Milford chronicle., 1922-12-01
RELIGION BASED
ON GRATITUDE
Truth in Assertion There Cannot
Be the One Without
the Other.
Therein Lies the Particular Better
ment to All Men in the Devout
Feeling and Celebration of
Thanksgiving.

"He that urges gratitude pleads the
cause of both God and men, for with
out it We can neither be sociable nor
religious" says the pagan philosopher,
Seneca. Thanksgiving, then, if this be
true, is not only an act of worship, but
an influence for social advancement.
Gratitude is said to be the rarest Of
virtues, yet it exists, and it runs like a
golden chain throughout society, bind
ing men together. Nor is it as rare as
we are likely from experience and OBJ
servatiOn to think it is. False graft
tude may be eloquent, but it is not
easy to express real gratitude in words.
mo metaphysician ever felt the def
cheney of language so much as the
grateful" and through that deficiency
gratitude is often dumb. Neither is
conduct true test, for circumstances
may deny the opportunity of it's ex-
preston, or conflicting circumstances
may prevent its expression when op-
pOrtunity arises. There is much graft
tude in the world, between men and
men, for which evidence is lacking, yet
there is probably no man who cannot
recall a feeling Of gratefulness within
himself which he never voiced and for
favors which he never requited. Know
ing more of our own thoughts and
feelings than we do of those of others
we are likely to think the quality of
gratitude is our peculiar possession,
and cynically to agree with Rochefou-
cauld that gratitude in the generality
of men is only a strong and secret
wish to receive still greater benefits"
Undoubtedly there is much on the sur
face to justify that view, but while the
quality of real gratitude may vary CON
siderably in its strength there are few
if any who are wholly lacking, and the
mere consciousness Of it makes it a
potent force in the social advancement
Of man. Whether thanksgiving be ex-
pressed or withheld it is an influence |
for betterment within every one of us,
for the feeling toward others is the |
TEST of our souls.
But if that is true as between men,
it is much more true, and much more
potent influence, between men and God.
The sense of gratitude is the measure
Of devotion. If it is a mere utterance
Of the lips it has no meaning, no mat
ter how eloquently wOrded, reasons a
writer in the st. Louis Globe-DemOcrat.
II it does not come from the heart 1t
Is a mockery; and the deeper its feel
Ing, even though it be dumb, the closer
It brings one to its divine objective.
No pean of praise can reach One-half
20 high as the thankful thought. which
IN itself is a prayer 1t is more than
IN acknowledgment of benefits. it is
IN putpOur1ng Of spirit, an uplifting
If the invisible self into contact with
It's source, with a consequent enrich
nent of new strength and new courage.
Gratitude, as the old pagan said, is
essential to religion. There is no reli-
yion where there is no gratitude. And
he power of religion is in exact pro-
portion to the sense of thankfulness
t inspires. That does not mean that
God is a great almsgiver who dispenses
,harity for the reward Of appreciation.
he gives because he is God, and giving
Is the expression of his unaltering
goodness. He gives freely regardless
If thanks. He cannot be bribed to
arger favOrs by gratitude. The effect
# gratitude is upon ourselves, in the
exercise Of our souls and IN the ap- J