Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-22

/ earned a penny or had to earn a penny
| since she was born.
Such women ought to be run out Of
the country as undesirable aliens-for
alien they are to the spirit that has &C
tuRted America for her glorious 155
years, to the spirit that gave us Thanks
giving.
~
I WISH the woman who is reading this
= article today would constitute her
self committee of one to say to such
women what I wanted to say to this
one, and did partially say, hard as 1t
was to horrify and shock her.
ut Is you and your kind who are
making the depression of today 10
times worse than it need be. 1t is your
cowardice and criticiZing that is hold
ing back the return of a better day.
Your conversation Is a poison, quietly
spreading itself over your entire circle
and just as Shrewish wives used to be
put in the stock or taken and ducked
for running home life, you ought to be
punished for the mischief you do"
No, of course I didn't say all that.
But came as near as dared. And 1t
seems to me time. to return to some
| thing OF the old faith. the old courage
especially apart among all the festivals
we keep-our own, unique American
holiday, instituted by our glorious
pioneer ancestors, to thank God for
what we have, rather than groan over
what we have not.
They worked hard, through burning
| New England Summers and bitter New
England Winters They wore coarse
clothing, they ate coarse food. they
warmed their bleak log houses with
wood fires and lighted them with can
die light; their enemies, the Indians,
were always near at hand, and their
old homes, those English homes for
which they longed so often. were far
away. And still they could thank God.
Nowadays, unless every detail of our
lives Is perfection, we feel we have no
cause for Thanksgiving, and II our
lives are perfect we forget God COM
pletely. For the things that are hard,
this Thanksgiving, we feel affronted and
reSentful, and II things are running
smoothly, If domestic circumstances
reduced perhaps, curtaile6 perhaps,
different from what they were last year,
perhaps-are still under control, with a
| prospect OF better times to come, then
we can't get into the spirit of Thanks
giving, because something may go
wrong, somebody may lose his or her
job, there may be illness and trouble
ahead, you can't tell what's going to
happen this year"
x *+
THERE'S the great difference be-
tween us and those forbears
whose samplers and clocks. silver
spoons and Stuart portraits we are so
proud to claim today They had
everything to fear and they were brave
We have nothing to fear and we are
scared to death.
Some years ago, in a serious strug-
gle with arthritis, I underwent a rad
| ical diet and rest treatment that !
know were contributory to what was
eventually a perfect cure Only con-
tributory, because the real cure was
in the mind and soul. 1t came in an
sWer to long and wearied prayer, to a
determined grasping above pain and
doubt of the promise: IF you would
have any good thing, believe that you
have it."
To thousands of women whose trou-
bles this Thanksgiving are financial
rather than physical. who are anxious
about bills, food, children, rent, jobs
clothing, health, the future generally
I pass along that hint.
Rid your souls OF fear That is
| the real base of this depression and OF