Daily globe., 1882-09-18
PLTMOUTH CHURCH.
ANNUAL Harvest Home Festival.

Annual Harvest Home Festival.
Last evening, according to custom, a
very pleasing and instructive service was
held in Plymouth church, designed to i'm
press the lessons of the recent harvest on
the people. The pulpit was tastefuliy
decorated with a combination of the vari-
Gus grains of the harvest. The pulpit was
faced with sheaf of wheat and ivy and
other greens entwined appropriately about
the golden colored products of the harvest
fields of the state, while across the organ
in letters of wheat were the words, set on
dark background, Harvest Home"
The service was somewhat out of the
usual order, and was arranged and carried
out with taste.
The opening anthem. by the choir, was
Barnby manifold are thy works, o
Lord. This WAS followed by the responsive
reading of the 103 psalm, concluded by the
Gloria Patri. The scripture lesson by the
pastor was composed of ap-
propriate selections. The congrega-
tional hymn, and the second lesson from
the Psalter with responses by the choir
were impressive. The offertory by the
latter, by Hiles, THE people shall dwell in
the land" The address of DIR. Dana en-
bodied some of the lessons of the harvest,
and were suggested by the words in I,
Samuel xii; "a: For consider how great
things He has done for you"
1t is no formal service this, in which we
meet to recount our God-given mercies.
Around no other altar could such crowds
be assembled as that whereon the first
fruits of the harvest are laid, and about
which the Offering of praise is offered. How
impressive is the thought, that through
these late months.
NATURE HAS BEEN DOING HER WORK
punctually and bountifully. She has
brought to maturity the growing grain and
covered the earth with the tokens of her
fruitfulness. In her domain what an ex-
hibit of order we find. There is no sinful
planet, no selfish miserly sun, there have
been no conspiring stars, no winds disobe-
dent to the divine mandate, no stingy
clouds reluctant to drop the fertilizing
showers, 10 soil refusing to receive the
sunbeams. The prairies have produced
| ungrudgingly, and hill and valley have
| hastened to clothe themselves with luxu-
| liant crops.
THE LESSON OF DEPENDENCE
| must be of great importance, for it is read
to Us anew each recurring year. When the
| children of Israel journeyed through the
| wilderness, they gathered every morning
the hfe-sustaining mama, and thus were
| they taught their dependence on Jehovah
We have had our mamma as really, though
| at longer periods of bestowment 1t is
quite as great a miracle that our bread
comes up to US out of the ground, as that
IsraeFs came down to them from the
skies.
HOW CONSTANT THIS DEPENDENCE
may be inferred from the fact that the
world is as whole never overstocked with
food. 1t is estimated that there is never
on hand more than sixteen months supply
any given harvest, it is said, would not
meet the necessities of its population more
than four or five months. We are there
fore that close to famine all the
while, and though we have not thought
of it the world practically lives from hand
to mouth. 1t cannot accumulate enough
IN Its granar1es to be independent of the
Giver of harvest yields.
THIS IS RED-LETTER YEAR
in our states history. We chronicle now
the largest production of and year. Our
population has risen above $4,000 increase
in the thus far expired nine months. Our
railway system has grown fifteen per cent,
and prosperity is on every side of US in
multiform fulness. Strangers are amazed
at our material growth, and astonish US in
turn by their prediction of the future OF
greatness and development before us.
The augmented responsibilities incident to
this vast material growth were then en-
phasized, and the moral perils of such un-
precedented prosperity pointed out. The
closing appeal for the popular recognition
of the Almighty's goodness, and for sin
cere and general Thanksgiving for the rich
yield of the season, fifty concluded the ad-
dress of DR.. Dana. The whole service was
one of great impressiveness, the appropri-
ate musical selections, SO admirably rem
dered by the popular choir of the church
and the tasteful decking of the sanctuary
with the tokens of the rich harvest, all
combining to add to its effectiveness.