will employ hun
dreds OF men was started; our fine
city hall and our magnificent new hign
school building were dedicated and that
great institution, the Oklahoma Indus
trial Institute and College for Girls,
with future filled with brilliant prom
Use. was launched upon its career.
But time and space would fail us 70
tell the whole story which spells pros
perity for Chickasha during the year.
Your own blessings Well, you know
them better than we do. You may
think that you have cause for holding
a rrudee against Providence because
you haven't received all that was com
inr % you-alI OF US feel that way
sometlmes--but our guess is that most
Of lis have prospered beyond our de-
serving IfifhiDgs are not as well with