The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-12-05

more, of life's difficulties. Nor was this
thankfulness because they had master
ed the Divine philosophy and under
stood the t0hy and the icherefore of the
present reign Of sin and death. They
accepted their portion Of life's joys and
sorrows by faith, believing that their
portion was measured to them by the
Lord and that full obedience and sub
mission, with cheerfulness, was their
duty.
Excuses For Unthankfulness.
We are ready to concede that the
world. awakening from the sleepy SUI
perstitions OF the past, can readily
find many excuses for declining to be
thankful If we mention some of
these it will not be by way Of endors-
ing them. rather to show the unthank-
full masses that we recognize their
viewpoint but do not agree with it.
We would point them to the better
course of thankfulness and proportion
ate happiness. To their complaint
that they have fewer and smaller
blessings than their more wealthy
neighbors, we remind them that the
poor Of this favored land habitually
waste more than would make very
thankful some Of the poor Of other
lands.
We remind that under Divine bless
ing upon the soil and the Divine bless
ing upon human skill conveniences
and comforts have multiplied about US
so that the common people" Of our
land have home comforts and con-
veniences and educational facilities
and parks and libraries. well paved
and lighted streets and cheap trans
portation such as were not dreamed
of in our grandfathers' days, nor en-
joyed even by the rich. Let US not
greedily ask more along these lines
until we have fully appreciated pres
ent privileges and blessings and re-
turned thanks therefor.
But" says one. "our forefathers
were superstitiously thankful, and we
must avoid that. They gave thanks
to God for the sunshine and the rain.
We have learned that these are provi-
sions of nature and we thank nobody
for them. Our forefathers thanked
God for escape from feudal slavery,
but we see that they should have re-
belled against feudalism and bought
their freedom with their own courage.
"Our forefathers thanked God, If
they were sick, that they did not die
and go to eternal torture. We are com
ing to the rationalistic idea that they
should have thanked their physician
for recovery from sickness and should
not have believed in an everlasting fu-
ture of torture, because so far as we
can see that teaching is all humbug.
Intelligent people of the world have
no more knowledge than ourselves re-
specting a future. We agree with
the college professors that our race is
progressing by an evolutionary law Of
nature, and that God has nothing to do
with it, and that there is no future
life for us except In the sense that we.
in the future. will be represented on a
higher plane Of living. by our evoluted
children. You will perceive. therefore.
why we consider Thanksgiving Day a
piece Of medieval superstition"
Replies to the unthankful.
Our reply to this reasoning must be
along two lines: first philosophical:
second. analytical
u Are not these increasingly large
numbers Of pantheistic and atheistic
evolutionists unphilosophical? They ad-
NIT that they have blessings far be-
yond anything known to their fore
fathers. and they admit that their I'M
has increased in proportion
as these blessings and reasonings re-
speeding them have been received.
Would not a true philosophy tell them
hat II happiness is their aim and de-
sire. their loss Of happiness Is not due
to the increased blessings, but to the
improper and unthankful manner In
which they have received theml
Would not philosophy alone, apart
from the Bible or religion, have warn
I'd them that, even if their theories
we're true. 1t would be unwise to cult
rate them in their own minds and in
he minds Of others2
(2) Let US now analyze the foregoing
Who can prove to us that
there is no living and true God-that
here is merely god of nature, blind
force? Who can explain to US the
power which holds our earth in its or
bit around the sun. and which has
given us summer and winter, cold and
heat; has given US mountains and val
eys, hills and plains, In pleasing varie-
y and loaded with minerals most use
'ul to us and merely waiting our heav-
genius to bring them forth
FOR the blessing of our race, and to
make Of earth the Paradise Of Godf
What philosophy can prove to us
that these things have happened by
chance and that we are wrong In &C
.epting the Scriptural suggestion, "Day
unto day uttereth speech and night
into night showeth knowledge, and
here is no place where their voice is
not MISUNDERSTANDING an All-Wise
ind benefcent Creator? We know that
he wisdom and bene6cence Of our
Creator were hidden from our mental
yiew by our superstitions and irration-
Il creeds Of the past, but now, as the
electric light has superseded the tallow
.andle, SO Gods Word today ia shin
ng forth to those who have eyes to see
is beauty.
Let US not boast ourselves as pos
Iessed of so much greater courage than
lad some In feudal times. Let us note,
IN the contrary. that the patriotism
which demanded and got the Magma
Jharta" of our liberties was as noble
md courageous as any that we have
oday. or more SO. Our freedom from
'ome Of the superstitions OF the past
8 the result Of the spread Of educa-
ion, and we must thank neither our
lelveS nor our forefathers for this
education; we must thank
he Lord for it. 1t came upon the world
n spite Of the opposition OF the rich
ind the Indifference Of the poor. 1t
anne because Gods due time for it
lad arrived.
The Scriptures fully assure us that
is a special mark or evidence
hat the New Era Of Divine blessing.
'rophesied In the Scriptures long ago,
3 now at hand Compare st. Peters
words (Acts iii, 1921 with the words
f the Prophet Daniel Daniel xii; H.
Rightly understood and appreciated
he very arguments used to oppose God
re grounds for sincere praise and
'ratitude and hope for the future.
Word to Higher Critics and Evclu- |
tionists.
The law of sin and death IN referred
o in Scripture We grant. as all |