The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-11-30

that of a little child, white and
clean. The blood again coursed
red and pure in their arteries. Life
was again joy instead of hideous
nightmare. Blessed hone again was
theirs. Again they could shout at
the beauty of earth and drink in
with rapture the glory of the sun
set heavens. But in the calm pos
session of the greatest boon which
it is in the power of the Almighty
and all-loving God to give, the in
CRATES, taking for granted the bless
ing which had been vouchsafed
them, marched on along the road,
except the one man who had the de-
cency to turn back out of his way
and acknowledge his debt.
1t was because Jesus knew human
nature that this miracle and parable
in one appears in the gospel record.
He knew the things in human char
acter at which to hit, and hit them
hard, with all the driving strength
of the naked truth. And one of
these things was human ingratitude.
Had there been no ingratitude on
the part of men, the blessed Son of
God would not have been obliged to
exchange the glories of the heaven
ly realms for the bitter sordidness
or earth. He would not have had
! to save man, for he would have been
saved already. 1t is because men
care not Who made them, and pro-
| ceed along the highway of life as
II they had received no blessings
from God or from their fellowmen
that the everlasting Gospel of saliva
ton must be preached to-day. 1t is
because men act the part as if they
had made themselves and kept the
world moving upon it's axis that
outside the churches in this broad
land today you will find the same
men and women outside next Sun
! day, eating and drinking and visit
ing and gossiping and squandering
| their time and becoming the while
little more like the dumb brutes
and constantly again more british
in their neglect of their God, are
base ingrates who pass along the
road as though there were no merci-
! full Christ to turn back to. 1t is
because there are in this town and
everywhere such crowds of men and
women who, when asked about their
duty to God, are capable of saying
in effect I'VE are God" that there
Is needed revival of religion which
might be fittingly started on this
very day, as the truest sort of
Thanksgiving which any one of us
can render.
But / wish to give way to no tir-
ade against the Indifference of men
toward their Almighty Maker and
Sustainer. | would speak rather
today of gratitude as an essential
element in true character. Grati-
tude is part of humility, that quail
lty OF true greatness, which the
mighty, falling to possess, go down
TO lgnoble defeat, the rock on which
the proud in their selfishness are
wrecked. Once in a living word
said the Christ, "Whosoever shall
exalt himself shall be humbled. and
whosoeVer shall humble himself
shall be exalted" One meaning of
which is that a man who is willing
to acknowledge his dependence up
on others is better man than he
who gives no thanks to any man.
But how many of the aggressive,
self-proclaiming type we have in our
American life, boorish and unman.
nerly because they are so possessed
with the idea of their own indie
pendence and so taken up with this
notion that they are not responsible
TO any man, nay! to God or man.
} Continued on Page Four).