Year: 1859

The following humorous. but withal sens
4 IDLE production appeared in the Boston Cour-


Ter number of Thanksgiving since, but
is still as good as ever:


/ A merry heart doeth good like medicine, bat


a broken spirit drieth the bones.-Prov: XVI, %


The words of the wise man deserve espe-


cial regard, for this is an occasion when it


is good TO be merry and wise. There are


three hundred and odd days in the year be.


sides this, when a man may be melancholy


without setting at naught the Governors


proclamation; but once in the year there is


reason in feeling comfortable. The wise


man is sssuredly right in prescribing his


medicine for unhappy mortals, sick of sin


and sea coal, the pinch in the money mar
ket, and the palpitation in the price of bread
stuffs. Ho, every one that thirsteth for
relief from the cares that cash is heir to
come ye to Doctor Solomon, and take lit
tie of his Balm of Gilead in the shape of
merry heart. 1t is not to be ''taken fast
ing" nor will it make any person quake
with fear, though when taken it may be well
shaken-not under the cork stopper of a wry
face, but through the liberal tunnel of
broad grin. A merry heart doeth good like
n medicine; and who does not wish to do
good to himself with such pleasant kind of
doctors stuff? Verify. the faculty in old
times were wiser in their generation than
many of the modern III. DIS.


There are three things under the sun, yea
four, which on n Thanksgiving day are to
be eschewed of men: The small soul of
parsimony, and the grumbling bowels of
covetousness, the broken spirit of thankless


repining and the dry bones of cold unchar
| itableness. There is none of the right medi-
! cine in these drugs, which deserve to be all
pounded in the same mortar and worked up
| into tlue pill of more in6nitesimal little
ness than any quantity yet prescribed in s
homeopathic formula. But to-day we are
hidden to be thankful; and whether we
think of the bidding or not, it is to be hop
ed we can sll find cause to offer thanks.


To be thankful this day is duty both
enjoined upon us by the Executive author
ity and urged by our own feelings of what
is fit and becoming. Thankfulness implies
content-content indicates good humor-
good humor is cheerfulness-and whose
has cheerful heart, has perfoFce merry
one. 1t is therefore as clear as preaching,
that King Solomon and the Governor are
both of one mind as to the proper way of
keeping Thanksgiving, and where is the son
of man in this Commonwealth who will IN
dertake to controyert their joint authority?
| If there be any such dry bone of doubter
among US, let him suck the wooden spoon
of perversion, gnaw the dry drum stick Of
his own dogmatisn, and sit down in skep-
tical saekcloth and ashes, till his more SEN
sIble and rebellious stomach barks for din
ner. Let him dine upon dish of doubts,
and go to bed in the Cruel of grumbling and
groanIng. But we hope there is none sach.
So let us all.be reasonably thankful, and
not unreasonably may We also be of merry
heart. Let those who are in health be
thankful for their good case; and those who
are out of health be thankful that they are
no worse. Let those who are rich be thank


full for their wealth, and those who are poor
| find cause for thankfulness in having so iitS
tie to do with the root of all evil. Let old
folks be thankful for their wisdom in know
ing that young folks are fools, and let young
ones be even with them in thankfulness and
good opinion, by thinking the compliment
back again. Let the lean folks be thankful for
their spare ribs, and let fat folks be thankful
that they can laugh at the lean ones, and
grow fatter and fatter every day. Let him
who is in debt be thankful that he is not in
lingo for it; and let him who is out of debt
do the same, and call at our house and let
US know what sort of feeling it is. Let
those who are in Office put up all the thanks
they can imagine, that merit is at last re-
warded; and let those who are out of Office
utter thanks also that the country does not
insist upon their eating sour grapes. Let
married folks be thankful for blessings both
little and great; let old bachelors and old
maids be thankful for the privilege of kiss
ing other folks babies, and much good may
it do them.