God's benefits forgot
Amid your mirth.

The God of harvest praise; 15
Hands, hearts, and voices raise,
With sweet accord.
From field to garner throng,
Bearing your sheaves along,
And in your harvest song 20
Bless ye the Lord.

1. Sing these three stanzas to the tune of
_America_.

2. Explain lines 11-14; 18.

3. Search for a Thanksgiving story in current
newspapers and magazines or in books. Read it and
report on your story in class.

THE CRATCHITS' CHRISTMAS

BY CHARLES DICKENS

Old Scrooge was a rich and grasping business man;
Bob Cratchit was his underpaid and overworked
clerk. On Christmas Eve three spirits in succession
appeared to Scrooge: Christmas Past, Christmas
Present, and Christmas Yet-to-Come. The second
showed him, with other visions, this Christmas
feast in Cratchit's home. The lessons the spirits
taught him so influenced Scrooge that he set out
early next morning to spend a real Christmas; and
he was a changed man ever after.

Then up rose Mrs. Cratchit, Cratchit's wife, dressed
out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave
in ribbons, which are cheap and make a goodly show for
sixpence; and she laid the cloth, assisted by Belinda
Cratchit, second of her daughters, also brave in ribbons; 5
while Master Peter Cratchit plunged a fork into the saucepan
of potatoes, and getting the corners of his monstrous
shirt collar (Bob's private property, conferred upon his
son and heir in honor of the day) into his mouth, rejoiced
to find himself so gallantly attired and yearned to show his 10
linen in the fashionable parks. And now two smaller
Cratchits, boy and girl, came tearing in, screaming that
outside the baker's they had smelt the goose and known it
for their own; and basking in luxurious thoughts of sage
and onion these young Cratchits danced about the table 15
and exalted Master Peter Cratchit to the skies, while he
(not proud, although his collars nearly choked him) blew
the fire until the slow potatoes, bubbling up, knocked loudly
at the saucepan lid to be let out and peeled.

"What has ever got your precious father, then?" said
Mrs.