The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-11-21
THE RETURNABLE.
By Benz. V. Longdon, Chillicothe, y

By Benz. V. Longdon, Chillicothe, Mo.
What is that which we often re-
turn, but never borrow? Thanks"
Tzis conundrum reminds US of the
fact that thanks is n of those things
that may be returned. while l wish
ed to be adorned with every virtue,
yet there is nothing l can esteem more
highly than the being and appearing
grateful" Thus wrote Cicero and
likewise were the actions of the Pill
grims at Plymouth when they "knelt
down and offered to the mightiest SOL
emn thanks and supplications." There
is nothing more nearly permanent in
American life than the we'll establish
ed custom of Thanksgiving originated
by the Pilgrims in 1921. Doubtless
they could have established a better
custom, but doubtless they never did.
During the Revolution, Congress rec
commended a day of thanksgiving an
nually. Since 1863 the last Thursday
in November has been annually pro-
claimed by the Presidents as a ma.
tional thanksgiving day. Therefore
each recurring Thanksgiving is a ma
tional holiday to us. And as we are
exempted from the tasks of this. day
why not sit down and recall the bless
ings of the past year? Gratitude al
ways expresses the length and breadth
OF character, but this day gratitude
carries no yardstick. This day we
have special authority for speaking
out and acting out. A man has no
more thankfulness than he acts out
and speaks out in his life. When one
sincerely expresses thanks for any
thing he shows his appreciation. And
it requires very little effort to appre-
ciate and return thanks, since piety
and devotion are ever on the alert to
point out and adore the giver. What
a feeling is aroused in a healthy soul
when thanks is returned. Thankful
ness is the feeling aroused in a heal
thy soul by benevolence and benef.
cence; the permanent state is devo-
tion and piety-"devotion when thanks
are given to man, piety when given to
God" says Paulsen,
There are two ways of returning
thanks: by word or deed. Both ways
are preferable. A portion of mankind
cannot express the gratefulness in
mind by deeds because a~ffiction or
the loss Of hand or foot prevents.
Others have been robbed of their
power of speech by accident or misfor-
tune. And it is encouraging to know
that they are not blind, nor dumb to
the many blessings they receive, and
they regain their power of expression,
like the stars, which have neither
speech nor language, yet their voice
is heard It would be we'll, If when
tempted to ask-what have we to be
thankful for--we would remember
that Saadi, the poet of Persia, in his
poverty walked the streets barefooted
and soliloquised day after day: What
a pity that |, the greatest poet in
Persia, should have no shoes" "No
Shoes" he constantly complained to
himself, until one day he met a man
who had no feet. "Ah." he said, that
mar is worse off than / am. l have
no shoes, but he has no feet" Gentle
reader we desire to lay upon the heart
of all the truth that we often complain
before we have taken the upward and
outward look. Ingratitude is a poor
friend, so to speak. 1t may endure
for a night; but gratitude cometh in
the morning, We regret to see many
fortunate men joining the crowd of
jewish lepers who forget that the