Democratic messenger., 1911-12-02


considerable ex-
tent what we make them. Bible stu
dents should be phllosophers-every-
one OF them. Why? Because the Wis
dom from Gborc Is the nOblest science aud
best instruction. AS st. Paul declares.
II tends to promote the spirit of Il
sound mind-and sound mind Is nee
essarily philosophical one. Murmur.
ers and complalncrs are not philoso'
piers. but the reverse. 4 sound mind
tells us to take things as they are, TO
make the best of them rather than to
quarrel over them and find fault with
Divine providence and make ourselves
aud everybody else In our environment
miserable.
True Christian people In every land
and under all conditions have found
plenty Of cause for thankfulness. even
though they have had their share, or
more. OF life's difficulties. Nor was this
thankfulness because they had master.
ed the Divine philosophy and under
stood the ichy and the ichcreforc 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 cheeriulneSs. was theif
duty.
Excuses For Unthankfulness.
We are ready TO concede that the
world. awakening from the sleepy su
perstitions OF the past. can readily
find many excuses for declining TO be
thankful. IL we mention some OF
these II will not be by way OF cndors-
ing them. rather 10 show the unthank-
full masses thnt we recognize their
viewpoint but do not agree with It.
We would point them TO the better
course OF thankfulncss and proportion
ate happiness. To their complaint
that they have fewer and smaller
blessings than their more wealthy
nelghbors. we remind them that the
poor OF this favored land habltually
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 skin conveniences
and comforts have multiplied about us
so that the common people or 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 grandfathcrs' 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 forefaihers
were superstitiously thankful. ana we
must avoid that. They gave thanks
to God for the sunshine and the RAIN
We have learned that these are provi-
slons 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-
beled against feudalism and bought
their freedom with their own courage.
"Our forefathers thanked God. II
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 fI-
-
can gee that teaching Is all humbug.
Intelligent people Of the world have
no more knowledge than ourselves re-
specting future We agree with
the college professors that our race u
progressing by an evolutionary law OF
nature. and that God has nothing 70 do
with II. and that there Is no future
life for us except I'm the sense that we.
in the future. will be represented on a
higher plane Of living. by our evoluicd
children You will perceive. therefore.
why we consider Thanksgiving Day
piece Of medieval superstition"
Replies to the Unthankful.
Our reply 10 this reasoning must be
along two lines: first. philosophical;
second. analyticnl:-
a. Are not these Increasingly large
numbers OF pantheistic and athelsiic
evolutionists unphIlosophical? They I'd.
init that they have blessings far he
yond anything known TO their fore
fathers. and they admit that their un.
happiness has increased In proportion
as these blessings as.l rcasonings re
specting them have been received
Uvo,,lA nof a ty.aa nhflosouhv tell them