The record-union., 1892-11-25
AT TIE CHURCHES.
Special Services Appropriate to the
Day of Thanksgiving.
Union Exercises at the English Luth-
eran Church-Large Attendance
at st. Paul's Church.


there in celebration Of the day, and the
music and addresses were exceptionally
good.
The choir. consisting of Mrs. J. c.
Walling, Mrs. Weiss, Misses Lily Evans,
Lizzie Adams and Messrs. Kidder and
Walling, with Mrs. Laura Perry as
organist, rendered number of excellent
selections. Rev. w. S. HoskinsOn, the
pastor of the church, conducted the
services which opened with singing.
Rev. r. NJ. Stevenson read eleven
verses from the forty-fiith psalm, and
was followed with hymn by the choir
and an able prayer by Brother Davis.
President Harrison's Thanksgiving
proclamation was read by Rev. Mr..
Hoskinson, and after a hymn by the
choir and congregation, Rev. B. b. Bur
ton of the Christian Church delivered an
able and patriotic address. in which he
said:
THOUGHTS ON THANKSGIVING.
There are certain days in the life of the
family and the church and the Nation
that are specially significant of sentiment
and feeling. These days are in nowise
intended to usurp the place of other or do
the work of other days, but are simply
given ON6I 10 1ulltI anu ItcuGT OK iJ1GSSlOllS
of thought-thoughts, however, that
should flow in a constant stream through
out the year. l rejoice that this day
which we celebrate did not originate by
Divine command, but rather from deep
sense of gratitude spontaneously spring
ing up in the human heart.
The annual observance of this day is
the national recognition of personal
God, who without WEAKNESS of stunt Der
or shadow OF turning is presiding over
and shaping the destiny of nations, ar
ranging and guiding and inspiring, and
in ten thousand ways working in loving
affiliatlon with the children of men.
The observance OF this day to many of
US links the present with the past by a
chain OF hallowed memories. Not only
are we carried back in thought to other
days and live again in memory of old
yes, old-fashiOued family reunions and
Thanksgiving dlnnerS-but Weare carried
back in thought to the early history OF
our country, where we find the origin of
this day.
In the New England colonies in the
year 1923 there had been failure Of
crops. The blades Of corn had withered
and starvation seemed imminent. Hope
had almost died out, and many OF the peo-
pie were thinking Of returning to their
native land. At length it was proposed
TO appoint day of fasting and prayer,
when plain, common-sense old colonisL
arose in the meeting and suggested that
they had brooded long enough over their
misfortunes ana 1t seemed high time they
should consider some Of their mercies-
that the colony was growing strong. the
rivers were full OF fish. the woods full of
game, air sweet, climate salubriOuS,
wives obedient, children dutitul, and,
above all, they enjoyed what they came
tOr-iull religious liberty, and, therefore,
4 L 81 l.
and propose instead feast and a day of
rejoicing and thanksgiving.
From that time forward it became an
established custom in New England and
was early ad pied by many of the other
states. In 1865 a DranaIn Lincoln issued
his proclamation for a national thanks
giving, and to-day from the rocky shores
of the Atlantic 10 the sunny slopes of the
Pacific, and from the great lakes on the
north to the balmy waters Of the gull, there
is general suspension of business and a
day OF gratitude and thanksgiving pre-
walls.
But the man who keeps his gratitude
for Thanksgiving Day has no true thought
OF the day or the things it symbolizes. lie
Is like the man who when delivered from
some imminent peril calculates, thank
God! and then goes on his way forgetiul
OF the kind Providence that spared his
life.
This day should be but one of the 365
days of the year in which we give thanks
and these exercises by which we publicly
make Acknowledgements Of Devine guild
ance and care should to be the constant
current of ouT thoughts; what the spray
hung from the crest of the wave is 10 the
deep, strong, constant current beneath
80, trust, we have not come together to-
day simply because the executive officer
OF the United States has SO ordered it,
\ OF becauseitis becoming a time-houored
custom of this country, but because we
would faln give expression to the deep
sense of gratitude that fills our hearts
when we remember that we have, each
one of us, received a portion of the innu-
merable blessings which the benevolent
hand of a loving Father has spread so Law
ishly over this land.
The thought has come to me that among
all the assembled thousands throughout
the United States, there are none who
have more reason to feel grateful than
those who have come together i'll various
places IN the great Stase of California
blessed as no other State is blessed with
that which lies 1.-THE very basis ofwealth-
prosperity and happiness; a soil ineXhaus-
uble in Its richness and fertility, water as
pure as flows through the veins ofthc earth.
q climate as fair as the sun ever kissed
under Italian sky, with winter looking
down from snow-capped mountains upon
perennial summer green and the most
redOlent flowers and luscious fruits. with
our mountains stored with gold and
other precious metals, with the mightiest
ocean bearing to our harbors the COM
merce of the wolrd. and blessed with
rain and dew and sunshine in its season
that has given abundant reward to the
labOrer for his toll.
But these are not the chief glories of
our great State. In addition to those
blessings which nature has so lavishly
bestowed may be added those things
which contribute to and declare her mar
Velous advancement in the great march
of moral, intellectual and material prog-
Tess. Her charitable and philanthroDlc
institutions; her beautiful and rrosner
Gus towns; her magnificent schools and
colleges; her churches and public and
private industries. And now while we
rejoice in these things that contribnte tn
comfort and happiness in the lower realm
of life for health and prosperity, fruitful
fields, growing industries, and increas-
ing investments, yet there are things that
lie above and beyond these that Should
call out the noblest impulses OF the heart
ingratitude.
The greatest treasure that man can
possess in this life is liberty, freedom, in
dlvidual rights, and where my friends is
there country on the face of the earth
where liberty in its highest sense can be
enjoyed so well as in America? As the
nations OF the earth pass before our eyes
TINS morning in panoramic succession we
see among them many, which, notwith-
standing they pretend to rank foremost
among the civilized nations of the world,
yet their subjects are oppressed by all
the lntolerances of political and religious
conservatism.
But We behold one which, although but
YET IN the blushing activity of youth, is
leadlng the way in the great march of
mental progress and liberty. one whose
very waichword is ''life, liberty and pur-
SUIT oI happiness" A nation great and