The Hawaiian gazette., 1886-11-30
Thanksgiving Day in Honolulu.

by all classes of our citizens. Shops were
closed and business suspended. Divine ser
vices were held in Fort Street Church by Rev
S. Z. Bishop, and at st. Andrews pro-Cathe-
dral by Rev. George Wallace. Both these
addresses will be found in full in this issue
of the GAZETTE, and will prove interesting
and we'll worthy careful perusal Both
these services were we'll attended, not only
BY Americans but by all lovers of liberty
and free institutions. Otherwise the day was
very quietly observed, most of the people
retiring to their homes to discuss the merits
and dement's OF the traditional turkey, which
! Is always called upon on such occasions to
take an important part against his will. In
the evening many attended the State Ball al
the palace, and finished the day in tripping
the " light fantastic toe.". The following is
the
ADDRESS OF REV. GEORGE WALLACE.
The Thanksgiving service at this church was
attended by fair congregation. There was
no attempt at decorations. The service was
| intoned by Rev. George Wallace, and was
/ taken mainly from the American Church
prayer book for Thanksgiving Day. The
choir rendered Barratt's TIE Deum in E fat
and Kent's anthem, Thine 0 Lord, is the
! Greatness and the Power" and the hymns
4 included so Praise the Lord and We
Plough the Fields and Scatter" Tails re-
sponses were also sung. The collection was
given towards the organ fund. The sermon
was preached by the Rev. George Wallace
! from the fifth chapter of Ephesiaus, Goth
verse: Giving thanks always for all things
unto God and IN the name of our Lord Jesus
J Christi
After briefly referring to the history of the
annual Thanksgiving Festival as observed in
! New England and afterwards throughout the
whole of the United States, the preacher
said:
As ,,a taa,, tbjs do,, door fr;a,,5s oo,,
| jointly with great people, in thanking God
| for the blessings of the fruitful earth, for
law, order and civilization, for free speech,
and for liberty of conscience to serve God
and our fellow-men as reason, conscience
and Divine revelation instruct US, let US give
our minds to few thoughts upon which we
may mediate with profit.
The romantic and genial features sur
rounding this celebration as we see it IN the
past may, we fondly trust, long surround the
day with benefcent influences. As we de-
plore q secularized Christmas, so much we
deplore Thanksgiving Day into which the
thought of God does not enter. There is no
historical Thanksgiving without the worship
of God, the word of God, the house of God,
and the grace of God invoked upon the festi-
val meal, making 1t religious. These cody
elements cannot be left out without defacing
and dishonoring the occasion. Let sneers
at piety, fashion anu frivolity, politics, mer-
camille greed, and ian irrational rational
ism crowd these aside and thanklessness
takes the place of thanksgiving. Men or
women who take the gifts, make merry over
the bounty, eat the fat and drink the sweet,
and forget utterly the Provi ing Father,
while they may not be avowed disbelievers
or atheists, are guilty of the meanest ingrati-
tude, and show that in them the lust of the
flesh have had their vulgar triumph over the
things of the spirit. We shall be true to our
Christian faith in refusing to empty any day
of solemnity and worship of its significance
and meaning.
As society is elevated and Christian civili-
cation advances, men come to a higher ap-
probation of the reasons for gratitude. The
Thanksgiving Day is not for a return of
praise to God for the fruits of the earth
alone. If we are at all thankful to God for
the blessing of this life, we will reflect upon
the comparative worth of the several ingre-
dients which satisfy Us, and for which we
toll. We must take into consideration as
calling for devout acknowledgment of many
things which three generations ago no ser
mon could have mentioned, which the sun
had not ripened. nor the inventive genius of
man discovered, nor the explorer found, nor
the earth widened to give them room.
The devout and weil-instructed Christian
will in his thanksgiving include special re-
cognition OF what science has done to unfold
the wondlOus secret OF the constant con-
nection between the creation and the Creator
whom we adore as the all-wise, all powerful
ALLOWING personal GOD, whose mercy is over
all His works. We give God thanks that
after period of jealousy and panic. thu re-
Cancellation of faith and science has begun
and that, every day, science is ahording TO
faith, in every department of investigation,
from the least TO the greatest magnificent
illustrations of the ceaselsss working OF God
in the things that He has made. For every
good book which gives added clearnesS to the
demonstration that the divine author of
nature is the God Of grace; for every dis
coyery IN the healing art whereby pain is
soothed or disease arrested: for every addi-
ton of knowledge of the laws of health.
whereby physical living is made sweeter and
cleaner, for the clearer comprehension of the
true relations of capital and labor; for the
Increased mutual knowledge of the nations
and races of men on earth, whereby animOsi-
ties are soothed, wrongs redressed misunder-
standings removed, civilization advanced and
Christianity promoted, We render thanks to
God. There are indeed many voices III the
world that in this wonderful time are telling
of the high hopes of the future extension of
the Kingdom of God, in the growing desire
for Christian unity and the missionary
activity of all Christendom. None of these
voices is without significance, and the wise
worshipper who thinks upon these things
Will ind new meaning IN his psalms and
hymns of praise.
Most of all we thank the Tri-une God for
the graces and benefits which are in Christ
Jesus. Thanksgiving Day is especially day
of blessing God for the things of the body
and the material life. The Son of God took
a human body, entered into an humanity
and sacrificed our common life. Therefore
We look to the Incarnation, the primal mys-
terry of our religion. We look to Jesus Christ |
for the true law of righteousness to sanctify
marriage, to purify domestic life, to dispeI |
the decisions of unbelief. to forbid and |
check the denominations of intemperance and |
dishonesty and fraud, by the |
faith that conquers the worldliness and ma
terialism which prepare the hearts of men |
for every evil work. Our souls, our minds, !
our bodies are to be ennobled by the exer- |
else of their high capacities III Him. Our I
homes and our pursuits shall be blessed |
when He is in them and with them The /
nations of the great world, whether in /
Europe or America, IN Africa, Asia or Poly |
nesia, whether they be great or small, must !
rise 20 glory and honor, or PERISH for ever,
as they accept or reject the rule of Him who |
IS King of Kings and Lord Of Lords, to |
whom with the Eternal Father and the |
Spirit be ascribed blessing, and /
glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and |
honor, and power, and might, for ever and |
ever. Amen.
St. Andrews Cathedral.