Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-24

With great many to attend church lie as
| much part of the observance of Thanksgiving
day as to have turkey for dinner. There is a
very general feeling Of this sort among the
good people OF this city, and independent Of
| the religious duty involved it is a custom
| which is generally observed. At least that was
the case today. The church services were well
attended and the congregations listened to SER
mons OF patriotic character, which taught the
lessons of good citizenship. After hearing
about their duty as citizens the church goers
then went home and did their duty toward the
dinner which had been provided.
| AMERICAS CAUSE FOR GRATITUDE.
DR.. Brown ut Foundry Points Out Many
Causes for Thankfulness.
Rev. Dr.. Oliver A. Brown preached at
Foundry Church today from the text Tho
Lord Is Good to ALL" DR.. Brown spoke in
substance as follows: We are assembled in
this house OF God today in accordance with the
promptings Of Our thankful hearts as well as in
compliance with the proclamation of our noble
chief magistrate, who, though in deepest sor-
row because Of his recent sad bereavement, vet
summons a sympathizing nation to grateful
acknowledgement of the goodness Of God in
congratulate you all on the return Of this day.
With perhaps one exception-the anniversary
Of the birth Of our blessed Lord-around no
other day of the year cluster so many tender
memories and fond associations The happy
reunions. the grateful remembrances. the feast
ing, the mirth, the thanksgiviugs, the warm,
loving hearts it carries in its BOSOM all make it
a day whose coming is longed for while il is yet
future and not to be forgotten when it is past
I In, a mir Of f,f low I.FNd
good. man is so kind and home is sweet. and
now let us take up the strain of the royal min
strel, David, in which, while sweeping the harp
strings, he often voiced the feelings of his
grateful heart, The Lord is Good to ALL"
WHY AMERICANS SHOULD BE GRATEFUL.
This declaration of the President is Of uni
versal application, but is especially applicable
| to the people of this nation, because we are in
| the enjoyment Of blessings such other ma
| tions have never known. But we cannot prop
| erly appreciate. and therefore will not be SUI
fciently grateful for, any of these blessings
without first Of all being thankful that we live.
| l. Thank God for life, with all its opportuni-
ties and privileges and glorious ministries.
| This is the gift around which all other gifts
| sphere, it seems light bestowmeut then all
other gifts are vain and such a life is not worth
| the living
2. Thank God for our land. and know not
! where beneath the sun there is more goodly
iand, or one better calculate ted as a theater for
human activity and for the happiness and de-
velopment of great people. Brighter skies,
and balmler air. and more genial temperature,
and richer soil there may be- but these are not
the conditions for the development of free and
noble men. They really weaken and enervate.
The greatest leaders and mightiest peoples have
had their homes in the midst of broken but glo-
rious scenery. when the climate was rigorous
and the soil rewarded only faithful and patient
labor. Our land is rich in natural beauty and
possesses q charming variety of scenery. Our
climate embraces nearly all temperatures. Tie
products Of the soil differ with the differing
sections, and orr industries. too, are widely
different. As one country produces something
which other countries have not SO each section
of our land has it's peculiar products and indus
| tries which contribute to the comfort and hap
| piEess OF the whole people. While we Join in
thanksgiving for life let US also be grateful for
a home in the fairest of all lands.
LIBERTY.
8. Thank God for liberty. Life in a goodly
land is much, but life and land and liberty are
immeasureably more. To be able to say II
am is grand, but to be able to gay 81 am free''
S grander. The dream of the ages is living
fact in our own time and land.
| 4. We enjoy civil liberty. A few brave he
! role souls dared TO conceive that men had
rights; that God made the common people as
well as t.ltt men Udu the ltdlle0-
able right to life and liberty" They dared
not only to conceive. but also to act, and in
! their own blood. gladly shed for the triumph of
their just cause. they laid the foundation OF
the republic on this inimitable principle that
''ail men are created free andequal and Of right
ought to be free. Never was government planned
more wisely. Three generations have already
! tested it and they. with united voice. pronounce
1t wise and safe and strong. New ideas have
been born and old ones have died: education
and civilization have advanced; Our territory
! has grown wider and wider. our population has
constantly increased, progress has beeA seen
everywhere, and yet, notwithstanding all
changes the system of government our fathers
adopted remains unchanged. 1t has been tried
| in peace and in war, and through all it Has
come unimpaired, not star blotted from our
flag.
| s. We enjoy religious liberty. Religious free
dom as well as civil that which our fathers
sought and secured. They well understood the
evils OF a union of church and state. Side by
/ side, therefore. with the seed Of civil liberty
they planted the seed Of religious liberty and
watered them both with their tears and blood
The evils of this union in the past in other lands
are known to all who are conversant with his
tory, for its pages are blotted with the records
OF the most vile enslayements and wanton
crimes committed under it's name. In this
country such a union finds no place. and today
the church is more spiritual and the state
mightier because they are distinct and separate
though one in love of country and in interest in
the welfare Of her institutions.
| LEARNING.
6. Thank God for learning. An intelligent
citizenship is an absolute necessity to a re-
public. knowledge cannot be monopolized by
the few as in despotism. Our fathers saw the
need and made provision for it and laid the
! foundation of the church and school house side
by side, and in the years that have followed
everywhere throughout the land, upon almost
every inviting eminence, have been planted
public schools free and open to all. BY means
Of these intelligence and learning are being gen.
orally diffused among the great multitude and
| by this general diffusion OF intelligence amorg
| the masses will our free institutions be pre-
served.
Z. Thank God for literature. Literature is
the great power Of the modern world whether
| in. books or magazines or the press. 1t Is
mightier for the Congresses and parliaments
and kings. Fetter it you may, but the more it
is bound the mightier it becomes. Fettered or
unfettered it has ever led the way for liberty
to victory, and 80 long as its voice can be heard
our rights are secure.
Last Of all, these are the foundations on
which our republic stands, and stands securely
II iii addition they are cenented by
8. Love and loyalty TO God. We must not
forget that the security Of our liberty must be
found in the virtue Of tho people, and that vir-
| tue must have its foundation in religious prin-
ciple, and no. simply in widely diffused intelli-