Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-11-28
Speculative Thanks
A Thanksgiving Day Sermon by Rev. Thos. A.
Gallagher.

Some one has said "the thinkful
man is always the thankful man.
This is as true of a nation 40 il Ia OF
an individual. The nation that thinks
is the nation that thanks.
AS a nation our history is marvel
Gus in achievement. There Is moth
ing dull or static in the record. True,
the pages are not all peaceful. Some
chapters are terribly red. Other
chapters record titanic struggles and
gigantic strifes political, commercial,
our national fabric have not all come
from the same dye. Like Joseph's
coat, many-colored, our national life
has no sameness about it. In the
warp and wool of our existence one
thread runs consistently throughout,
never-fading and never-failing, the
thread of righteousness. Like a gold
en- cable it shines through all our ma
tional actions and doings and binds
them into one consistent and con-
tinuous whole. This is the righteous
ness that eXhalteth a nation" Our
record affords abundant reasons for
national rejoicing and thanks to the
God who guided us. !
In Plymouth, Mass, are two strik-
ing and inspiring paintings. One
represents the Pilgrims embarking
from Holland. The other shows them
landing on the bleak New England
shores. In both paintings the Pill
grims are on their knees in prayer
and thanks. This has eve been the
proper attitude Of all true Ameri-
cans.
Never did the nation have greater
cause for Thanksgiving than now. In
the glory of larger happenings we
pass by our wonderful material bless
ings. These are all on II ground
floor. These days the spiritual ele-
vator lifts us far above the more ma
terial. Anyway, the true treasures of
humanity are not to be inspected in
have been the unit of measurement
and the test of strength. At last the
lesson is being learned that, not by
material might or power but by the
spirit of righteousness is the indi-
vidual or nation made great. What,
then, are we thankful for? May we
mention just a few of the many rea-
sons why Thanksgiving fills the heart
of America today.
l.. We are thankful hat the day
of necessity found us almost unani-
mously ready and willing to suffer any
sacrifice. How quickly the air clear
eu WNen the ISSUE was clearly set
forth! No ~sectionalism appeared.
The clean-cut principle for which we
entered battle was accepted with
equal enthusiasm by the howery
South, the sturdy North, the crowded
East and the expansive West. The
starry heavens never gazed upon such
unity. The people saw with the same
clear vision, felt with the same loyal
heart, gave with the same holy mo-
tive. Yes. they entered, as one, the
same Gethsamine and climbed, as one,
the same Calvary.
2. We are thankful that the
American heart contains more than
greed and seltishness. This war has
tapped and opened hitherto unknown
fountains of helpfulness. People, on
the inside, have expanded magnii-
Gently. They have a bigger spiritual
girth now than ever. Truly there has
been a glorious enlargement of the
heart The American heart will
never return to it's former size. Too
long the measure of greatness for
many has been stocks, bonds, notes
and mortgages. The quickest way to
breed another war is to build upon
the principle of materialism and sell
fishness.
3. We are thankful for crystalized
Americanism. We were pretty much