The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-11-26
Mheeliug igrgister,
Thanksgiving at the Churches.
Fourth street M. +. Church.

EOurtu Street N. u. CnurcN.
In this church a sermon was preached
to an excellent congregation by the pas
tor, the Rev. DR.. Westwood, from thu
xii chapter of Proverbs, Goth verse
THE righteous is more excellent thar
his neighbor," subject, 1.-THE Better
Citizen" After speaking Of Thanks
giving Day as an expression of the
theory that there is God, and that he
lie concerned in the affairs of men, he
alluded to the proclamations of Presi
dent Grant and Governor Stevenson as
having been addressed to all the PEG
pie. These people are composed Of
two classes-"the righteous" and "his
neighbor," The practice of the right.
eous is as his theory, and 30 he does his
part toward occasion for real thanks.
giving, the theory of the neighbor is
that God is the governor Of the world
but his practice is that national pros.
perity is due only to party, the conduct
ofthe latter is such as to rule God out
OF the affairs Of men, that of the former
is to put God into everything-jusi
where he belongs. Such a man as he
is the better citizen Because,
/. He recognizes the fact thdt national
government is but part Of God scheme
for the control Of the porM.
Therefore he understands the differ.
ence between the true statesman and
the mere politician, and the sense Of
right, rather than considerations oI
party triumph, is the sanction Of all
measures OF public policy. Illustrated
by incidents and facts gathered from
the history Of parties, this point was
discussed at length.
2. He is clear in his vieso oft neceS
sity Of private and public morals.
Here the DR.. showed that all reforms
work up from the man to the men. The
personal conscience must be right be
fore the public conscience can be true
Appeals to that conscience must come
first to the domestic life, then they reach
the social, then the political. We can
have no public morality before there be
private purity of thought and action.
The necessity Of public reformation
was argued from the declaration, by
authority, Of the Lords day, as
in Sunday mail, etc., from the
laws licensing the sale Of in,
toxicating liquors, merely for the
sake of revenue; from the countenance
and support given by public men to
professional horse racing; and from the
disposition to legislate in behalf Of
private and special interests. Here DR..
w. alluded to the habit of the Presi-
dent of the United States, of attending
and thereby encouraging the race
courses of the country, and TO the fact
that the Governor of the State of Mary
land is President of the Maryland
Jockey Club, and he spoke of the inju-
rious effects of such conduct upon the
younger men of the country. He
glanced at the Cox-Grant imbroglio, and
although he did not say what his views
Of the matter were, he declared that this
undignifed affair was an evidence OF
the need of higher morality in promi-
nent positions. The point was enforced
at length.
8. His notions Of the principles Of q
pure domestic, social and political
economy are followed by correspondent
motions. The speaker claimed that this
is a necessary sequence. First, God is
concerned in affairs of our government
because He wishes it to assist Him in
control of the world. Second, then we
must have clearer views of what consti.
tutes private and public virtue, and
then we must do our work first in our.
selves and then in our parties. Here
he insisted that the time had come when
allegiance to God should be stronger
than devotion to party. Party asks, "Is
he availableT God asks, "1s he capable;
is he honest; is he faithful p No man
should be nominated for Office, said the
speaker, simply because he is available
and no man should be elected merely
because he belongs to my party.
Something higher should be demanded
of men than mere personal popularity
They must be true men. And the bet
ter citizens will demand that such men
control the nation; if they do not, this
republic, not yet one hundred years old
will follow the republics Of other days
whose downfall was occasioned by the
corruption of domestic, social and po-
litical life. He said that he feared the
tendency toward aristocracy, an aristoc'
racy of wealth, an aristocracy Of posi-
ton, which is go manifest and which is
producing, already, its sad results, and
leading to the very corruption which
cannot exist along with pure statesman
ship. Whose fault is this2 The bet
ter citizen will not only think Of these
things, he will work toward their
connection.
The music on the occasion was led by
the excellent choir OF the church, who
at the close Of service most effectively
rendered the noble anthem "the Earth
is the Lords and the fullness thereof.
At the close Of the sermon, DR.. w
asked for thanksgiving offering in be
hall of the fund for the poor Of thu
church. A liberal response was made
r,s n.oshytortau Chureh