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t he Henry County Weekly
A Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of McDonough and Henry County.
VOL. XLIU.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving day means much
in the larger sense, and it were
well for the country if we added
to our present happy domestic,
and churchly custom of observing
it by some distinctly public cere
monial that would associate more
directly our well being with the
thought of the nation’s work and
mission.
This is the harvest time for
thanks. True, there have been
trials, calamities in some places,
homes destroyed, losses and sor
rows, but taking the country over
our blessings have been very
many and far outnumbered the
dark, appalling things of life. In
spite of meny evils there has been
as much of true sympathy, of gen
uine benevolence, of a cordial
spirit, of brotherly love-and good
fellowship, we can keep our
thanksgiving in the spirit of the
scriptural admonition, “Be ye also
thankful.”
“It cannot be that earth is man’s
only abiding place. It cannot be
that our life is a bubble cast up by
the ocean of eternity to float a
moment upon its waves and sink
into nothingness Else, why is it
the high and glorious aspirations
* which leap like angels from the
temple of our hearts are forever
wandering unsatisfied ? Why is
it the rainbow and cloud come
over us with a beauty that pas*-
off and leave us to muse of their
loveliness? Why is it that the
stars which hold their festival
around the midnight throne are
set above the grasp of our limited
faculties, forever mocking us with
their unapproachable glory? And
finally, why is it that the bright
forms of human beauty are pre
sented to our view and taken from
us, leaving the thousand streams
of our affections to flow back in
an Alpine torrent upon our hearts?
We are born for higher destiny
than that of -earth. Inhere is a
realm, where the rainbow never
fades, where the stars will be
spread out before us like the is
lands that slumber on the ocean
and where the beautiful beings
which pass before us like shadows
will stay forever in our presence.”
In these beautiful thoughts we can
all find much to be thankful for,
even if a vacant chair is in our
home and the dark side of life
seems turned toward us. Th°y
will place a silver lining back of
any cloud. As a matter of fact,
we all have much to be thankful
for.
The pious, hard-driven, w’orn
out, but thankful Puritans who
sat down at their tables one No
vember, a few centuries ago and
made the first Thanksgiving Day,
never knew to what length they
were to drive the ingenuity of
their poor descendants. But it
wasn’t tneir fault after all, that
the preparer of the Thanksgiving
feast today has to attend just as
much to the turkey surroundings
as to the turkey itself. It was
good enough for them to have a
well stocked larder from which
could come the turkey, the celery,
the pumpkin pie, the cranberries
and all the other goodies which
history puts down to their credit.
Even the comparatively recent
New Englanders were content
COTTON OVERTHE TOP!
The Staple Reached 30 CENTS This Week, and
is Now Selling for about the Half in McDonough.
with all these as long as they
looked tempting and tasted good.
But today, even the more impor
tant fowl itself is hardly more im
portant than the ribbons, the can
dies, the flavors, the adornments
of all kinds, which must appear
on the Thanksgiving table. '
The first recorded instance of
anything in the nature of thanks
giving in the history of our coun
try is the following entry in an
old bible belonging to one of the
first Pilgrims: “Sonne born to
Susanna White, December 19,
1620, at six o’clock, morning.
Next day we meet for prayer and
thanksgiving.” This, however, is
not generally accepted as the first
observer of that nature, since it
hardly partook of the character of
a general thanksgiving. But fif
teen months after the Pilgrims
sailed from Holland they held a
harvest festival which lasted a
week. This is generally spoken
of as the first Thanksgiving in
New England, but it was not a day
set apart by the governor, nor
was it attended by any religious
observance.
The First Thanksgiving.
The first fixed and official day
of Thanksgiving was held in the
year 1665. In the old public
records of the court of Connect)
cut w r e find the following order
which the court issued on October
12, 1665, appointing a day of gen
eral thanksgiving.
“This court doth appoint a
solemn day of Thanksgiving to be
kept thruout this colony on the
last Wednesday of November, to
return praise to God for His great
mercy to us in the continuation o'
our liberties and privileges both
civil and ecclesiatic, and for our
peace and preventing those trou
bles that we feared by foreign
enemies and for the blessings in
the fruits of the earth and tin
general health of the plantations.”
It will be noted that the ap
pointed day was Wednesday in
stead of Thursday, as we now
celebrate. The spelling is odd in
many cases.
Cotton Demand Enormous
Recent investigations in the use
of cotton in war show :
A 12-inch gun disposes of a half
bale oi cotton with every shot
fired; a machine gun in operation
w'ill use up a bale in three minutes;
in a naval battle like the one off
Jutland over 5,000 pounds a min
ute are consumed by each active
warship; more than 20,000 bales a
year are needed to provide ab
sorbant cotton for the wounds of
the injured; one change of apparel
for all the troops now engaged in
the war represents more than a
million bales.
Good two horse farm for rent
for 4 bales cotton, two miles from
McDonough. See Dr. Tye.
McDonough, georgsa. Friday. November 30, 1917
Announceme.it Delayed.
On account of difficult and te
dious checking, it has been impos
sible to announce the prize win
ners for the fair again this week.
Just as soon as the list can be
furnished The Weekly will gladly
publish it complete.
Red C ross.
On last Sund evening the
Presbyterian, Metaodist, and Bap
tist congregations held a joint ser
vice at the Baptist church in the
interest of Red Cross, and with a
view of getting more complete in
formation regarding the detailed
working of the organization.
Prof, and Mrs Merrill, of the
State Normal School at Athens,
were the speakers of th» evening,
and outlined very clearly the pur
poses, the necessity and the his
tory of the Red Cross. They also
set forth the duties of all off cers
and committees that there need
be no lapping of duties, and that
nothing be left undone because of
misunderstanding of prerogatives.
It was a matter of much gratifi
cation to the local organization to
know that the Henry County
Chapter accords thoroughly with
the national plan. This knowl
edge will necessarily expedite
matters in the future, and high
hopes are now entertained for
the accomplishment of great things
in war work.
A canvass for membership is
now on, and will continue until
the close of the third week in De
cember. During the last week a
concentrated drive will be made
all over the United States. The
Henry County Chapter tn-mber
ship committee hopes during this
period to visit every home in tin*
county not already allied with a
Red Cross Chapter. Every man,
woman and child will he invited
to become a member.
Where there are as many as a
lozen people in a community wili
ng to give some time to the rnak
ng of bandages, hospital gar
nents, or to knitting, auxiliaries
v'ill be formed by the Extension
.•ommittee. This committee begs
hat requests of such a desire be
sent to Prof. Marvin Smith, and
•ach case will then be properly
looked after.
From the work room a number
of Christmas packages have been
sent to France, and several dozen
garments are ready for shipment
All members are urged to give of
their time and skill to this all im
portant department of Red Cross
activity. Visitors to McDonough
are invited to come to the work
room every afternoon except Sat
urday, where one member of the
sewing committee will always be
found in charge.
Mrs. R. H. Hankinson,
Publicity Chairman.
Hole-Fix, the one best inner
tube repair—all Dealers carry it
[in stock. 75c per.
Henry County Farmer
Gets Big Prominence.
In the Philadelphia Ledger of
Thursday, November 15, appeared
the following:
“A Henry county, Georgia,
farmer bought a farm, of 173
acres nine months ago. He
borrowed $3,6(X)00 to make
p lyment on his $4,000 00 farm.
Up to date the entire loan has
been paid, plus 6% on the
whole amount, and the farm
now belongs to this farmer.
In other words, a $4,000.00
farm has paid for itself in one
season.”
Mr. C. C. Cash, who bought the
Bradberry place at pul lie sale last
spring, at S9O per acre, is the gen
tleman above referred to. He is
an intelligent, enterpising hustler,
who thus clearly wins the title of
being one of Henry county’s lead
ing and best farmers —post office,
Elienwood.
There are many other instances
of remarkable results of money
made in the county by farmers
this year, of which muen more
might be said. So good for high
priced cotton, good farms, good
farmers, and —
Hurrah for old Henry anyhow !
Army Y. M. C. A. Fund
Reaches Over $825 GO.
In the drive that has been on to
raise $35,000,000 *in the United
States for the Army Y. M. C. A.,
McDonough h is contributed her
share, raising something over
$825 00 during the past week.
The p ople, realizing the seri
ousness of this war and thv temp
lations that surround the boys in
training and on the battle fields,
and seeing the work that the Y.
M. C. A. is doing, contributed to
the worthy cause readily.
Rev. J. M. Gilmore acted as
Chairman in the drive, and was
ablv assisted by some of our best
business men, and also by a com
mittee of ladies —the ladies work
ing among the ladies and raising
over S2OO 00, a very creditable
showing.
This money will be used for
building and equiping halls and
furnishing amusements and recre
ation for men while off duty, be
sides being a moral uplift *for the
young men, and doubtless many
of our own boys will derive pleas
ure and help from the money con
tributed here.
Church Notic e.
The Methodist church was not
comfortable last Sunday on ac
count of a lack of coal. Some
coal has been obtained now, so
no one need hesitate about com
ing next Sunday. Subject for
Sunday morning, “The Superior
Demand.” Subject for Sunday
evening, “The Three Judges.”
Please pay your subscription.
< : OBSERVER ; >
We heard “Billy,” Sunday. We
saw about 600 “hit the trail” and
we had the strangest and most
wonderful and puzzling impres
sions made upon our mind we
ever had. We heard the great
choir sing, and we heard Homer
Rodeheaver blow his trombone
and saw him lead the singing, with
the largest choir ever assembled in
the South. We saw the taberna
cle that will seat between 10,000
and 15,0CX) piled to everflowing,
and saw the ushers close the doors
to the hundreds who were turned
away. It was last Sunday night
we heard “Billy” Sunday preach
from the subject, “What will the
ending be,” and he preached in
plain language of an eternal hell
and the awful place of hell fire,
and on the other hand of the joys
of heaven. A crowd of betweeu
12,000 and 15,000 listened to him,
and it was the most thrilling scene
we ever witnessed. The great
choir sang “Roll On,” at the sug
gestion of a soldier from Camp
from Camp Gordon, and then the
great throng sang “I have a dear
Savior who’s waiting in Glory,”
and folks, I was strangely impress
ed during the singing of that song
that the end of time is near at
hand. There is one thing remark
able about Billy Sunday coming to
Atlanta His great tabernacle is
built on the spot that has been used
for circus shows, etc., for a num
ber of years. Where thousands
formerly sat and watched worldly
ihings they now sit and listen at
Hie solemn things of almighty God.
The tabernacle is also built in the
edge of the burned section of the
greatest fire Atlanta has ever had,
and as you look northward from
the tabernacle, as far as you can
see is nothing but devastation
wrought by the great fire, and it’s
a thrilling scene. Whatever you
may think of Billy Sunday, either
for or against him, is a matter of
your own opinion; hut folks, you
can think as you please, but in
these present modern times it’s
money, money, money, and all the
nations of the world are using ev
ery means to raise more money.
Die religious world" is calling for
more money than ever before. Ev
ery organization of every name
and order is calling for money.
It’s a call for money on every
hand, and ids money, money, mon
ey, and we as a people are inclin
ed to want to oppose all these
things, bit Je-ms Christ told
the rich young i uler io go sell ail
he had, and it may be that God’s
hand is in this thing, and it may
be that He is going to take the
wealth of the world and bring all
the nations of the earth to repent
ance. Who knows? The Chris
tian world lias allowed so much
idolatry and formality to seizj
hold of them that it may be that
God is all .wing all of this war and
confusion to bring the world to
repentance. Who knows? A
coal famine seems to almost be
here, a sugar famine is in sight,
and there is a probability that
foodstuffs and the necessities of
high life is going to all get scarce
within the next few months. The
Y. M. C. A. work and the Red
Cross work and the Food Conser
vation movement may all be God's
plan, and we had better rally to it
and not oppose it, for it may be
that God is preparing for the aw
ful things that may be coming.
Who knows? We believe “Billy”
Sunday is one of the agencies God
is using to warn the people and
help to prepare them for the peril
ous times that seem to be near.
Agent Oglesby’s latest report
shows 16,502 bales of cotton
ginned in Henry county up to
Nov. 14, against 14,945 to same
date last year, a gain of 1.553.
bales.
$1.50 A YEAR