Year: 1864

Why were they then so blinded as to let


the season OF their greatest advantage


slip? Made TO wait till the loyal .peo-


pie had government at Washington


about which they could rally ?, Surely


as we look back we may say, in the


words of the presidents proclamation,


which calls us. together today, "No hu-


man council devised, nor hath mortal


hand worked oat these things"


Then again in bountiful harvests with


which heaven has blessed us for consec-


ulive years. The material resources OF


the country for prosecuting the war were


never SO great before. Our granaries


were never before so full. 1t has been
like the "seven years of plenty" which,


God granted for purpose. 1t is re-
markable fact that our exports of bread
stuffs have increased from year to year,
even during the war, and this although
laborers have been Withdrawn almost by
the million. And our national treasury
has been abundantly supplied, and that
altogether within ourselves. No foreign
debt has been contracted. And these
years Of war have been years Of great
business prosperity. heard one who
visited US from foreign country express
his surprise at this. Scan it be- he said,
"in the midst of all this which see, that
this nation is carrying on war within
her own borders, and with nearly mill
ion OF men now in the field y And
distinguished Englishman, in view of this
fact, said recently at public meeting
England is carrying on no great war,
and so we are poor y


A few years ago the thought of asses
sing such a tax upon the people as this
war has made necessary, would have
been regarded as the pecuniary ruin of
very many. And yet l think am cor
rect in saying that the heavy taxes which
the war has assessed, have been as gen.
eral thing as easily paid by our citizens
as were the lighter taxes in time of
peace.


Again, we have cause for thanksgiv-
ing, that The war has not get ended
Understand me. Not ,t~pLs tiiat niuI. cd
and bloody strife is continued. But
thanksgiving that peace has not come
before we were prepared for it before
the high ends which God intended to ac-
complish by it have been reached. We
must, we ought to rejoice that peace is
not allowed to come before the greatest
good for which such costly sacrifices have
been made, has been secured.


This then, should enter our thanksgiv-
ing. Gods ways are not as mans ways.
We desired peace very ardently year
ago. But Gods time was not yet. We
were not ready for it then. Had we OBJ
tanned it a year ago, with the progress
which had then been made, with no more
than was then gained by all that had been
sacrificed; how much would have been
lost to the nation, and lost 10 the world,
which the past twelve months have Sc
cured. Ah, verify, peace then would
have been hollow peace, and transient
one. Thereafter there would have been
occasion for saying, wo, wo to him who
healeth our hurt slightly, and attempts to
cry "reace, peace, when there is no
peace !"


We want peace founded in right, and
so firm and lasting. We want such a
peace as our good presden, says docs
not appear so far distant as it did" and
which he hopes ''wiI soon come, and
come to stay, and so come as TO be worth
the keeping in all future time"


And for what would we--ior what
would the world--for what would the |
cause of freedom-for what would the
cause of freedom, be willing to lose that
which the last year has gained? Great.
er visible advances in the cause of human /
rights have been made than for centuries |
before. And the prOlOngieg of the War
has done it This was Gods way. The
of the country bas been forced,
as it were, by the president, and increas-
ingly wicked, and more openly avowed
object Of rebellion, up towards the stan>
dard of right and justice, where Heaven
can smile upon u.s. And as it has moved,
there has been one at the head of our
watching with steady eye,
its growth. And fast as it has risen to
the right point, God had in him one to
pin it there by decisive act from none
Of which acts has our president ever
gone back He has never suffered the
right moral sentiment of the people to
wane; but has steadily held them TO the
highest point which they had reached