, 1877-12-01
Thanksgivin1 Services.

| OoVcIAl VI tuo TOt0StauL COu8r0-
cations of this city united yesterday
at the Presbyterian church at II
o'clock A. NJ, for the due religious
observance of the day, in accordance
with the Thanksgiving proclamation.
A large assemblage was present, every
available seat being occupied. The
services we're opened with an appro-
pirate thanksgiving anthem by the
choir, composed of singers from the
different churches. Rev. Mr.. Macie
offered invocation and read the open
ing hymn. After singing, Rev. Mr..
Fairchild read the 103 Psalm, and
Rev. Ellis offered prayer. Rev. DR..
Bagley, who presided over the exer-
cises, read the Proclamation of
Thanksgiving, and then followed
the sermon by Rev. Mr.. Dillon of
the M. E. Church. At the close a
public collection was taken in be-
half of the needy. The following
is an outline of the sermon:
THANKSGIVING SERMON.
Text: For the Lord hath done great things
for us whereof We are glad" Psalm 126, Sd
| Verse.
This is an exalted day in our nation
"a day of public Thanksgiving.
Made such by Proclamation of the
President, supported by that Of the
Governor of each State and Territory
and in accordance with a wise Gus
tom handed down from our Pilgrim
Fathers.
Whatever of sorrow or distress the
past year may have brought to us as
individuals or families, and what
ever of exceptional calamities or
drawbacks to our national interests
may have occurred, it is assumed to-
day, that, as a people, we have great
reason at this accustomed season of
the year, ''to give thanks and praise
to Almighty God for his mercies,
and to devotedly beseech their con-
tinuance."
Our duties then are specified as
praise and prayer. We may be as
sisted in these duties by meditation
upon Gods word and ways. Let US
then briefly review ''the things
which the Lord hath done for us -
as a people, that in the contempla-
ton of the same we my rejoice and
be glad.
l. Consider then, in the first place,
the great things which the Lord
hath done for us in the physical
construction of the country which
He has given US.
Under this head the speaker
pointed out the great extent. and
innumerable natural advantages, of
the country for the dwelling place
of a great and mighty nation; insist
ing that it could not be the product
of mere chance, or of evocation pro-
duced by some impersonal power
unknown and unknowable; but that
the Almighty God spoken of in the
proclamations, first thought, or
planned, then this country to become
the home of great and mighty peo-
pie. THE lines have fallen to US in
pleasant places; yea, we have a good
ly heritage"
2. We have not only the best
country. but in the Providence of
God we have confessedly the best
civil government on earth-"Of the
people, by the people, and for the
people," This government il ex-
pressed in constitution which has
so enlarged the area of human free
dom, that to-day not man in all the
length and breadth of the land may
not kneel down on the green earth
and with uplifted eyes and hands
to heaven. thank God that he is
| free.
During the past year the world
was amazed with admiration at the
quiet and peaceful grandeur of the
American people i'll settling hotly
contested and doubtful presidential
election withouta drop of bloodshed
or a jar to the wheels of government.
The spirit of communism also broke
out along the line of railroads from
Baltimore to San Francisco, and
exhibited itself in rebellion against
the laws of the land; but as soon as
the mighty hand of the government
could reach the disturbance it was
quelled. So also will the vexed
Chinese question be settled by the
better Judgment of the people stand
ing by the constitution and the
treaties under it, crushing out by
the mighty power of the general
government any spirit that mani
tests itself in rebellion against law,
be they few or many. We may
rely upon the second, sober Christ
ian thought of the American people.
Our excellent constitution has
boen compared to the universal
sky which bends over us, holding
us in its embrace, but lifted up too
high for any one to reach it with a
sacrilegious hand" We may we'll
pray that this sky of our civil gov
ernment may long bend over a pros
porous and happy people, breathing
beneath it the sweet air of freedom;
and every star of our Union may re-
main fixed in its place till the heav-
ems shall be rolled together as a
scroll, and time itself shall be no
more.
8. Hitherto the government has
been administered in the main by
honest and capable men. To this