Show ria tia sermon semon the following humorous production will be I 1 found peculiarly appropriate on the present occasion it appeared in the boston courier a number of thanksgivings ago but is still as good as new GA A merry heart boeth good like medicine but a broken spirit drieth the bones I 1 proverbs 22 2 0 the ne words of the wise man deserve especial re regard ard for this i is an occasion when it is good toc tol tobe to be d merry and wise there are three hundred and odd days in the year besides this I 1 when a man may be melancholy without setting at naught the governors proclamation but once in the vear year there is reason in feeling comfortable the wise man is assuredly right in prescribing w his medicine for unhappy mortals sick of sin and sea coal the pinch in in the money market and the palpitation in the price of bread breadstuff stuffs s ho every one that thir for relief from the cares that cash is heir to come ye to doctor Sol soi solomon lonion and take a littie little of his balm of gilead in the shape of a merry heart it is not to be b taken fasting 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 a broad grin A merry heart doth good like a medicine and who does not wish vish to do good to himself with such pleasant kind of doctors stuff verily the faculty in old times were wiser in their generation than many of the modern M Ds V there are three things under th the e sun yea four which on a 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 cryb dry bones ones of cold there is none of oil the right medicine in these drugs which deserve to be all pounded in the same mortar and worked up into a blue pill of more littleness than any quantity yet described prescribed in a homoeopathic formula but to day y we are bid bidden dento to be thankful and whether we think of the bidding or not it is to be lipped we can all find cause to offer thanks to be thankful this day is a duty both enjoined upon us by the executive authority and urged by our own feelings of what is fit and becoming thankfulness implies contenta content content indicates good humor good humor is is cheerfulness and shoso whoso has haa a cheerful heart has perforce a merry one it is therefore as clear as preaching that kin rin king solomon and the governor are both of one mind ind as to the pro proper er way of keeping thanksgiving and wh where isa fla is the son of man in this commonwealth who will seek to controvert their joint authority it there be an any y such dry bone of a doubter among us let him suck the tse wooden spoon of perversity gnaw the dry drumstick of his own dogmatism and sit down in skepticism sackcloth and ashes till his more sensible and rebellious stomach barks for dinner let him dine upon a dish of doubts and go to bed in the gruel of grumbling and groaning but we hope there is none such so let us be reasonably thankful and n not ot unreasonably may we also be of a in merry e rr heart let those who are in health be thank 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 thankful for their wealth arid those who are poor find cause for thankfulness iness in having so little to do with the root of all evil let oid old folks be thankful for their wisdom in knowing that young folks are fools and let the young ones be even with them in thankful thankfulness ness nesi and good opinion by thinking the compliment back again awain let ile ive the lean folks be thankful thant thankful ful fui for their a spare are ri ribs a an and let fat at fol foi folks a be e th thankful n ful fui that they t ey 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 limbo 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 ail 11 the thanks they can imagine that merit is at last rewarded and let those who are out of office utter thanks also that the country does not insist u upon on their batin eating sour grapes let married folks iks be thankful ul for blessings both little and great let bachelors and old maids be thankful for the privilege of kissin kissing 0 other folks babies bables and much good may max it do them mae may the I 1 h e words of a wise man are aa as plums in a pudding i they are to be swallowed with the gravity of discernment and laid to the heart in the sweet sauce of quiet reflection let no man look upon a turkey today to day and say this also is vani van ityl tyll ahat is the life of man without creature comforts and the stomach of the son of man with no aid from the tin kitchen despise not the day of small things while there are pullets on the spit and let every fowl have fair play b between the jaws of thi thy philosophy are not puddings made to be a spiced iced a and pie crust to be broken go thy ways then according to good sense good cheer good appetite the governors Gever nors proclamation and every other good thing under the sun render thanks for all the good things of this thi s ilfe life and good cooking among the rest eat drink and be merr merry g make not a lean lauda laudat i tion of the bounties of providence but let a lively gusto follow a long grace feast thankfully and feast feast in good will to all mankind Gra included feast in the full and joyous persuasion that while valle the earth rem aineth seed time and harvest dinner time pudding time and supper time are not like ilke likely 11 to go out of fashion feast with exults exulting confidence dence in the continuance of cooks kitchens latchens and orthodox ex of scripture and the constitution in our ancient blessed and wid fat sided commonwealth feast in short like a good christian proving all things relishing all things expecting indall all ali things and enjoying all things let et a good stomach for dinner go hand in hand with with a good mind for sound doctrine this day must thou be thankful let thy thanks be accompanied by steadfast re reliance flance fiance upon the cure of providence and let not thy wits run away upon shee cheeps Is trotters of doubt and mistrust never nevertheless t he e ess be not stuffed up with conceit but let the dressing of thy discourses be sage and thy tongue be titillated with the sweet marjoram of true wisdom all flesh is grass whatsoever is sold in the shambles that eat but far be it from us to be so green as to judge any man in meat ineat or drink we leave such matter to ones own bowels bearing in mind that every vegetable and animal creature in the market is good and fit for the dish if it be received with thanksgiving once more therefore we say let the smoke of the right sacrifice everywhere ascend from every pewter platter let every slice be favored with the salt of sincere faith the pepper of piety and a liberal outpouring from the mustard pot of mercy and almsgiving let every morsel be chewed with the tooth of charity swallowed in the goodly savor of a clear conscience and wasted washed down with the sweet cider of single hearted satisfaction let both dinner and doctrine go straight to the heart edifying both the inward and outward man and may we conclude the feast by picking up the crumbs of calm content |