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Show tiiiiiHiiniiniiiMiinniiiiiitmtiiiiinne Bagster's Thankfulness 1 Dy M. L, U. fulllliiiHiiiiiiilimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiimiir; Bagster glowed upon us. "Cams upon another fine stanza of Whlttler's. I know It's the fashion, nowadays, to smile In a superior manner when Whlttler, and Longfellow, and Tennyson, Tenny-son, and the rest, of the past century, cen-tury, are mentioned, but well, I'm an old-fashioned person, I'm afraid." "So are we all old-fashioned," we reassured him. He went on: "This was from a poem of Chan-ning Chan-ning William Ellery Channlng of whom Whlttler writes: 'A man whose life, beautifully and truly manifested above the atmosphere of sect, is now the world's common legacy.' Well, here's the stanza, at last: Qnd bleRF'S still the g-enerous thought, And still the fitting word He speeds, And truth, at His requiring taught. He quickens Into deeds. I ---j. . -rjjHE Bagsters came to us for Thanksgiving, as usual. Most JPTfe. ' tlle aralIIea on 'he street double up In that wy, ex-oj,J9j ex-oj,J9j cept those who "go back to the old home for Thanksgiving." Thanks-giving." Mrs. I'ennlman and I would feel lost without the Bagsters. After dinner we sut about the open fire In the library, und talked, with Intervals of silence. That is, Bagster talked. "I've been thinking a great deal today to-day about thankfulness. It's all right the ordlnnry, conventional thanksgiving thanks-giving for food, drink and all. I was running through an old Anthology of I'oetry that started me. Ran across a lot of poems by that wonderful old Quaker-ratrlot-Mystlc, Whlttler. There was one stanza at the close of bis 'Lines for an Autumn Festival' that struck me particularly: "Maybe not tremendously poetic poetry, but Isn't It packed with Inspiring Inspir-ing truth I Another line I recall, from 'My Psalm' : 'All the windows of my heart I open to the dayl' Isn't thnt even If Indirectly expressed a fine spirit of thankfulness? And there are stanzas In 'My Triumph' the very essence of noble thanksgiving: Hull to the coming singers! Hall to the brave llght-brlngerst Forward I rjach, and share All that they sing and dare. I feel the Earth move sunward, I loin ths great march onward. And take, by faith, while living, My freehold of thanksgiving. "And Browning of course, he was represented In the Anthology. Everybody Every-body knows 'Rabbi Ben Ezra,' but I wos especially struck, this time, by a stanza I'd rather read past, before: Praise be Thine! I see the whole design; I, who saw power, see now Lots per. feet, too; Perfect I call Thy plan; Thanks that I was a man I Maker, remake, complete I trust what Thou Shalt dot "Then there Is Tennyson. Listen to this: Glory of warrior, glory of orator, flory of sons, Paid with a volee flying by to be lost on an endless sea-Glory sea-Glory of Virtue, to fight, to struggle to right the wronfr Nay, but she aimed not at glory, no lover of glory she; Give her the glory of going on, tnt still to be. "Well, I'm talking too much!" We demurred, vigorously. But he shook his head. "Anyway, I know Mrs. Bagster thinks it's time for us to be going. Thank Heaven Instead that Freedom's arm Can change a rocky soil to gold That brave and generous lives can warm A clime with northern Ices cold! "Twas the last part I mean 'brave and generous lives'! Whnt don't we owe to them! Those of the past those of the present. Those of our friends those that we know only by report. And how many of them hnve given the glow of their warmth to this land since the colonists south and north held their first Thanksgiving! Thanksgiv-ing! And they've not been lived In vain! Longfellow was right: Whene'er a noble ded I" wrought. Whene'er Is spoken a nnble thought, Our henrts In glad surprise To higher levels rise. The U!r1 wave of deeper souls Into our Inmost belnir rolls, And lifts us. unawares. Out of all meaner cans. There were murmur of nssent. Then, from Mrs. I'ennlman: "Why should It be with glad 'surprl-e,' I wntHler? Why not Just simply with gl.i'llievs?" I '.a l t '-r studied the coals n while before he s'U; : "Well, I .h.n't know! It is a I'.'.v. Well, her. Mippose we f-ur pr:.e..v thinking of tl. m Her u--- ( !.u-tmm'ly. !.u-tmm'ly. And. linne, ( ;.ee: '. i; ; the best fr..:n J..-. ,U" lis ViU-i.J -r.e. ;h.w vc i-'l Hut another Rtnnzti of good old Wlilt-tier's Wlilt-tier's Iium hPi'ii sticking In my bend; ills' In spite of nil ttiesv think'3 we'd lilif to h.tve ollierw ise, these days, somehow I here N a "lK In my lici't, Meli iih be wlnys in 'The l'csed A nt j.'nii' : A f.t. of f.i:ti, (tint tnMs the en) T;l ir.n I' ll t' k-i.i t L. .; j . -1 ( the r,ov.ir of t.rv to bletir1 'i ).(i !; ;ifti "t utn us on! I ue re' , -.jnded. And tl.Z j g I..l..e ! ' ! tl'ii |
