The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-11-29
MORNING UNION Service
That Of Central City Congregations
Held II Elm Park Church.
SERMON BY REV. VI. II. PEARCE
1t Was RepIsts with Beautiful Thoughts
Union Services Held st Green Ridge.
Suuriso Meeting on, the West Side.
In Other Churches Of the City.

ycStcTudy morning a. TIC uAhAoH
Thanksgiving Day service OF the CEN
| trail city churches. The congregations
| of the several churches were well rep
resented, but the audience who listened
to the very practical. sensible and ben
| eficfal sermon OF Rev. DIR. w. H. Pearce,
| the pastor, included a large number OF
strangers-commercial travellers who
| were many hundreds of miles distant
from their homes and persons visiting
Scranton friends or relatives. Delight
full special music was rendered by the
regular church choir and soloists.
DIR. Pearce preached from 1siah Nv, j.
"Joy and gladness shall be found there
in, Thanksgiving and the voice of melo-
dy." He said, in part:
! do not believe that Thanksgiving SER
mons should be pitched upon a wainhg'
| minor key, or that they should pc devo,-
| ed to a canvas of the sins OF the people
republic from drunkenness. Sabbath desc
| Grafton, money corporations n the cor
ruption of political parties. These are
very appropriate themes for almost any
| other day, or for a day of humiliation.
| fasting and prayer. but 1t seems to me
| they are as inappropriate and out of place
| on a day of thanksgiving as a dirge would
be amid the bright Festivities 81 me
is set apart from its fellows, II l under:
| stand the nature of 1t, for the purpose OF
looking. on he bright side of life; for the
purpose of kindling our emotions into q
| the beauty of ~gladness and filling up every
hour with hallelujahs Of great JOY.
The r :asops Are Many.
The reasons calling US to engag in these
exercises Of thanksgiving. are so many
varied and lofty as to make 1t very diff
| where to leave off. The things that God
has don't for us are SO many. that they
must needs crowd upon each other, until
they go down behind the horizon Of mem.
ory like full hemispheres of stars that
move In multitudes and sink, not separate
or distinguishable, but multitudinous,
each. casting light into the other, and
crowding each other by their common
On such a day as this. as We select a few
from the great multitude, we ought not to
forget the dwelling in which God has en-
palaced US, until He has made ready for
what some people say, this world Is moi
an outlying waste, forsaken of God and
unblest; it Is one Of the most beautiful!
provinces of the divine kingdom; and
whether azure vestures 1t, or purple folds
| it, or gold nantes it, or white plaid OF
snow covers 1t, 1t 10 always beautiful and
respondent with glories. And, then. or
such a day as this, we certainly ought, moi
to forget how God has provisioned it-how
| he has filled the larder. Spring, the per-
iod of seedtime, ,lavished rain and sun
shine; summer, the time of growth, was
warm and generous; autumn. the season
| of ripening fruit and golden grain, and
| winter, the sleeping time for verdure-al
| these are SO liberal and open-handed that
| the exception of three or four instances
has there been such an accumulated
wealth of natures products as are now
overcrowding the bins and barns and
storehouses from the Atlantic to the Pa
cific. Eden's curse seems to have beer
| removed from the earth; there Is super
abundance everywhere.
Things W. Ought to Remember.
On such a day as this We ought also
to remember how God has companionet
it; filled 1t with the sweetness and strength
of domestic affection and with all thu
joyful and helpful fellowships of oul
social life. Our home has been something
| more to us than a house in which to live
sheltered and fed, It has been a sanctu
airy of holy affections! 1t has seemed JUS
outside of heaven. summed with Its light
made tuneful with Its music! And all the
sure, have been like rounds In a ladder or
| which the angels Of God has descended
n assembled, with revealments Of peace
and loving ministries; that. like invisible
gifts that never spend themselves, have
made the home, with all of Its changes
like unto paradise restored.
And then the church has been something
more to us than an Architectural pile o.
rails and chancels nave been something
more than carved and embellished shrines
In the midst of Its sermons n prayer:
ships we have found pardon for our sins
healing for u wounds, peace for our un
rest, strength for our weakness, hope fol
our despair. and now and then all HEAVIER
has been opened to our tear-blinded eye.
weary, aching hearts.
Dur social life has also been something
to US. We have enjoyed IT. as we DE-
bright skies oil the south wind, and 1t ha.
been the rythm and poetry Of many a day
and songs in the night Of our loneliness.
Never Before Such Tranquility.
On such a day as this we should no
forget the peace with which God has fllet
the home In which he has enpalaced u.
as with golden airs; Never since tn,
has there been such tranquility within
our borders. All along the rocky coast!
of Maine, through the forest region Of
New England, through the fertile middle
and in the warm, glowing South. Bethle
hem's song Is being sung today In sweetel
melody h ever before; and there Is ne
than this great nation gathered under on.
flag, whose white means purity. whose rec
means sacrifice. whose blue means fidelity
whose stars mean the smile of God. Ant
and symbol of that greater congregation
into which every tribe inc nation ant
tongue shall enter at last. and hear rising
as with the voice Of many waters. tn,
unto YOU. and God. even our God. shall
bless the"
Therefore. for life. with all OF its Joy.
and sorrows: for native land, with all o.
its civil and social en~joyments;for TIN
abundant harvest. with its golden treas
ures, and for home. home sweet home
with its banquet Of love and kindred
spirits that seems 70 make s,t It a 81, nif {, o
thank God this day with songs and higl
anthems and rejoice with exceeding Joy
Evening Services At Elm Park.
A congregation that taxed the capa
city Of the spacious and beautiful Elm
Park auditorium attended the very in
teresting evening services. The rea
of the pulpit was banked with a bed O
chrysanthemums and shocks of corr
wheat and rye, and In the center of thi
beautiful harvest picture was an i'm
mense basket Of fruit overturned on 1t
side, speaking of the Lords blessings
The exercises consisted Of music. ad
dresses and responsive readings. 4
number of selections were played on tn
chimes by Alfred Wooler as the con
gregation was assembling. An orgal
prelude by j. Alfred Pennington, an
thems and songs by the choir, congre
g~ational singing, addresses by Thoma
II. Dale and A. v. Bower and the re
sponsive readings led by Rev. Di
Pearce were the different exercises
Home, Sweet Home" by the quar-
tette; Aud Lang Syne." by q NAL
choir, and America" by the congrega
ton were very appropriate and inspir
ing.
Union Services OF Green Ridge.
The Green Ridge churches united Il
service yesterday morning In Asbur,
Methodist Episcopal church, Rev. Am
asa F. Chaffee, pastor. The auditor
OUR Of al kinds represents an outIa
cApAcITY d . large amount Of money, IN
dives emp1oyment to SEVENTY