Article November 24, 1906 Issue

THE BEAUTY AND POWER OF GRATITUDE

REV. JAMES J. ROME.

As the Thanksgiving season approaches it seems very proper that we direct our attention to the great question of gratitude. That it is a great question must be readily granted when we consider the important place it fills in our earthly existence. The smile, the nod, the glance of appreciation, the warm hand-clasp, and the hearty "I thank you so much" of our every-day experience,—what a blighting blast would that be which swept away such a benign and sacred influence. Furthermore, if gratitude between man and man yields such satisfaction, what shall we say of the sentiment which fills the heart to overflowing with thankfulness toward God? Can such an attitude of thought possibly exist without attending influences of the most pure and holy character? Nevertheless, precious though it be, do we have as much of this element in our temperament and experience as we might? Are we as ready to lift our thoughts Godward, in grateful acknowledgment of His goodness, as we should be?

Gratitude generally appeals to us as one of the beautiful traits of human thought. So gracious is its presence, indeed, that we feel compelled to regard it as the product of a higher or spiritual consciousness, expressed through the finer qualities of the human mind. Like the sunshine, it is both beautiful and beautifying. It sheds a glow of gladness and content on all who are touched by its hallowed influence. As has been so beautifully expressed in the poetic lines of Gray,—

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THANKSGIVING
November 24, 1906
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