Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-11-08
PRESIDENT URGES
ALL TO Be THANKFUL
Given An Opportunity To Serve
Mankind.
WE SHOULD THANK GOD
Let Us Pray In Humblsness Of Spirit
For Guidance And
Strength.

GfGSiQent NlloOu lsSuSu last uASfi
his 1917 Thanksgiving proclamation
calling upon the nation. even in tn
midst of the sorrow and great peri
Of world shaken by war. to thanl
cor for blessings that are better thar
mere peace of mind and prosperity o
enterprise.
The proclamation, fixing Thursday
November 20, at Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving, 1917"
By the President of the United
States of America:
4 Proclamation.
1T has long been the honored
custom OF our people to turn in
the fruitful autumn of the year in
praise and thanksgiving to AL
mighty Cor for His many bless
ings and mercies to us as nation.
That custom we can follow now,
even in the midst of the tragedy
of q world shaken by war and
immeasurable disaster, in the
midst of sorrow and great peril,
because even amidst the darkness
that has gathered about us we can
see the great blessings God has
bestowed upon US, blessings that
are better than mere peace of
mind and prosperity of enterprise
1--WE have been given the oppor-
tunity to serve mankind as we
once served ourselves in the great
day Of our Declaration of Inde-
pendence, by taking up arms
against a tyranny that threatened
to master and debase men every
where, and joining with other free
peoples in demanding for all the
nations of the world what we then
demanded and obtained for our
selves. In this day of the revela-
ton Of our duty not only to defend
our own rights as a nation, but to
defend also the rights Of free men
throughout the world there has
been vouchsafed us in full and in
spring measure the resolution
and spirit of united action. We
have been brought to one mind
and purpose. A new vigor of COM
mon counsel and common action
has been revealed in us. We
should especially thank God that,
in such circumstances, in the
midst of the greatest enterprise
the spirits OF men have ever en-
tered upon, we have, if we but
observe a reasonable and practi-
cable economy, abundance with
which to supply the needs of those
associated with us as well as our
own. A new light shines about
us. The great duties OF new
day awaken a new and greater
national spirit in us. We shall
never again be divided or wonder
what stuff we are made Of
And while we render thanks
fer these things, let us pray AL
mighty God that, in all humble
ness of spirit, we may look al
ways to Him for guidance; that
we may ge kept constant in the
spirit and purpose of service;
that by His grace our minds may
be directed and our hands
strengthened, and that in His
good time liberty and security
and peace and comradeship of a
common justice may be vouchsaf-
ed all the nations of the earth.
Wherefore, l, Woodrow Wilson,
President of the United States of
America, do hereby designate
Thursday. the twenty-ninth day of
November next as a day of
thanksgiving and prayer. and in
vite the people throughout the
land to cease upon that day from
their ordinary occupations and in
their several homes and places of
worship to render thanks to God.
the Great Ruler of nations"