The Record-courier. [volume] (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1904-current, 1921-11-25

perfect gift is from above, and
cometh from the Father of lights
with whom Is no variableness,
neither shadow OF turning.
All over America, from the Great
Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, In every
village and hamlet, church bells are
ringing this morning; factories, mills,
and workshops are at rest, and the
busy toilers of yesterday are, by force
Of time-honored custom no less than
by executive proclamation, laying
aside the implements Of commerce and
trade. and engaging, each in his
chosen way, in the festivities Of this
Thanksgiving Day. Some will make
this day an occasion for hilarity and
"riotous eating Of flesh; others will
roof, around the old family board;
many will observe the letter of the
day and throng the houses Of worship,
drawn hither by this, that, or the other
attraction; while still others. observ-
Ing both letter and spirit are devoutly
grateful. and can truly say:
ITO thee, o God, we life our eyes.
To Thee our grateful voices raise;
And kneeling at Thy gracious throne
Devoutely Join In hymns or praise"
This is national day; day pecu-
liarly American. God has wonderfully
blessed his children everywhere and
at all times, and yet like the cleansed
lepers. the nine have gone their way,
| forgetting the source of their cleans
ing. How seldom have nations recog-
nized Him from whom all blessings
| flow, The Hebrew children remem-
bered Him first in the feast of Taber-
nacles. England remembered Him
when delivered from the "Invincible
Armada" and but few times since.
The old Puritans of the Massachu-
setts Bay Colony found occasion to
| remember Him, though rudely domi-
ciled upon that stern and rock-bound
coast
The first American Congress, In de-
claring themselves free and indepen-
dent states 'relied" on the protection
OF Divine Providence, and when
crowned with success did not forget
to call upon the nation to thank that
Divine Providence. Those early faith
ers who wrought SO wisely and so well
under "Divine guidance" deemed 1t
proper to place their motto upon the
very coins we use. Test we forget, lest
we forget"
! In 1863, when the American repub-
lie was being cemented together by
the blood of brother arrayed against
brother. and 1t began to be evident
that American institutions were not to
| perish from the EARTH" we again re-
membered the Author of every good
gift and every perfect gift by day
of national thanksgiving. From that
| day to this, no President of these
United States has dared ignore the
precedent, and the celebration seems
to have become fixed.
| We review with pride the history of
our land. its marvellous growth, its
wonderful achievements. political, in
dustrial. commercial, and intellectual; !;
but as we recall the Giver we are
humble and thankful. not as the
Pharisee. thankful that we are mot
as other men are," neither as other
nations.
We deplore the vain idea (some-
times apparently of an Anglo-Saxon
God. The Hebrew had some reason
for believing himself a chosen one;
but under the gospel dispensation
there is neither Jew nor Greek"
neither bond nor free-for we are all
one In Christ Jesus" In considering
the history of America we can neither
eliminate nor ignore the part enacted
by the Christian religion.
Christian enthusiasm discovered
America and gave to the world its
l"Grandest lesson; on! and on!"
Christian zeal pushed its way
Through the savage wilderness in ex-
ploration and mapped out the high
ways over which the future millions
were to march in the westward
course of empire" Christian devo-
tion peopled America with the most
heroic souls of all Europe - Puritan
and Huguenot who, because of the
lunchristian bigotry and intolerance of
a zeal which was not according to
knowledge" voluntarily exchanged
the comforts of Europe for the free
dom of America, choosing rather to
suffer affliction with the people of
God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season."
Sometimes we forget God and be-
come pessimistic. The Hebrew chill
dren forgot the Red Sea highway, for
got the heavenly mama, forgot their
garments which "waxed not old" for
got the bondage of Egypt, and in re-
bellion against God and their greatest
human benefactor, remembered only
the "leeks and garlic" Such is our
groveling tendency. The man with
the muck rake" sees not the glorious
crown so graciously extended. This
pessimism; this inappreciation: this
lingratitude; this lack Of faith, may, in
lcharity at least, be explained by our
lnarrowness of vision. How closely
circumscribedl Now we know in
part; now we see through a glass
darkly."
How lamentably true has the spirit
of ingratitude been manifested In
America. The first century of Ameri-
can independence witnessed some of
the most determined attacks upon the
integrity of the Bible. voltaire in Eu-
rope, Paine and Ingersoll In America,
and many others of less Importance
marshalled all the forces of fallacy