The evening times., 1896-11-26
THIS LAND'S PROUD PLACE
DR.. Talmage Reviews the Nations
Great Debt of Gratitude.
SAVED BY THE ELECTION
Delivered From the Maelstrom
Which Threatened It's Institu-
tons With Ruin-Thanks for the
Monroe Doctrine-Harvest Have
Been PlenteOus.

DR.. Talmagc's drawing powers have by
no means waned, If the Thanksgiving audi
encc Mt the First Presbyterian Church may
be taken an indication. Long before the
time for the service to begin the church was
filled to the doors with the regular pew
holders, while there was n good crowd OF
outsiders awaiting standing room. These
were finally accom- nOddted with seats in
outer hallway and in chairs around The
chancel. while several rows of listeners
stood all. through the service under the
gallery.
The altar decorations were in keeping
with the season. consisting Of sheayes OF
wheat and shocks OF corn. while a tray OF
fruits and flowers stood under the altar
Bars OF white light from the partly opened
windows falling upon this backg round and
lighting up the softer unts nT the stained
glass, made a very effective picture from d
purely scenic point Of view.
Dr. Sunderland shared the pulpit with
DIR. Talmage, and pronounced the invOca-
ton.
THE COUNTRY'S PROUD POSITION.
DR.. Talmage took for his text Hosea 3;
81, %: Il Will hear, saith the Lord;
viii hear the heavens, and they shall hear
the earth; and the earth shall hear the
corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they
shall hear Jezreel''
AlLSugGestive Thanksgiving text. Fam
inc and trouble had reigned in JeZreeL
But this text promises in allegOry great
harveSts. To show the dependence OF
things on God and on each other they are
represented as in prayer.
so during the past twelve months all our
land has been at prayer, and the answer
is written today all over the continent in
letters a "a pntH yt-nI nd
orange. God heard in the heavens, and
the heavens heard the solar and lunar and
stellar and cloudy Influences, and they
heard the earth and the earth heard the
fruits ana grains, and these heard the
American people.
JaiieG ~ me most intensely Christian
Proclamation that ever Issued from the
Executive Mansion to gather FOR Thanks
giving service, when Gil this nation owe
to God such debt OF gratitude?
Delivered from thc edgc Of a maelstrOm
that threatened to draw down our institu-
tinnS into ruin, and put again INTO smooth
waters, right after th,. significant yindi-
cation of the position taken by our United
states governm eut on the Venezuelan
question, the bold proclamation of the
MOnTUe doctrine few months ago, result
ing in the establishment of that doctrine
forever, foreign nations uniting with ours
in saying so let it be-
Then the harycsts- The optinists and
pessimists and corn merchants and far
mers have told US such diverse stories that
l went right over this week to the United
States Department OF Agriculture and the
bureau of statistics OF the Treasury De-
par,ment. and through the kindness Of
those departments, | am permitted to say
that the production OF the year has been
most glorious.
THE EARLY DAYS
Thanksgiving day not only recalls present
merCies, but ii crowds uur mind with vivid
"Reminiscences. Come and let US be hOys
and girls gain. and go back 10 our early
Thanksgiving Days. on day ike this we
can afford to he merry, and d smile may lee
as acceptable as a tear.
How old are you, anyhow, my hearers
Twelve years? Well, ] am seven. In our
DoyhOOd's Thanksgiving bays we did not
care much for the sermon We rode three
miles 10 hear. although we sat still two
mortal hours TO learn how thankful we
ought to be, our gratitude refusing to Iise
until we got t. the bcncdictiOn.
Boys and girls We're worst. then than
they are now. on a day Ike this the mem
ory becomes a kaleidoscope. and every min
ute the scene changes You give to the la
leLdoscOpe Of memory turn. and there they
are. natural as life, around the country
hearth on a cold winter night Hear the
hickory fire cracking! See the shadows
fit up and down the wall! Gam.s :hst
sometimes Well nigh upset the chairs
Blind-man's buff" and WHO'S got the
button?''
The popping com. the mclasses pulling,
and the witch stories which made the
neighbors' boys afraid To go home after
dark. Hickory nuts on one dish. a nd rOSicst
apples on the other. The boisterous pla IS of
More bags On the min.'' Leap frog -
Round and round the room until Some one
got hurt, and a kiss was offered to make
up for the hurt, the kiss mere resented than
the hurt.
kIgn Oih times. Father aud mother got
up and went into the next room, beci.isc
they could not stand the racket. Then. ~
stead OF computations of conscience, a
worse racket.
THE sADDER SIDE.
But now the scene is fading out. The
old fireplace is down, and the house is
down with il. one Of those boys W ent 10
sea, and was never heard of. Ano,bnr
became squire in a ncightoring village.
Another went to college. and became "a
minister. Another died the following
summer.
They are nearly all gene, and you had
better turn the Kaleidoscope quickly or
you will get us all crying. There. turu it
no further, for | want to see that old
Thanksgiving dinner. Father at one md
of the table. mother at the other the hill
dren between. wondering if father will
ever get done carving the turkey.
On, that proud, strutting hero of the
barnyard, upside down: his plumes gone,
and minus his gobble, stuffed with that
which he can never digest. The day .o-
fore at school we had learned that Greece
was south of Turkey, but at that table we
found that turkey was bounded by grease:
the brown surface waiting for the fork to
plunge astride the breast-hone aud for
the knife, slarpened on the jams of the fire
place, to lay hare the folds Of white meat
Give to the hoy disposed to be serti-
mental the heart. Give to the one dis
posed 10 music the drumstiCk Give 10
the one who is disposed 10 theological dis
cussion the parsons nose"
OF PIES.
Then the pies, For he most part a lost
art What minCe pies, in which You had
all confidence. Fashioned from Ill rich in
gradients, instead of miscella neous leav-
lUgs, which are only sort of gloTfied hash
Not mince pies with profound mysteries OF
origin; but mother made hem-chorped the
meat for them, spieed them. sweeten"d
them. Favored them, and laid the lower
crust anG the upper crust. with here and
there puncture by the fork T.. let you
look through the light and tlaky surface
into the luxuriance beneath
No BRANDY, Tor the old folks were stout
for temperance; but cider, about halfway
between new and hard. with a light ten
dency to h1rd. But have always :een
opposed To cider. except whenit was good
Dear me! What pie! You deluded New
Englanderscan Il talk until you are grayabolt
your pumpkin pies for Thanksgi vingd Day,
but give me an old-fashioned New jersey
mince pie. OF the ten III that table all are
gone except two-Soine in village church
nr1 ND in ,fx-s y,.,t
shaIisit with them at the brighter ban
Better turn the Kaleidoscope