A Thanksgiving Address, 1868 · Isaac Leeser Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

A Thanksgiving Address, 1868

Author

Sabato Morais

Date Created

5 February 1868

Location(s)

Philadelphia

Format

Letter. 6 page(s) on 11 sheet(s).

Type

Letter

Language(s)

English

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p30000m1j/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p30000m1j

Physical Characteristics

Lined Paper

Manuscript

Is Part Of

The Jesselson Family Collection of Isaac Leeser Material

content

A Thanksgiving Address

“Oh bless our judge people, & make the voice of his praise be heard” Beloved hearers! If under what circumstance soever it is a moving light to behold the creature in humble adoration worship his Creator, the impression upon the heart must be deeper still when millions of immortal beings, prompted by community of sentiments, shout a hallelujah to their Divine Benefactor; and although the manner in which their tokens of gratitude are exhibited, may differ externally, yet when the thought which pervades the mind is but one, it will harmonize every dissonance into a sweet accord. As at the touch of the skilful musician, all the keys of a stringed instrument, are attuned into a unity of sound, which delights the ear, & softens the soul, so does gratitude, striking the chords of human hearts, knit them together into a single chain of godly affections. And thus is why, after he had enumerated some of the merciful acts of the Deity, the Shepherd King called upon all mankind, to raise a hymn of thanks to the Lord God of Israel. “Bless our God, ye people” he exclaimed, for ye all are the children of his love & the recipients of his bounty. Because they first acknowledged his name, he chose the family of Israel as a kingdom of priests, but He delights in the praise of every creatures that has breath. It is remarkable, however, that the sentence which precedes this summons of the inspired writer, and which we have selected for our text, speaks of the watchfulness of Providence in the government of nations, & of his wisdom in thwarting the devices of the froward. I will read cite it that you may ponder thereon: It was thus. “He ruleth by his power for ever, his eyes behold the nations, let not the rebellious exalt themselves” My Friends! It is to proclaim that self-same truth, that the pre-beings who populate our Commonwealth, have solemnly assembled. Do acknowledge that their prosperity as Penn==sylvanians, and their greatness as an integral part of a glorious Confederacy, spring forth from the fountain of all good, they have readily acquiesced in the pious request of their Governor. They have not convened together, to triumph over the issue of sanguinary battles, they have not brought the trophies of recent conquests, nor do they exult at this hour because their sword has thinned the ranks of their adversaries; they come not to the dwelling of the Eternal, to rejoice over their accession of dominion: no, a nobler incentive actuates the children of the American Republic; they meet to thank the Rock of all ages, that He has vouchsafed to show unto them also the year his mercy & protection. And indeed, who can gainsay, when recalling to his mind the momentous events which have rapidly succeeded each other, who can gainsay, but that at the opening of this year, they foreb? disasters! The honor of the nation was in jeopardy, our heirloom so precious & so cherished, had been polluted & the swords of millions quenched in their scabbards who curbed those vehement spirits, that might have hastened to a fatal termination a transaction which demanded unparalleled discretion? God in his mercy. God “whose eyes behold the nations” stood at the right hand of the just & averted from them impending dangers. He dispelled the mist which was fast gathering around our horizon, & honor & peace continued to harbor wither our territories. Across the mighty ocean was the olive branch wafted & they with whose community of language & community of interests bound with us, disavowed their connivance at any act of advised contempt. But not alone from without were the arms of the Lord extended to uphold our national dignity & withhold our hand from being imbued in human blood, but written likewise, He proved our stanchion in the hour of trial. A deleterious seed had taken root amidst the salubrious plants with which this garden of the North is replete, it rapidly spread its venermous influence, & threatened to sap the tree of life, beneath whose foliage, wearied humanity finds a restoring shade. But the air of heaven blighted its growth, so that the stem it brought forth, must need wither & die. Ah no! God would not suffer this soil consumated to freedom, to become a land of Nod, where the exile would be denied a tranquil house.

for this also “is a land that the Eternal careth for, & which his eyes are even upon, from the beginning of the year, even unto the end of the year” He has cast a bulwark around it, He has girded its walls with strength, He has enriched it with the treasures hid in the earth. The sea offers tributes unto it, & the gold of Theba' is poured into its lap. Like ancient Tyre, “the merchants thereof are true princes, and the traffickers the honorable of the country” They bid them “surfit messengers” go, & they return fraught with choicest products of remote climes. With their enterprising genius they have cooled, as it were, their cities & towns & with the velocity of thoughts, from one ? to its opposite one, they interchange their wishes. But all this Providence has wrought. Providence, “whose eyes behold the nations” had blessed these regions with an ever growing prosperity, but solely because he had reserved them as a palladium of persecuted humanity, while the oppressed of the earth, shall reap unmolested the fruits of God's bounty, new viz our & new freshness, shall be added to this land of the free, but if theories subversive of the principles of justice, should ever be engrafted in their political core then......but no, it shall never occur. “God is in the midst thereof” God shall be her daily guardian, that “the rebellious may not exhalt themselves” O bless our God them ye people, & make the voice of his praise be heard “Already in the brief period, that elapsed since we last entered his courts with Thanksgiving the Almighty gave palpable evidence of his watchfulness vigilance over our nations preservation. He has proven to us, & to the world at large, that He will rescue that matchless constitution framed by the Sages of this Republic, both from foreign machinations & domestic fanaticism, & even letters, when we appeared to verge towards a catastrophe, his pervading spirit directed the mind of the American Constituents, that this beloved Union of ours, might not be scathed. But I am warned, that it is not not from the pulpit that the political events of the day ought to be descanted upon, & truly my brethren, such was not my design. I have cursorily adverted to them, solely to draw therefrom a tribute of thanksgiving to our Celestial Benefactor. May He grant that whenever they recur to our thoughts, the feelings they shall arouse may be, like at this hour, a noble pride & heartfelt gratitude, for, we cannot too highly value that inheritance which ensures to every one, the free exercise of his religious tenets, & the full possession of his inherent rights. Yet it may be, that these inestimable immunities, bequeathed to us by the venerated leaders of the revolution, have lost in the sight of their successors somewhat of their excellency, for what that which is daily attained without any effort, fails to impress the mind with its sterling worth. He has been ever wont to set at a luxurious table, cannot rightly imagine the pangs occasioned by hunger; and are neither can be who has ever basked in the sun of liberty, conceive the horrors concomitant with an existence drawn in the darkness of tyranny. But ask it, my friends, ask it of them who seek shelter beneath the extensive folds of the star spangled banner, & they will tell how invigorating to the mind, how vivifying to the soul is the shadow it overspreads. They who felt the iron arm of despotism, they who saw the noblest of God's creatures caged in dungeons, or scourged by the ?, because, like your immortal progenitors, they sought to tear their shackles asunder, they will say, how ineffably delight==ful it is to possess the consciousness of one's independence, to feel certain that no man, however great or powerful can, at his will, crush another man to the earth, and this consciousness, this assurance, every one of you carries within himself. It will beseem you therefore, to forego, one day in the year, your worldly vocations, & convey unto the altar of your heavenly Protector, sentiments of thankfulness, for “his eyes which behold the nations, have

Deigned to look down upon you with peculiar benignity. Through his vigilance was your national dignity upheld, your internal peace, maintained, and by his grace the stream of your prosperity continued to flow uninterruptedly. But despite the fruition of these blessing which God has supremely granted to us, we might, beloved hearers? be not happy. I do not mean, individually (for amid the struggles of life, nothing save an unwavering faith can render us thus) but nationally. If the Almighty “shut up the heaven that there be no rain” if the sun instead of ripening our products by a general heat, devoured the labor of the husbandman, we would lack the principal element of happiness. It was in view of this incontrovertible fact that the chief executive of our state, invited us to publicly avow the mercy of the omnipotent “who has crowned the past year with his goodness, & caused our paths to cross with fatings” The unusual severity of the winter did not cut off the staff of life. The vernal season was propitious, summer & autumn smiled upon our soil. Not alone we & our children, shall, God willing, rejoice at the teeming of our crops, but nations we know not, will eat of our plenteous harvest & be satisfied. Ought we not then to be thankful? Contrast your thriving condition with that of continental Europe. See, how a protracted war has drained the sources of wealth, see the lands which might have yielded treasures, lying fallow, because the stalworth arms of the ploughman?, were made the to weild the sword. Here, poverty thicken the operatives rise against their rulers, there, they are compelled to maintain by their industry, the pageants of an idle aristocracy. In one place the, so called, servitors of religion, fatten upon the hard-earned earned substance of the laymen, in another the riches of the country are sent afar off to replenish the coffers of foreign poten==tates. And ought we not to be thankful? Ought not the knowledge that our opulence is solely ours & our children's, is that handcraft obtains a commensurate re=muneration, that the ministers of religion have no ascendency, save in imparting the dogmas of these various creeds; that we recognize no master, but Almighty God, ought it not I repeat it, to swell our breasts with gratitude? But you will say, that these privileges which we enjoy, are the natural consequences of our pre-eminence in the scale of civilization. I shall not now compete your assertions, but I will merely inquire whether it is by adroitness alas that the clouds become pregnant with exhalations, & discharge upon our land ?ious rains, or whether we can by our ingenuity control light & heat that they may subserve our purposes. So be sure, our cooperation is needfull, nay, is indispen=sable to render the gifts of the heavens useful to men, but if the former refuses us these favors, all the combined efforts of the latter would prove futile & abortive. Let us then own our utter dependence upon the Creator of the universe, & as we have been recom==mended “bless the Lord our God with unison of thoughts, & make the voice of his praise be heard” for he alone is the author of our maternal & moral advancement. “He opens his hand widely, to satisfy every living being” Yes, by filling our granaries with his goodness, he benefits mankind at large, as well as ourselves, for, strangers flock to our shores, & are made participants of our affluence. By sustaining our liberal constitution, he confers a boon alike open & upon the human race, because from it, the aliens together with the denizens,derive security & peace. By yearly consolidating the bonds of our Union, despite the machinations of spurious children who see their dissolution—he significantly demonstrates, that he will be unto this land of freedom “a wall of fire round a bout” & he will be his glory in the midst thereof” Our strength then, my beloved brethren is enormable?, because it is founded upon the execution of what is just & true; the republics of antiquity, & throne of medial ages crumbled into dust, because egotism & self-aggrandizement were their props. They reputed themselves the source of light, & the rest of mankind their satellites. Greece & Rome deeming to have reached the climax of civilization, looked down with disdain upon millions

of Gods creatures. Whosoever was born beyond their domains was styled with the name of barbarian. Venue & Genon, struggling for supremacy, made the Adriatic stream with blood. Pisa & Horance jealous of each other, exhausted their vigor in fratricidal wars, and now of their military prowess, & of theses their vast conquests, the memory alone has been left. But our strength is invisible also, my friends, because it is not borrowed from foreign bayonets, but it rests upon the moral sentiment of every free citizen. Europe is disorganized & disrupted. Compacts formed but yesterday, are to-day barefacedly violated. Monarchs that seemed to have forgotten, in struggling in the same cause, their inveterate antipathies, have proven unfaithful to one another; and now the disgraceful sight of a constitutional government leagued with a grovelling despotism, is to be exhibited to the astounded world. Why is the history of that continent to be sullied by events so opprobrious? Because its political institutions are rotten to the core, & to prevent their downfall, every means, even the foulest, must unscrupulously be resorted to.
But our strength is invincible, mainly because it is built upon the Rock of all ages. That has ever been our impregnable fortress. You remember the motto upon the ensign of true patriots who fought under the immortal Warren. On one side the words “Appeal to heaven” were inscribed in blazing characters, whilst on the other, the later device “Zim branstaht sustinet” ? shone, as an evidence of their conviction that the Omnipotent would have wrought their salvation. And the same faith old prove, amidst all the perils of the revolutionary war, the sustaining power of our gallant leaders. They never despaired of success, but uplifted hands they invoked the blessing of the God of battles in their sacred cause, hence, when a victory had signalized their progress, or when their enemies war had been routed they summoned their brethren to a solemn convocation and together in the dwelling of the Eternal “they made the voice of his praise be heard” I know not, whether it is from this ancestral habitude, that our annual day of thanksgiving derives its origin, but spring whence it may, it argues well for the descendants of our magnanimous forefathers, it proves that although the pernicious connexion between religion & politics has been for ever dissolved, yet the former refulges? with undimmed brightness in the eyes of the sons of America. It proves, what the enemies of liberty, would fair disprove, that the true of religion, takes deeper root, thrives more quickly, & sends its ramifications far & wide, whenever the dew of heaven irrigates a soil consecrated to freedom. I call that a pure religion, which, like a spring which nature has fashioned, flows spontaneously, & such a religion can only be evinced, where the conscience is untramelled. Here therefore, tokens of piety, ought to be the exponent of one's inward sentiments, and when we meet, like upon this day, to raise a hallelujah to our Celestial Benefactor, we should lay upon his altar a sincere offering of thanksgiving. The recollection of past benefits, crowding our minds, ought to make our hearts overflow with gratitude & such was has been the purport of my address. I have striven to instill the belief that our prosperity, during the year was the immediate effect of the goodness of the Most High. But He upheld our dignity, when it was impugned, that by his unceasing watchfulness was the subtlety of miscreants, detected & frustrated; that through his benignity, was our Confederacy spared the calamaties which afflict foreign climes, & lastly that He has, not alone for our sake but for that of afflicted humanity—whom we call brethren, & whom we generously invite to partake of our happiness—powerfully cemented our glorious Union, that it may endure “as the days of heaven upon earth”. Now, my beloved hearers! if I have succeeded in bringing these solemn truths home to your hearts, I may hope to achieve a still greater success I may hope to rejoice at the supreme eminence which this city of love, will attain in the scale of religious influence. As in the days of her youth, she was the Areopagus where the wrongs against humanity were vindicated; as th at that primeval time of America

glory, she was the ark of the covenant, towards which the eyes of the faithful looked for their deliverance, so will she now, by exhibiting a pious demeanour, become a prototype, which millions will strive to copy. Clinging with unyielding tenacity to the charter of her noble Constitution, she will never ally herself with proscriptive castes; love is her name, & from love will she draw inspiration. The memory of her unparalleled achievements, during four scores of years, will convince her, that whilst she adheres to the doctrines of her sages, she shall grow in might & grandeur; but what will impel her with greater force to pursue the same course unswervingly is the desire of doing what is right in the signs of the Lord God. In the volumes which she reveres has been written “Love they neighbor as thy=self” & Philadelphia will ever act in pursuance to this hallowed commandment. She will not tear asunder the ties which bind her to the whole human race. She will not drown sink into egotism, & disown those who suffer, because the land of their nativity lies beyond her boundaries, but kindles with brotherly love, she will stand erect upon her / high-places, and “come,” will she exclaim “leave ye all, who eat the bread of anguish, & drain the cap of sorrow, come and call the choicest fruits planted in my garden, with them shall ye satisfy your hunger, & in my teats ye shall dwell in place, for Philadelphia is “the city of righteousness, the city of fidelity.”

are the laws of righteousness and whose sole defender is peace. Oh! let us pray for the dawning of that joyous day when thirty five reunited States shall offer a national thanksgiving, while the symbol of their greatness shall proudly wave over every ?ome and spire. Let us pray for peace.
Parent of good! we lay prostrate at the footstool of Thy mercy and crave for peace, grateful for Thy manifold favors at all times and this year especially, we yet cannot fully rejoice in its fruition. Thou hast verily filled to overflowing the cup of our prosperity, but that of bitter sorrow is also brought night to our lips. The aspect of the dead, the agony of the wounded, the moaning of the sufferers, tear our hearts. From the insanguined battle field, from the chilly and dreary camps, from the bereaved and lonely hearth, a voice rises unto Thee, O compassionate Lord! and “peace, peace” it cries. Oh I send a ray of Divine wisdom to illumme the mind of our Chief Magistrate, that he may discover the instrument of peace. Let the gentle spirit of forbearance hover around the Assembly of our Senators and ? Representatives and guide their deliberations. Repress the vehemence of zealots, and let the feelings of the obdurate be softened by tokens of brotherhood and love. May we speedily throng again. My holy courts, to thank and praise Thy name, oh most High God! for the longed-for peace of our beloved Union. and now I beseech Thee O Lord! to excite within us a sentiment of patriotism, that we may enlist our names among those of our beneficent men and women who labor for the sake of our defenders at sea and on land. May our hospitals, our sanitary commissions and our soldiers and societies obtain a ready and generous cooperation from those who have been taught to believe that “Charity deli? delivereth from death” May such be Thy gracious will, O Heavenly Creator. Amen.
a thanksgiving discourse for the year 1864

This is from another sermon by Morris NOTE the IDENTICAL writing of not only all the page but especially of the word “THANKSGIVING” with that on the cover sheet of this sermon

ORIGINAL size of letter by Sabato Morais (see attached for enlargement)
at a special meeting of the Faculty of Maimonides College held in consequence of the sad? bereavement lately recently sustained by the house of Israel, the following preamble and resolution were unanimously adopted
Whereas the demise of the Revd Isaac Leeser is deemed by each of us a national loss, and whereas it is our conviction that the establishing of this institution was principally due to the unremitting exertions of our late colaborer, and to his constant advocacy of religious education, therefore
Resolved that we express our feelings of deep sorrow at the loss of a man so zealous for the moral welfare of his people, so energetic in promoting the culture of human knowledge, so efficient as a professor, so exemplary assiduous in the discharge of all his duties.
Resolved that we gladly descry bearing our testimony to the uniform kindness and courtesy that marked his official relations with us, and to his timely and useful suggestions as the Provost of this college
Resolved that we will ever cherish his memory as that of a friend, and teach our the students of this Institution to revere his memory name
Resolved that these resolutions be published one of our dailies & in all Jewish periodicals; and
S. Morais
sect Pt.
February 5th 1868

Identifier

LSTCAT_item210

Date

1868-02-05