Evening star., 1915-11-25
THANKSGIVING
ny DIR. FRANK CRANE.
Copyright. 1879

Thanksgiving is Puritan festival,
and mauger the feastings with which
we celebrate it, a touch of seriousness
always clings to the occasion.
From the beginning we have never
omitted it's observance, not even during
the war of the sixties. not even in the
lean and panic years of 1887, 1857. 1873.
1893 and 1907. There were always
enough of us glad to be alive. and that
'it is as well with US as it is" as the
It may not be a bad idea in this year
of grace 1915 to take stock of our bless
ings.
ditions. sufferings. dangers and the
incident to the human family In all
times and places. Only Thanksgiving
day is not the occasion. for complaints
nor alarms. Let us rather look aooui
and see wherein Destiny has been good
to us 'Tis wholesome exercise and
commendable habit.
The first thing that comes to all our
minds is the unspeakable calamity OF
the war that RACES among our brothers
in Europe. By the mercy of fate we are
spared that
The choicest of our young men are
not being infected. dismemnered sasa "a ot or
the blood of our boys that is being
poured down the sink hole of race pride
and governmental Incompetence.
We are spared the blightlng hates
that are wars bitterest by-products;
we are nursing no long fury of resent
ment against another people
The systems and ideals of government
upon this western continent axe such
that we not only live in friendly rivalry
and intelligent cooperation, but we see
no possibility of things ever being
otherwise One-half of the world has
eliminated war even from it's thought.
That is something,
We are the least endangered of any
nation. In spite of alarmists IT is hard
to see what object any nation could
have in attacking us. AS near as safety
can be assured upon this sublunary
sphere we are safe.
We are prospering materially. 1t is
prosperity We all want it and labor
for it and ought to he decently thank
full when we get it,
There are always those who howl ca
lamity loudest when skies are clearest
1t is cantankerous human nature to
fear something ill is bound to happen
when we are all happy. But it Is the
rottenest ignorance OF superstition
laugh when they feel good, even If to-
morrow may bring the gripes.
Our farms are teeming. We have had
bumper crops. The good God has filled
our bins with corn, wheat, oats and
apples. Cotton fourishes.
We have been able to send millions
of dollars worth of provisions to un-
fortunate Belgium, one Of the most
splendid acts of history.
With magnificent self-restraint we
have played the big brother 70 Cuba,
Mexico and Haiti.
Representatives of our sister Ameri-
can republic have several times sat with
us in humane council on pan-American
affairs.
War is always fraught with unex-
pected dangers. but our rulers have
piloted us so far safely through the
troubled waters. We are not the enemy
of Germany, nor of England. We stand
the one great exponent of humanity,
even above patriotism.
While we have had our strikes and
labor wars, on the whole our great
struggle toward a righteous economical
adjustment Of the producing forces of
labor and capital has proceeded with
remarkable dignity and intelligence.
The cause of education was never
more popular. Our vast system Of free
public schools steadily increases the in
telligence of our citizens.
Big business grows bigger yet has
been marked with an increasing senti-
tiveness to it's responsibility, and with
the feeling of the necessity of MAIN
tanning public favor.
The south is advancing, the east was
never buster. the north overfiows with
abundance, the west booms
Our experiment in democracy has not
yet failed. A hundred million self-gov-
erning people pursue their fortunes in
reasonable IelloWSniD, uncurSed by sec
tional hate, unterrifed of foreign ag-
gression.
We are not so contentiously religious
as we were, but we have a deal more
of that real religion that expresses tt
self in helping those less fortunate than
ourselves. and in establishing social con-
ditions that shall give every man a
square deal.
What the future holds of course, no
man knows. 1t may have severe trials
in store for US. But we shall face them
with that same courage we have shown
when danger loomed before us in the
past.
With malice toward none, with charity
to all, America fronts the future un-
afraid, ready for peace or war. and
ready too. to enter with whole heart
| into the coming program of the twen-
tieth century-the United States of the
World.