The Washington times., 1915-11-25


JOYS. and sorrows by faith. believing
that their portion was measured to
them by the Lord. and that fun ohedi-
ence and submission. with chcerfulness,
was their dut"
Excuses For Unthankfulness.
We concede that the world. awakening
from the sleepy supcrstitions Of the
past, can readily find many excuses for
declining to he thankful II We men
tion some OF these. ii will be rather to
show the unthankful masses that we
agree with 1t. We should point them to
the better course of thankfulncss and
proportionate happiness,
To their complain 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. Under Divine blessing upon the
| soil and Divine blessing upon human
/ skill conveniences and comforts hay" 90
multiplied about us that the common
! people" Of our land have home COM
forts and convcniences, educational IA
| cilities, parks. Libraries. w"ll-ravcd and
| lighted streets and cheap Transportation
! such as were not dreamed Of In our
grandfathers' days nor enjoyed even
| by the rich Let us not greedily ask
more along these lines until We hay"
| fully appreciated present blessings and
! returned thanks therefor
| But" says one. "our forefathers were
SuperstitiouslY thankful. aud we must
avoid that. They gave thanks to God
/ for the sunshine and the rain. w" have
! learned that these are provisions OF ma
| ture: and We thank nobody for them
! our forefathers thanked God for esCnDc
from fcudal slavery: but we see that
they should have rehelled against feu-
dalism and bought their freedom with
their own courage. our iorrtath"rs
thanked God. II they were sick that
they did not die and go to eternal tor
ture. We are coming to the rationa!istic
idea that they should have thanked tN"t"
physician for recovery from sickness
and should not have believed in an ever
lasting future OF torture; for so far as
| We can see that teaching Is all humouR.
Intelligent people Of the world have
no more knowledge than ourselves re-
college professors that our race Is pro-
crossing by an evolutionary law OF ma
ture; that God has nothing to do with
1t; and that there is no future life for FOR
us except in the sense that we. In tn"
future. will be represented on higher
plane Of living by our evolved children
You will perceive. therefore. why We
consider THANKSGIVING Day piece OF
medieval superstition"
Replies To the Unthankful.
Our reply to this reasoning must be
along two lines: first. philosophical
second, analyucai:
~ Are not these increasingly large
numbers of panthcistic athcistic cvo-
lutionists unphilosophical? They admi.
that they have blessings far beyond
anything known to their forefatherS
and that their unhappiness has in
! creased in proportion as these bless
ings and reasonIngs respecting them
have been received. Would not n true
philosophy tell them that their loss Of
happiness is not due to the increased
blessings but to the improper and un'
thankful manner in which they have
received them? Would not philosophy
alone, apart from the Bible or rshelon
have warned them that. even II th"ii
theories were true, II would bc unwiss
TO cultivate them An their own minds
and IN the minds Of others?
| () Let us now analyZc the foregoing
complaints. Who can prove that there
is no living and true God-thht there Is
merely a god of nature, blind force
L. Who can explain to us the power which
: holds our earth in its orbit around the
sun. which has given us summer and
, winter. cold and heat: and which has
, given us mountains and valleys, hills
! and plains. in pleasing variety. loaded
with minerals most useful 10 MS and
only waiting our Heaven directed
genius TO bring them forth for tho
blessing OF our race. and to make OF
, earth the Paradise OF God?
,, What philosophy can prove to us that
these things have happened hy chance
:
, , SCrirtural suggestion, may unto day
uttercth speech and night unto might
showeth knowledge. aud there Is M
rlace whore their voice 10 not heard
procla lining an all-wise and beneficen
b. Croatoro We know that the wisdom a"f
; honcficcnce OF our Cr"HtNr were hid
den from our mental view hv our suncr
stitions and irrational Cr-cds of the
past' but now. as III" electric light In!
Superseded tho tallOw candle so Cod
= Word today Is shining forth t0 those
I | who have eyes to see It's beauty
[ Let us not boast ourselves IA DOssosS
= Cd ~ 50 much greater courage than hnC
K rome in feuda' times Let ~ note. q,
| the contrary. that the patriotism Whicl
obtained the Mag0a Charts Of our lihGr
ties WIS as noble md courageous n
nnv thnt wo have TODAY. or more 90
'; our freedom from som" o. tn" super
= s'itions cf tho mast is the result Of tn
q Gnrond Of education: md "" must than
= ncithcr ourselves nor our fnrefnth"r
for this widesnronh educHtion "" mus
| thank the Lord for u. II came upO
tho world despite ~" opposition OF N
rich and tho Indifference nf tho NO0'
= Gods due 'ir" had arrived. -DaniCl
= | lo1. Acts ",'N-"'
g To Higher Critics and EyOlutiOnists