The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-12-02
SOME GROUNDS OF NATL
THANKSGIVING IN 1915
Subject Of Interesting Address Deliy-
cred by DIR. George II. Gilbert in
Dorset Congregational Church on
Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Day.
! A national Thanksgiving Day. while
it docs not forbid being thankful for
merely personal and local blessings,
does properly turn our thoughts to
reasons for national gratitude to God.
For what, then, as a nation, should
we come before God with thanksgiving
this year?
Our President answers this question
in one way; other men, equally wise
and patriotic, answer it in a very diff
ferent way. What the President gives
as the chief ground for national
thanksgiving is regarded by some men
as ground for national fasting and
humiliation.
This situation is somewhat bewilder-
ing, and raises the question whether
the President and those who are dia-
metrically opposed to him may not
both be looking in a wrong direction
for the chief ground Of national graft
tude to God Perhaps both are seek
ing it on too low level, among things
that are too near at hand, which be-
long to the order of the tempest and
the earthquake rather than the order
of the still small voice.
But we ought not TO conclude that
this is really the case without a care
full consideration of the Presidents
words.
He says that the past year has been
one of Especial blessing for us" and
the first and chief element in that
Especial blessing" is peace--peace,
that is, with the nations now at war.
Surely national peace, though not
always an mmixed blessing, is yet a
blessing as compared with war. Most
of US, if not all, would go as fer as
this in the praise of peace. We may
not wholly agree with Benjamin
Franklin that there was never bad
peace nor ever good war, but we are
vastly more opposed to the sentiment
of a certain British warrior, a Ghurka
from northern India, who, after
months spent in the trenches of Flan-
ders, on being asked what he thought
of the war replied, "All war is good
this war is heaven y
Perhaps our ancestors felt this way
two or three thousands years ago, but
surely most of us, most people in the
neutral nations, would unhesitatingly
pronounce this Ghurka an unmitigated
savage.
But while we all exalt a righteous
peace and count it among nations
greatest blessings, it may be seriously
questioned whether the past year in
American history has been year Of
such peace with Europe, and whether
we have been kept free from entangle-
ments in her war.
Technically, of course, we have not 4
been at war with her. We have not
sent troops or ships to join the bellig-
erents.
Yet is it quite fair and right to call
the past year one Of peace?
Are we truly at peace with any ma {
tion when we suffer our citizens to
give aid and comfort to her foes /;
Are we truly at peace with any na- l.;
ton when we allow our citizens to ship II
10 her foes almost the entire output of !
our enormous powder mills, greatly {
enlarged as they have been for this :
very purpose and run at full speed by c
night as well as by day?
Are we truly at peace with any ma S
ion when we allow our citizens to fur
lish her foes with thousands of can
ION, and thousands of aeroplanes, e
nth scores of millions of shells and a
hundreds Of millions of dollars? h
Are we truly at peace with any ma t
ion when the leading organs of our S
,ress are allowed to do all in their
'ower to provoke government hostility h
oward it,
Is this state of things peace? Will a
nation that has enjoyed the fruits Of n
uch peace for year regard US as a h
ighteous nation, a God-fearing and
people?
II this be peace, it is a marred and Ii
roken and shamefully defective S,
eace. II it be peace, then peace and
'ar are strangely alike. Nay, if this h
e peace, we have yet to learn what r;
eace really is. ot
For one | do not believe that this Ii
peace"-if we so style it, this banner m
( technical peace under whose shell d.
ring folds the very spirit of NAM
ION and the very spirit of war have az
cen suffered TO carry on their in. m
luitous traffic, should be mentioned pi
) ground Of national thanksgiving, is
Of TO say the chief ground Of such e'
thanksgiving. nj
Again, the President invites us to OF
f..1 "a