The Carlisle independent., 1921-01-13
THE PARADE
Give Thanks

cnalr Dy the nreSlde, the gaunt force of hunger, breeding over the table, the pale figure of misfortune shiver- ing in corner, or some loved one ly- ing on a bed of pain.
 With food and clothing and fuel taking about all the bread-winner can earn there will be many saying in the bitterness of their hearts, give thanks for?"
 In spite of heavy clouds that ob- scure the sky, the sun is still shining. In spite of unrest, classification and the high cost of living you can be thankful you are an American. Grati- tude is awakened in the heart like beautiful visions in barracks, hospitals garrets, prisons! Musicians hear di- vine melodies in tempests. Sculptors behold beautiful forms in rough blocks of marble. Grateful people feel gratitude in sickness, misfortune lonlineds, poverty. Elder Brewster the minister of the Pilgram Fathers, when he had nothing for dinner but shellfish and water, closed his eyes and thanked God "that they were permitted to suck of the abundance of the seas and of the treasures hid in the sandw We have seen a crust of bread and cup of tea awaken more gratitude than a twelve-course dinner. If you are not grateful to- day, it will not be because you have no great table grooming with boun- ties; it will be because you have not a grateful heart. There are many troubles throughout the poor old world, it is true, but if you have a home and are surrounded by loved ones and loyal friends you have cause for Thanksgiving. Though the tur- key may be beyond your reach you can be grateful for an old fat hen.
 Baby Fingers
 Not long ago the owner of a swell apartment in New York City brought suit for damages against a tenant because there were baby finger prints on the wall paper.
 We know strong man, who lost baby girl at the age of eighteen months Several mornings after the little one had been laid in the bosom of Mother Earth, the man found him. self alone in the home, for the moth- CT and the rest of the family had been sent away for a rest and change of scene. The man was thought by many to be cold and unsympathetic because he did not wear his heart upon his sleeve and never gave way to his emotions in public. On this morning he awoke in a home that was desolate and still The sound of the baby's voice was gone and the rattle of dishes and pans in the kitch- en was not heard. Only the solemn tick of the clock in the bedroom broke the heavy silence that settled like a pail over that deserted and empty home. The man arose and dressed and went down stairs. He stepped into the library to get his hat where he had tossed it on a couch the night before. The warm summer sunlight streamed through the windows and as the man stopped to pick up his hat his eyes fell upon upon something that sent shudder through his being and caused a lump to rise in his throat and choke him. There on the glass door of bookcase, scarcely three feet from the floor, were the prints of baby's fingers. This man whom others thought cold and un- sympathetic, fell upon his knees, buried his face in the couch and sobbed like a little child. An, yes! The print of baby's fingers may irritate landlord when he finds them on the wall paper in the flat he rents to another, but the print of a baby's fingers will break a mothers heart when the little one has gone away. It is the custom in cities to refuse to rent to a family with chil- dren. It is quite the thing for the idle rich to avoid the entrance of ba- bies into the family circle. It is even considered smart by social climbing wives and lazy ladies of selfish habits to sympathize with the girl who is kept at home by the presence of a baby. But, oh, listen! Long, long ago Jesus said, "Suffer little children. forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heav- en-"
 Of all the mural decorations that ever adorned frieze or stained a pane of glass, the most beautiful is the print of a baby's finger.