"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." So sang the psalmist centuries ago, and so sings every grateful heart to-day. Indeed, hymns of thanksgiving are not only heard in all the churches, but there is no folk lore which has not its tone of gratitude,—thus emphasizing the fact that humanity always feels the need of expressing thankfulness.
"Thanksgiving" as a national holiday was first conceived and instituted in New England many long years ago. Ever since then, the custom of observing one day in each year as an especial time to return thanks to God for all His wonderful blessings has been accepted by the citizens of the United States with enthusiasm and satisfaction. Even though Christian Scientists endeavor to make their entire lives a pæan of thanksgiving, there are none who welcome the specific Thanksgiving season with greater appreciation or a higher regard. They perhaps recognize more fully the value of such a day than do the multitudes who have not yet learned to understand the power of collective as well as of individual right thinking.
Christian Scientists not only see in this widely observed Thanksgiving Day an opportunity to contemplate and express additional gratitude to our heavenly Father, omnipotent Mind, but they also recognize it as an added time when they may come into a closer fellowship with all mankind, when they may all approach a little more nearly to being "with one accord in one place." There is something which awakens one immediately to a larger sense of loving brotherhood in the mere thought of an entire nation uniting on the same day in thanksgiving to the one only God.—"our Father." To be sure, each individual may approach thanksgiving from a different viewpoint than that of his neighbor; each may believe he has quite opposite reasons for gratitude; nevertheless, the fact remains that all are looking to and thanking the same God, by whatever name they may call Him. In this very act of accepting a national Thanksgiving Day men acknowledge the one God as the supreme power, the supreme Giver of all.
