Putnam patriot., 1915-11-26
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Rakinq Others Clad Should Be Considered One of the Chief Duties Of the
 Season.

HTS the easiest ttaug in the world r to look for trouble and t0 hnd t 5 waiting. grim and terrible. for
 your search It isn't very hard to count your blessings in Q negative sort of way. by saying sXes. its very nice, but it could be much nicer It's quite the usual thing to hear folk com plain-and complaining is heard more often than praise and thaHkfulness. fet-s0 they tell us-a little over three hundred years ago Q band of sturdy, FeHtureacme Christian folk were very thankful indeed aHd praised their Lord feryently over a handful of parchcd corn and a bic of unieaveued bread.
 Once 6 year VIC set apart a day. con Becrated to their memory, and try to throw aside the customs and complain ings of the world as we know it. We gather together r-families Of us-and eat turkey and plum pudding; we talk of commonplaees and sometimes we feel bored and tired Yet we are sup posed to be celebrating.
 We have bushels of things to be glad for this year-hundreds it seems more than we ever had. As we offer up our blessings 1t won't be hard to remember that across a e,yiding bit of ocean other people are starving to death, and that ought to make us just a bit more thankful. As we see our families sitting around talking com monplaces 1t may help Us to think of other families in other countries that are fighting and dying on blood-stained battleiields As We hear the crisp No Yember wind banging in the trees, we ought to be mighty thankful that it isn't the sound of cannon aad bugles and screams that were hearing Oh. friends of mine 1t won't be very hard to be thankful this year.
 As was walking down Fourth ave nuo Q few days ago l was thinking with my head in the clouds, of many things thinking so hard that I did not notice exactly where my feet were taking me It was only when l stum bled against a little boy who was run ming around a corner that 1 came down to earth with bump.
 "Oh. I'm so sorry" I said. Did I hurt you?"
 Oats a right. lady" said the little boy with dirty RaphaeEeherub grin. q was only runningi"
 "Ohr"-he was lingering at my side so felt 1t necessary to make conver- sation-"you were running-playing something?"
 Huh" the little boy grunted beatifcally as he pulled up one ragged stocking. "oh, no; was jus running fer fun"
 His little face erinkled with smiles again and he trotted on out of my sight
 Just running for fun, for the pure joy of living A little boy with noth ing else to make him happy-and yet a number of Us frown and fret in the midst of all sorts of pleasures.
 was talking to ehum of mine not long ago. and some way our co1versa- ton driftod around to Thanksgiving time, and our interpretation of the day.
 Its all wrong!. said my chum earnestly, "all wrong!'
 "Why?" 1 asked curiously. I'm al ways thankful for my blessings on Thanksgiving; so are most people. Why Is it all wrong?"
 We'll" answered my chum, "on Thanksgiving day we sit around and talk and eat-principally. I once asked little girl what Thanksgiving day meant, and she said turkey and cranberry sauce!' And then we thank God complacently for our harvests. and OUT food. and our clothes, and his love. Isn't 1t sop
 Yes" admitted.
 Well" continued the girl, the Pil- grims did that. too. years ago. But they did not stop there. After they thanked God for their own blessings they tried to pass on the joy to folk less fortunate than they were. They even invited the Indians, beings that they had every reason to be afraid of, into their homes and gave them lit tie of the seasons cheer They kept Thanksgiving
 "Then"-I was choosing my words rather carefully-ethen your idea is not to he thankful yourself-onl to give someone else a chance to be thankful?"
 But" asked the girl softly, isn't that the right way to be thankful?"
 Isn't it?
 It's very easy thing to pass along the outside of life without even dip ping down into the depths, and ever so many people do it because it is the easiest way. Somehow 1t is hard to convince folk that things that tear at their heartstrings are the things that they should see and know. It's mighty easy to eat our Thanksgiving dinners without a thought of our brothers and sisters who are starving on some other street in the same city. and it's only because it is so much easier. I reckon. that people do forget to pass a bit of their plenty and peace.
 But as write. can't help thinking of filled-to-overilowing baskets that l have seen in missions. of eager chtl- dren grasping fat turkeys. of mothers crying happy tears over coal and wood that will keep them warm and happy. can't help having my mind slip away from the wen-6lled tables and the happy smiles and the cheerful com monplacos Of our own country to the Nr,ot.,- h,t,sne ft, fs5ssss4ssa fhnf nrA halrs~