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Show r - ! Thanksgiving Day, 1918; Why It Takes on Added Meaning in a World Torn by Warfare By J. SHERMAN WALLACE, Pastor Immanuel Baptist Church. THIS is the gladdest day of all human hu-man history. Let God be praised. "Let us come before His presence pres-ence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noife unto him with psalms." A national thanksgiving day is peculiar to tho American people. It has always been a day of prayer and praise and jov-ful jov-ful feasting. After tho ingathering of f' " rJ 1 "tv-.- tho first harvest h J 1620, Governor Br? J f- ford sent four men ? " out to shoot w J ' S j fowl In orcW th t i the infant colony, as ' V t j, he said, "might aft r ' a more special ran X , -t nor rejoice together f 4 a The hunters were s , f I markab'y suecessf I f 3 The Indiana . und ; ! ; a- a Klr.ir Massasoit yt t fr f I unteered to go o t f and bring in the ven- tksatf&di -ms&Stssi&& I.son. Fish we ro browned and clams were ronsU.d and the Indians brought the first oysters the Pilgrims Pil-grims had eaten. From the wild fruits the women made pies and puddings, and Priscilla herself was one of the cooks of this wonderful woodland banquet. But the eating of the feast came only j after a special service of song and praise ! and thanksgiving to God, who had pre-, 'served the Mayflower from the perils of; : the deep and its precious cargo of free men and women from the perils of a new and strange land. Spirit of Holiday Continues to Grow. From that day to this God's presence in our nation's history has become more and more apparent and the spirit and significance signifi-cance of Thanksgiving day have contin-' ued to grow. From that day to this God j has never failed our nation and our peo-plo peo-plo have cherished the hope that they should neVer fail God. During the past vear our na tlon has tried as never before be-fore to do the will of God. and as never before God has revealed His presence and His power. Today in every city and town and village our people, with hearts overflowing over-flowing with gratitude, have gathered to lift up their voices together in songs of praise, to unite their hearts in prayer and to pour out their souls in thanksgiving to God for his matchless blessings. Today we are thankful: humbly, truly thankful; thank-ful; almost too thankful for words. We hesitate to speak lest in some way we roar the happy, solemn thankfulness that we feel. Today we are thankful for peace. The hand of war has been laid upon us and we have suffered. Not much, however, in comparison with other nations and peoples, and for this we are thankful. But now it is all past and we are glad. No longer are we saying good-by to those who are marching .away, perhaps never to return. No longer are our pilows wet with tears and our sleepless brows burning burn-ing hot through the night, wondering how the boys are in the trenches, wondering whether they live or die. Thunder of Guns Stilled by Peace. No longer do we wake irom troubled sleep, startled and anxious, thinking we hear them call. No longer do we live in ceaseless dread of the destruction and death which they must carry to others. Today on all the battlefields the voice of war is hushed. The thunder of guns and the crash of steel are heard no more. The boys are out cl' the trenches forever, and, as they listen and dream of home, they hear only the rustling wings of the angels an-gels of peace. Thtlr songs are the songs of victory and they wake and sleep and are not afraid. Soon they will be coming home with the laurel wreaths upon their brows and the lonelv firesides will be glad i.-irli luiio-titap on1 thi. tmntu nl-jfloi i r tV.n tables will be filled. But there are some, who will not come: They lie in the fields of France beneath soil made sacred by the blood of heroes who feared not to die that truth and right might live. Their souls march on, for they who pour out their lives in a righteous -oaune can never die. Even for these we are grateful: grateful that we have been permitted to, give eo much, grateful that they were permitted to give their lives in the time and place and way that meant so much, pratetul for the strengthening assurance , that, while their tired bodies sleep, their souls are conscious of tho gratitude of a world redeemed from war. F.ven In those homes where the star in the window is blue no more there is thanksgiving for peace. For in those homes they can say: Tli ore's e star of pnlrt in the service flafT, tUenr Ooii, Jie was juuntf to die!) But his foul was nvor tlie soul to tag Willi tlie colory pushing b.y. I enn Bee Jiitn low in Ills utron? Blim youth; I ciin feel liie lmnd's finn cUsy; I ran Kee Ids clear eyees. calm as truth, 'Nentb the banner in his grusp. My head was high an he marched away, njt-iir (JrNj, but I rnifn liim bo!) I vnn proud of my soldier hoy that day And I wanted the w.irld to kno". I am prouder now of my uoldler dead, Willi lliut hero band enrolled On tin? service f!,igs ot white and red. With tlitir gleaming stars of gold. Today we are thankful that w- have had a part in bringing peace to the whole world. No longer are the mothers of Belgium a nd France weeping for their stolen daughters. No longer are the hearts of helpless men broken by the cries of outraged out-raged wives. No longer are the hands of little starving children being cut from their bodies Jest they grow up to light for righteousness. No longer do helpless help-less women with little babes in their arms crouch and tremble in cellars at midnight while the skies rain fire and steel. No longer do the ships go zigzagging zig-zagging through the waves in the darkness dark-ness of night, with all lights extinguished, extin-guished, momentarily expecting the deadly strike of the hidden, cowardly serpents of the sea. No longer are the millions starving to feed the insatiable maw of the god of war. America Aids in Restoring Peace, All over the world today there is peace and our nation helped to bring it there. Once more men look one another In the face without hatred and without fear. In every city and country place in Bel-glum Bel-glum and France and England and Italy and Serbia and Rumania and all the rest there is peace. Even among the German people today, poor, misguided, hell-in-ypired German people, there is peace and gladness because the war is done. We are thankful that our nation heard the cry of the oppressed, that we went before be-fore it was too late, that the people of Kurope have been delivered from beneath the juggernaut wheels of the war machine, ma-chine, that the millions who died died not in vain. Across tlie ocean, on winds made Hot with the flames of war, came the appeal. Pi FlanderH fields the poppies blow Between th crosses, row on row, That mark our place ; and in the Rjiv The larks. Btlll bravely singing, fly," Scarce heard among the guns below. We are the dead. Short days Hgo Wf Jived, felt dawn. Raw sunset glow. Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. TnW'e up otir nuarrel with the foe! To you from falling hands we throw The torch. Be yours to hold it high! If ye break faith with us who die We shhll not Bleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. He who wrote these words was soon sleeping beneath the poppies in Flanders fields. But America hoarrd the call and sent back the answer: Rest ye in peace, ye Flanders dead. The f Irht that ye go bravely led We've taken up. And we will keep True faith with you who lie asleep With enrh a cross to mark his bed And poppies blowing overhead. Where, once his own life blood ran red. So let your rest be sweet and deep In Flanders fields. Fear not that ye have died for naught. The torch ye threw to tis we caught. Ten million hands will hold it high. And Freedom's light shall never die! We've leu rued the lesBon that you taught In Flundera fields. Thankful for Fulfilled Pledge. Because we have fulfilled that pledge we are thankful. Today we are thankful because the liberty and the spirit of democracy which we have enjoyed will now be known by other peoples. The purpose of the war lords of Germany was that liberty should perish from the earth. Wherever their armies triumphed whole population.1? were made slaves. Belgium, northern France, .Serbia. Rumania and Russia tell us the fate that awaited all others if German might had triumphed. France and Italy and England and the world would have in turn come beneath the yoke of German Ger-man autocracy. But now the dark clouds of doubt and fear are lifted and the sunshine of hope and the pure air of freedom fills the world. Even in Austria and Germany the people who have never, before thought for themselves are coming into their own. It has been America's part under divine guidance to share her liberty and to instil in-stil the -spirit of freedom "into all the world. The spirit that gave our nation birth and the principles that have made its history glorious have now been planted in the soil that hitherto has grown only sceptres and Crowns. The thanksgiving that goes up from our hearts today goes up from all the people whom we have helped to make free. "Let the peoples praise thee, O God. Let all the people praise thee. Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for thou wilt judge the peoples with equity, and govern the na- tions upon earth." Principle of Right Has Been Vindicated. Today we are thankfuf because the principle of right has been vindicated. We are a Christian nation and a Christian Chris-tian people. We have not forfeited our claim to this. Rather, we have established estab-lished it. We have taken in our hand the scourge of battle, and with it we have driven out of God's temple of righteousness and justice tho irreverent hordes who were polluting it. Once more the world has learned that they who fight against God must lose. Thev who consecrate themselves to the eternal principles of God must win. Lust for power and unbridled greed have been conquered. Justice and sympathy and the spirit of human brotherhood have i triumphed. Leaders of German thought have glorified "the right of might" and have declared that "the greatest sin is sympathy." To the sneering question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" we have answered "Yes," and have poured out our treasures and the lives of our sons In sacrificial service to redeem the world. The mailed fist of the kaiser, who boasted that he would strike fear Into the heart of the world, has failed, and the nailed hand of the Christ, lifted up, lian imbued the world with the spirit of love and service that makes a man lay down his life for his friends. It was a war between Ideais rather than between nations. The issues were moral rather than political. We fought for no material mate-rial gain. We fought with no lust for conquest or revenge We fought to maintain the principles upon which our nation was founded, the principles we have taught and preached and cherished, and God has vindicated those principles. We went forth as crusaders cru-saders in a holy cause to rescue tho sepulchre in which lay buried the hopes of the world. Our boys marched through our streets singing "Onward, Christian Soldiers," and we prayed: Speed Old Glory on Road to France. T.o1 tipped Old Glory when she tnkes tlie rontl to France! Throtijrli the tlnmilerinjr of the legions whurc the bugles plity ndvnnce. God ppenk: 'Tin fight 1 mine. Carry you toy conqupriDjE lunce." God speed Old (Jlory on! (Jod end Old Glory first and foremout in the fight! Flintr Her far. O God of battles, in the tu for tho right. Lift our hearts up to our freedom's flag of red und blue nnrt whit", 1 God fling Old Glory fur! j GrMl t-nnrd Old Glory clean through battle 1 (Trime nnd KM-pat! ' Consecrate the men who Herve her so that none ( mtfy ee'r Torpet I How the honor of the colore lies within hit keeping ret. ; God fuard Old Glory clean! Hod bring Old Glory homo in honir. might and pride! Bnttle-Mnrk and btlllet-shiBhed and strip? streaming wide: C-orgeoiiH with tho memories of men who rreallr died God bring Old Glory home!" Because God has answered that prayer wo are thankful. The kingdom of heaven is nearer today because God ban triumphed. tri-umphed. Though the Germans said "We must get rid of Christianity. Christianity Christiani-ty has again been vindicated. Rf-llgion has btien provcm the grentest force in the world. It has inspired our armies Our churches heve ministered to the nvi- terial and social and spiritual nfwls of our soldiers. And now we are at peart-nnd peart-nnd the blessing ot Gnd is upon the I world. "This is tlie day that the Lord hath niade. We will rejoice and be glad in it." |