catches glimpses of the unattainable. Genius occupies the mountain-top; talent the broad table-land above the valley of mediocrity. Goethe says: "On every height there lies repose. Talent is sufficiently high to be above the turmoil and strife of the valley to find repose, and to be calmly satisfied with its successes, and not sufficiently high to catch bewildering and dis"Delectable turbing views of the Mountains "—the unattainable. So talent generally rests calmly content with its attainments, enjoying the good things of this world, with little or no yearning after a different or better lot. for The man of ten talents is happier than the man of one. I have always sympathized with the man who was reproved for hiding his one poor little talent in a napkin. It was so little he hardly knew what to do with it, and yet it was so precious he did not wish to lose it; but it was easy the man of ten talents to put them out at usury, and gain other ten. In intellectual as in financial and worldly matters, the old Bible rule holds true "To him that hath shall be given, but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath.” Strangely enough, many persons of only mediocre gifts, possess the unrest and yearnings of genius; and this longing and groping after the unattainable often produces genius in the next generation-oftener than talent produces it. Genius seldom, if ever, reproduces itself. It either produces talent or mediocrity. Among the toiling millions, many a "mute, inglorious Milton," goes to his grave "unwept, unhonored and unsung." As a poet has said: "We count the broken lyres that rest Where the sweet wailing singers slumber, But o'er their silent sister's breast, The wild flowers who can number? A few may strike the magic string, But die with all their music in them." If they leave children behind them, they, or some one of them, may be able to give voice to or carry out, the parents' dumb or futile yearnings or aspirations. If not, perhaps when the spirit is freed from the trammels of the flesh and other earthly hindrances, this voiceless, hoarded up music, may serve to make some of the sweetest melodies of Heaven. Let us hope so at least, and that in the Better Land, we shall no longer be tantalized by that mirage of this desert world, that will-o-the-wisp -the unattainable. Prairie du Chien, Wis. adopted for each man to plant and cultivate his own corn. The people had previously, but with some dissatisfaction, worked in common and shared all things. But now, in this spring of 1623, in the midst of great discouragements, "for all their victuals were spent, and they were only to rest on God's providence, at night not many times knowing where to have a bit of anything the next day," they had planted twenty acres of corn and dressed it with fish; but the longcontinued drought threatened such great evil that in July Gov. Bradford appointed a day of fasting and prayer, that they might be blessed with rain. The rain came abundantly, the crops were blessed, and the harvest was very plentiful. This caused great rejoicings among the people, which so warmed the heart of the good governor that he determined to have a good time in honor of it. So, after the gathering of all of the harvest, he sent out a company in the woods to procure all the game possible. In the meantime he sent for Massasoit, the chief of the Pokauket tribe of Indians—which inhabited the territory from Cape Cod to Narragansett Bay-to come with as many of his followers as possible and join with him and his in a general feasting and thanksgiving. Massasoit accepted the invitation and came with ninety of his followers to the festal board, where was cooked and ready to be eaten the game which the party had been able to procure, as well as all the good things which the land could produce for them. It is pleasant to fancy the little company of men, women and children gathered together to entertain so hospitably this great sachem, that first Thanksgiving Day in New England, in 1623. Gov. Bradford, who had filled his present office for two years, was then only thirty-five years old. His wife had died soon after the arrival of the Pilgrims. He had, as yet, no council, for it was not till the following year that, at his request, a Council of Five was chosen, which was afterwards increased to seven. So the honor of founding our Thanksgiving Day rests solely upon his shoulders. There was no "with the consent of the council" which has become so familiar to our ears. The mantle of John Robinson--their former pastor in Leyden, who was still alive and doing good work there had fallen upon Elder Brews ter. Ever since their departure from the old land he had been the laypreacher to the little colony. As he had never been ordained, he had always declined to administer the sacraments, much to the sorrow of the people; but he always preached twice every Sabbath, persistently declining to take pay, but choosing to work for his bread with his own hands. He was, at this time, nearly sixty-three years old, and, doubtless, was present at these festivities, which he opened with prayer, thus leading their minds to the contemplation of higher things. As their music was limited to a few tunes and nearly all musical instruments were banished, their musical expression must have been peculiar to their own time and place. It is probable that the children of the good Elder, "Fear," "Love" and "Wrestling," were among the governor's guests that autumn day." It may be necessary to say, in passing, that the first two were of the feminine gender. History gives no mention that the last-named was a full and unique expression of the name with which he was afflicted. Possibly there was also present a little Joy or Mercy, a Hope or Charity, a Prudence or Thankful; for those names were then common. Miles Standish was, without doubt, one of the party. He was then thirty-nine years old. His wife had died during that first hard winter. He was the captain who fought their battles and wholly deserved the name then given to him of Stalwart Standish. Of course, John Alden was on hand; but he had not yet married Priscilla Mullins; for we read that it was in 1627, four years later, that he went for her; when, on account of the absence of horses, "he covered his bull with broadcloth and rode on his back; when he returned he placed his wife there and led the bull by the ring in his nose." A man capable of such a daring gallantry could certainly have added much to a Thanksgiving feast. Massasoit was then about forty years old. He was an able-bodied, tall man, "grave of countenance and spare of speech; his face was painted with a sad red and oiled, both head and face, so that he looked greasily." His followers were also painted red and black, yellow and white. They were mostly dressed in skins. Massasoit's dress differed somewhat from theirs, particularly in the addition of a great chain of white beads about his neck, on which, from behind, hung a little bag of tobacco, which he smoked and offered his friends to smoke. His tribe, a short time before the Pilgrims landed, was numbered by the thousands, but a direful disease had reduced it to such an extent that, at this time, it counted only about three hundred. As the chief sat, there, the guest of the colonists, he must have heard some little reminiscences given of their hardships endured, as well as of their joys and sorrows. Of course the mind of Miles Standish went back to the times of three years before, when he led a party of the newly-landed Pilgrims into the thick for ests in search of the needed food; he must have recalled how they found an Indian grave-mound, in which was a little old basket full of "faire Indian corne, and a large round basket, narrow at the top, with some thirtysix goodly eares of corne, which was a goodly sight," for it held about three or four bushels, which they shared in common, to be saved for seed, and how they had then proposed as soon as they should meet with any of the Indian inhabitants, "to make them large satisfaction," which proposal they had carried out some time afterwards on meeting Massasoit. Of course they talked over the hearty "welcome" which, two years before, they had received from Samoset, the first Indian whom they had personally known; for they remembered his tall, straight figure, nearly naked, his black hair, long behind and short in front, his beardless face and his bow of two arrows, "the one headed and the other unheaded." They remembered how he had brought Squanto to them as an interpreter since he had been a slave in England -who brought from Massasoit a message, desiring an interview with the Governor; how the Governor had sent Winslow back with him, with a present of "three knives, a copper chain with a jewel attached, an earring, a pot of strong water," and some biscuit, to the great Sachem, who had met them with sixty of his followers: how, after a brief parley, Winslow had been left behind as a hostage, while Massasoit and twenty unarmed followers had met Standish and others at the brook which divided the parties; how they had been conducted to an unfinished building where a rug and cushions had been spread for them; and had met the Governor and some few musketeers, with their "drums and trumpets;" and, as they referred to this, Massa soit must have remembered how a treaty had then been made that he and his people should offer no injury to the English, which treaty he was proud to feel he had thus far kept. Perhaps he remembered how afraid he was of the guns, so much so, that, trembling all over, he had motioned them away. He surely recalled how, after the interview, having left hostages behind, he was led back to the brook by the Governor himself to rejoin his party, where he found that, in the meanwhile, the Governor had sent for his kettle, and returned it "full of pease." As Governor Carver had died soon after this meeting with the great chief, he was not present at these festivities to add his memories of that pleasant occasion. Perhaps this little reminiscence reminded Massasoit of a little later time, when an embassy, with Squanto as interpreter, from the colonists came to his home in Naragansett Bay, and brought to him as a present a red cotton coat "laced with a slight lace," and to his chiefs some beads and jack-knives, how he received them gladly, adorned himself in the coat, "made a great speech," assuring them of his friendship, and cautioning them not to trust the rival tribe of the Narragansetts. At the mention of this tribe some of the colonists must have been reminded, even in the midst of their feasting, of the sad fate of poor Squanto, who was killed by one of its chiefs, but they were doubtless proud to relate how ten of their number, armed, surrounded the tribe numbering its several thousands, on its own dominions and conquered them. Squanto was dear to the Pilgrims, for it was he who had told them how to cultivate the corn and to manure it with fish; and how to raise and cook the squashes, pumpkins and beans which added so much to their feast. Massasoit must have missed, in these festivities, the bright young face of the gentleman-born Winslow. He was one of the youngest of the leaders being then only twenty-nine years old but his diplomatic power made him essential in all the negotiations of the colonists. He was off in England at this time on business for the colony, where he remained till the following spring, when he returned with three heifers and a bull, these being the first neat cattle that came into New England. Perhaps his friends thought that if he could not have the pleasure of partaking of the first Thanksgiving feast in New England, he could claim the honor of having been the first one who was married there; for, his wife having died soon after her arrival, he had married the mother of Peregrine White, who was the first Pilgrim child born there. Massasoit owed much to this generous hearted man, and his friendship for him never failed. As he missed him on this joyous occasion, his thoughts must have gone back to the year before when he fell very sick, so sick that in his failure to see Winslow, who had come to help him, he grasped his hand and cried out: "O, Wins:ow! Winsnow!" He must have remembered how Winslow washed out his mouth, gave him medicine, and finally cured him. If Winslow himself had been at the feast he could have told a pleasant reminiscence of this sickness; how, when he went to the house of Massasoit to help him, he found many of the Indians "in the midst of their charms for him, making such a hellish noise as it distempered us that were well, and therefore unlike to ease him that was sick." But all feasts come to an end and so did this. Thus they kept their first Thanksgiving, and Massasoit and his ninety followers returned to their own dominions. It is pleasant to know that this great sachem, in his long life of eighty years, never forgot his treaty with the Pilgrims, but was true and helpful to them in many ways. It is complimentary to the colonists, in their treatment of him, that after his death his two eldest sons went to Plymouth and asked them to give them English names, and the court named them Alexander and Philip.-Boston Courier. [For Manford's Magazine.] CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALISM. REV. WM. TUCKER, D. D. Christianity is the system of moral and religious truths and doctrines taught by Christ and his apostles. I hold that Christianity as presented in the teaching of Christ and the the apostles is a system of Universalism. There is no Unitarianism, partialism, uncertenarianism, or agnosticism about it. Its spirit is one of universal benevolence. It reveals a divine provision of universal salvation. It reveals God as the Father of all men. The relation between God and man is a universal relation. We are all his children. Created by him in his own moral and spiritual image. We were made in his likeness and as his children we possess his intellectual, moral and spiritual nature. We have not only material and animal, but spiritual, divine, and eternal life. Universalism naturally grows out of and results from the universal Fatherhood of God, and the universal brotherhood of men. That such is God's relation to us as our Father, and our relation to him as his children is clearly taught by Christ, and the inspired apostles. This universal relation of Fatherhood and sonship is the basis in the relations of men for universal salvation. gave God so loved the world that he his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him might not perish but have everlasting life. As the Father of all men he loves all men and sends his Son to save them. He will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. The living God is the savior of all men, and especially of them that believe. It is according to the revelations of Christianity, the will, purpose, and plan of God to save all men. To this he is prompted by his relation to all men as their Father, and his love for all men children. as his Christianity presents Christ as the universal savior, as the author of universal salvation. "He is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world." "He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." "He came not into the world to condemn it, but that the world through him might be saved." "He tasted death for every man." "He gave himself a ransom for all men." "If Christ died for all then were all dead." "As in Adam all died so in Christ shall all be made alive." "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." Wherefore as by the sins of one man judgment came upon all men unto condemnation, so by the righteousness of one the free gift hath come upon all men unto justification of life." "If I be lifted up says Christ I will draw all men unto me." "God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." Christ is the universal savior in Christian revelation. Universal salvation is a doctrine of the Christian religion. Christianity is a system of Universalism. It com mands universal love, promises universal salvation and restoration, and inspires universal hope. |