The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1880-11-27
AMERICAN THANKSGIVING DAY.

The usual Thanksgiving Service was held in
Fort-street Church on Thursday morning. The
Rev. A. o. Forbes, was the preacher. lie
selected for his texts the following passages of
Scripture IT And hath made of one blood all
nations of men for to dwell ON all the face
Of the Earth" Acts, Chapter IL verse &c
and g Righteousness exalteth IA nation but sin
is a reprOach to any people" Proverbs, chapter
4, verse "a. In his opening remarks, he referred
to the custom Of his fellow country men. where
ever they may be found scattered over the earth,
to unite with loved ones far away in their
national Thanksgiving. After contrasting the
climate and other surroundings experienced here
with those OF New England, he claimed the
thankiulness of all, to the Divine dispenser of
their lots, for the beauties OF the world in which
their %sojourn is passed. II the - stones - and
running brooks . were recognized as instructors
and admonishers Of duty, should not the rivers Of
molten rock of which we have lately been hear
ing, teach US lessons Of humility and Of thank
fulness to God for all that he has done for US.
lie proceeded to deiue IA nation as the aggregate
Of persons, Whcncesneyer derived, who live to-
gether IN II terriiuiy united under one form OF
Government. lie tbus claimed that the popula-
ton of the Hawaiian Kingdom were one nation,
and that the name should not be confined to the
remnant OF that race which formerly occupied
the islands exclusively. lie criticised the pre-
valent ideas about immigration aud the Importa-
ton Of labor, and expressed the opinion that the
effort u bring in a population, which may be ex-
pected to am~algamate with the Hawaiian race,
had not been successful, and that It's success in
tho fntura ~ arsiafa - go .ao.I.c.I III.
considered that we have no evidence that the
same causes which have,brought about the decay
of the Hawaiian race are not equally operative
against the immigrants from the South Sea
Islands, whom the Government have been en-
deavoring to incorporate with il. The tenor OF
his remarks led to the conclusion that
he is opposed to the further prosecution
Of any effort to add to the numbers of the native
race by mixing with them other closely related
races. The labor question he looked upon as
wholly distinct from that Of the re-population of
the islands. 1t was a matter that would right
itself. National life he claimed can only be
established by national righteounsss. Tho word
thus used. was not to be taken in it's narrower
sense Of mere rightnesS, abstinence from wrong,
but in It's fullest sense as holiness Of life
and entire devotion to God. He pro-
ceeded to define patriotism, and to distin-
guish between true and false patriotism.
This exposition was given In terms which made
it but a slightly yelled criticism upon persons
and recent events in this Kingdom. For the party
to which the Reverend gentleman belongs he
claimed the attribute Of sc true patriotism.
Certain, others who hold and express opinions at
variance with theirs were exhibited as ffaIse
patriots The safeguard OF the Hawaiian
nation he considered to be in the patriotism Of
the men of all nationalities who are gathered
here under the Hawaiian flag. The more bright
ly their own sentiment OF national patriotism
glowed the more thoroughly would they sym
pathize with the patriotic feelings Of the Ha-
waiian born. This view Of the case ne illustrated
by a quotation from one Of the sermons of the late
+. w. Robertson in which that divine takes a
somewhat exaggerated view of the intensity
which should characterize all national feelings,
and a decidedly erroneous one as to the reflex
action of that intensity in the ordinary human
being. The discourse was closed with an elo-
quent reference to the words which have been
adopted as the national motto Of the Hawaiian
Kingdom. The Reverend gentleman's address
which only lasted about half-an-hour, was clear
and animated in style throughout, with occasional
passages full of eloquence. At it's close the
American National Hymn was sung by the choir,
a large part of the congregation heartily joining.