The Gavelyte, November 1913

THE GAVELYTE VOL. VIII NOVEMBER, 1913 NO. 2 The Value of Thanksgiving By W. R. MeChesney, Ph. D. To try to realize ,tJhe va,lue of 'Thia,nkis,giivirug d.s Hke 1tiry 1irug to e1Slti– mate the worth of ,an 'heirloom. Both are ill'calculalbily p,reci,ous. The memories c.:lus1tel'in•g ,wb 1ouit 'Dhiall'kf'1giiving Day r,e•aclh ,over ee,n1tui1ii·es and seas and 'brin•g in common 1tbio·ught to us mamy lands· and m,os:t of t'he 1reUgio:ns. Nearly every, natio•n an'd rel1igion, eve1J11 ltJh,ose ·Of antiquiity, have o;t,f",e,rve,d some ,s,nrt of T'hank•sgti.ving. Thus 'i!t lhla;s beioome ,a kind . of common tie to tl:nidi •all r,acrn and sects, in 1dhe •ex– press,i-on of on·e oif tib:e dee•pe1s1t feelings :and s,weeite•sit s•elllltiimenits, ,of 1t1he lhumian s1oul-gr.atitude. Humanity is Toot ,s10 ,tJbankle ",S, 1pe•ribJaip,s , ,a,s• :iit is 1tJhougtle,ss. Down deeip in •our ill'ne•rmost ,seaves we ,a,p,p,reciirute in g1re1a,ter o,r 1'eis,s·e·r measure all the gootlw'bddh ,come~ i•nito ,our Hve,s. ,v,e fo,rge,t too ro,ft•en , howeve•r, to expre·ss ou,r 1 a-p,pre0i•aWon. T 1b,all!kis1givinig Da.y •affords to ea·ch one of u•s true ,o,p.pol'tunity ,t:Jo exhibit om gra.ti ,tude, and dou'b,U.esB muLtitudes, wth•o 'd,o niot enite 1 r C:hur:clhe,s on t ,biat d•ay, m,a ,nife.st and f€,el th i'r tJhani<fll'lnes,s in othe,r ways. At le,a,s,t, it is to lbe :hoped they ilo. The opporcunilty to ,give ~ 'hanks mu<1t, ,a,t ]e,as,t, present tlhe :tJhougiht and, by tlhat mu·ch, liift t.rb.e mind aborve itihe cornimon level of lits activi.ties. The ob1servan 1 0e of 'Tbianksig'iving 1affiord·s, ,s,o,cial priv1Heges c,a,lcu– la,t<2,d to enicte,ar frienid>S ,anid fho•mes to, rns. v\Tlh 1 a!t s,p~e,nd1id times in m~et'ing in ou•r ll1.1om,e s, ,re1he,a1r,sin 1 g o1'd ex•pecr-ieruces, telling ,t!he twice told, an'li more, t•a~es, makii.irug new 1acquaintanice,s1, if,orm1ing new .fl.'ien'd, sh1;,ps, gatJhering about t·he festal boards, partaking of the sumptuous fe,a,siu,, and 1 h1aving a jolly ,good •t<ime in 1 gene1r,al, ,an,d t lh en in the fiar,e– Wf !Lls and goodibys hands1b,akes, ,i,tfhe1· menti,onling o,r Temeim 1berilllJg if we do l10t speak O'f it, the goodne,s 1 s of tlhe lbouniiful all Fat'her, wlho f-e,nd,s sibowers of bless'ill'g ,into ,eiruch ltlfe! 'Dhen, 1.00, ThaI111mgivin,g Day lb,r'ings, many o.f us, tbut 1to·o 'few, 1aJfite1r all, iruto •our various p1l,a1ces, o'.f putbl1c wor,slhi 1 p, quite ,o,ften in unlion se•J"V'ices to joiin in p,r,a-hc:;e, p,rayeT 1 arud me 1ditw1:Ji,on• •a,s, we recount ithoe bleHsing1-: of a y ar to our,selves, our •h,omes, our scb,ools, our churc'hes,