The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-11-27
THANKSGIVING DAY IN HONOLULU.
Religions Ceremonies at FOrt.street
Church and st. Andrews Cathedral.

The last Thursday in Novemberof each
year has been set apart as a national
festival, or Thanksgiving Day, in the
United States; and in order that Ameri-
can citizens in this Kingdom might join
in deyOut thanks to Divine Providence,
in common with their kindred in Amer
lea, His Excellency the United States
Minister Resident, Mr. Merrill, issued an
invitation to all to participate in the re-
! Iigious ceremonies arranged for the day
| The response was spontaneous, business
| being practically suspended. Indeed,
yesterday was observed as a general holi-
| day. The streets presented a deserted
appearance, nearly all the larger stores
/. being closed at noon. The Government
Offices and the banks were also closed
vices We're held at the Fort-street Church
and st. Andrews Cathedral at II o'clock
FoRT-sTREET CHURCH.
The church was filled with large and
fashionable audience At the back OF
the pulpit on the choir desk stood lvre
of yellow crysantheums, and the plat
form was one mass of ferns, palms and
evergreens. The services opened by the
singing of the hymn, go God, beneath
Thy Guiding Hand" followed with
prayer by the Rev. S. f. Bishop. The
choir, under direction of Mr.. J. W.
Yarndley, sang the anthem 81 was
Glad" by Horsley, and then the con-
gregatiOn joined in the singing of " My
Country, IT'S of Thee" to the tune of
America" The Thanksgiving sermon
was preached by the Rev. j. A. Cruzan,
who took for his text BE Ye Thank
full" He said they we've met together
this morning to obey the words of the
text. There were many causes for graft
tude to God. They should be thankful
for their nativity, citing the love of their
native land implanted in the hearts of
all nationalities.
1t was not for the material greatness of
their country that he felt thankful to-
day, weighty as that reason of gratitude
undoubtedly was. He rather thanked
God for the peace and brotherhood per-
vading their nation, after the terrible
disturbance that racked it from center to
circumference score of years ago. 1t
took years to bring about the clasping of
hands over the bloody chasm between
North and South, but those years had
come and gone, landing the country in
peace. The completeness of the happy
change was exempliied in the peaceful
revolution of last autumn, whereby the
very political party that had been iden-
titled with the desperate attempt to
break up the Union had by the peaceful
exercise of popular suffrages been re-
turned to power at Washington, from
which it had been excluded for quarter
of century.
As Christian man, he felt grateful to
God for their native land. There was
still much to be deplored there, as in
every other country, from religions
point of view Yet the forces of sin
were twenty times stronger, and those of
righteousness proportionately feebler, a
hundred years ago than now. The story
of the Cross never carried more influence
with humanity than to-day. Never was
the Bible so widely published and pur-
chased by the masses of men as at the
present time.
God loved them and their nation. Let
them plant their feet upon that rock
Gods love-and they would be safe and
secure against all the storms of life and
the forces of evil.
The choir sang the hymn He Lead
eth Me-" after which Pastor Cruzan pro-
nounced the benediction, and the large
congregation dispersed to the strains of
an organ occasional.
ST. ANDREWS CATHEDRAL.
A fair congregation attended this
church. There was no attempt at deco
rations. The canticles and glorias were
sung to single chants by the sdrpliced
choir of boys. The hymns were, CHOW
Thank we all our God" and eve Pillow
the Fields and Scatter" The service
was read by the Rev. George Wallace,
and the lessons by the Rev. w. H.
Barnes. The Bishop of Honolulu
preached the sermon from the text,
''The Earth is the Lords and the Full
ness Thereof" He said the observance
of the day is a recognition of the truth
of the text that the earth is the Lords. |
Days of thanksgiving are intended to re-
call to our minds from time to time our
dependence upon God, who gives the in
crease of the fruits of the earth. Nor !
is it enough that thanks be offered for !
the mercies of the year, for we are re-
minded in this servide of our obligation
to set apart a portion of our substance
to the special service of God. Only by |
faithful observance of Gods laws can we
enjoy the fruits OF the earth for ourselves
and convey our interests to posterity.
The hymn ''Who Giveth Alp was
sung, and then the Bishop dismissed |
the congregation with the benediction.