Thanksgiving Day

Challes Lamb, in one of his breezies moments, dashed off a quaint conceit in which he had a banquet attended by al the Days in the year in honor of the New Year coming of age. There were covers for 365 guests, with a place at the sideboard for the TVenty-ninth oi February. "Rainy Days carne in, dripping; and sunshiny Days helped them to change their storkings. Wedding Day was there in his marriage finery, a little the worse for wear. Pay Day carne late, as he always does ; and Doomsday sent word - he mighl be expected." April Fool's Day, May Day, Yalentine's Day, Good Friday, Sunday, Quarter Days, Dog Days, Christmas, Birthday, Shortest Day, Longest Day, Days before the Flood, Days that were gone, the good oíd Days, and all, were there- except Thanksgiving Day. Charlee Lamb was an Englishman, and he lived to early too know of our great American holiday ; bnt he was very ceptible to the good cheer andjollity wbicb prevails wherever it is observed, and undoubtedly had his genial nature ever been touched by its delighte, in one of our American homes, he wonld have given it the place of honor in bis banqnet of the Days. Our Tbanksgiving Day really came from the hardest struggles and trials our ancestors had, and some which we of this generation have feit. Of distinctive New England origin, it was the expressíod by the deeply religious Puritians of their thankfu'ness or deliverance from the dangers of their position, and for a. long time only New England governors called their people to its observance. Abraham Lincoln, with a genius for leadership, took it up and made of it a national day. Originally intended for a day of prayer and praise, it has almost universally become one of feasting, of reunions, of that good fellowship which certainly ought to be cultivated one day in the year at least. It is associated with pumpkin pie, turkey, nd cranberry eauce. Many who never think of going to church on that day, or of spending it in thoughtfulnees, do give it up to jollity, innocent and refreshing, among their friende. Nothing can be said against the day m lts promotion of good fellowship, in it8 ezpanding the hearts of the people m no otlier occasian can. In this respect, it has played a great and useful part in our national history. But it can not but be wished that it would serve a higher religious purpose as well. If, while going to the church to give thanks, or while joining in the fun and pleasure around the board at home, we would only let the day expand our hearts so as to take in all the suffering and destitule of the world, what a Tronderful force the day would be in this world of affairs ! We do not mean the same thing as Governor Luce, who, in bis Thanksgiving proclamation, adznonishes the prosperous "to be mindful of the poor in charity." Charity is necesBary ; but we are looking beyond that. We would have the day, if possible, bring all into sympathy, the right sympathy, with the poor. If that were done, what a corrector of false political economy the day woald become ! how mach nearer a solution of the difficult question of poverty we woald be ! The msjority of busy, kind hearted, proeperous people are hareh in their judgment of the poor of the cities who are causing disturbances, and of the artisans who are struggling blindly to keep wages up. Just think of it today a little: a million people in London are in distress, more or less sharp, for lack of the necessaries of life ; and thousands are like the Savior in that they have no place to lay their heads. Charitable efiorts cannot reach that entirely. Our easy explanations of the cause of such a state of affairs, by which we try to soothe our troubled feelings, will not answer and are unjust. Those people, or a majority of them, are not to blame for their condition ; they are simply the product of social forces and conditions which are too strong for them. As soon as our hearts are so touched os to enable us to eee the truth of this, what a flood of light it pours upon the "labor question" ! We can, if we will only take time to study the facts, see the same thing clearly enough, but the majority will not take the time. The heart, then, should prompt them to that sympathy which is indispensable to progress in solving the most difficult question of the times. We have the same condition of affairs in this country as are found in London, except in degree, and the trouble is deepening. It will take all the brain and heart of the people to stem the tide. Some of the prohibitionist speakers .ast Wednesday in Ann Arbor were ilightly inconsistent. At least one of them declared that a prohibitory law could not be enforced unless we had the Prohibition party in power, not believersin the idea of prohibition merely, but the political organization. And yet durirjg the amendment campaign they iterated and reiterated what was true that the prohibitory laws in Maine and Kansas and Iowa were reasonably well enforced,- as well as anyone could expect. It is futile for them to attempt to build up a political party on their one idea alone : the saloon is not the greatest and all-absorbing question. The amendment campaign demonstrated that a majority of the voters of Michigan do not want prohibition : that points out clearly the work for those who do want prohibition, which is, to win over enough to their side to give the amendment a majority the next time it is voted upon. Thus the prohibitionists are postponing the day of triumph for their idea by attempting to build up a party, and by affronting a large (emperance element as was done in Ann Arborlast week.