The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-11-26

A large congregation attended the !
union services of the Penn Avenue Bap-
tist and ELM Park Methodists in the
church of the latter yesterday morning.
Rev. DIR. c. NJ. GifIin gave the address,
Which was heard with the utmost in
terest and pleasure.
Haydn Evans, of the Baptist church,
played the prelude a Scherzo of Miller
Rev. DR.. Dixon offered prayer. The
Gloria from Mozart's Twelfth Mass
was effectively rendered by the Penn
avenue choir. Mr.. j. Alfred Penning-
ton played as the offertory Welys Pas
torale in f; his postlude was a Thanks
giving march. Mrs. +. G. Worden sang
beautifully Praise the Lord" by
Faure. and the duet by Alfred Wooler
and Richard Thomas, by Parry, was
one of the delightful features of the
morning
The subject of DR.. Gimn's address
was THE American Axe" The text
was:
Shall the axe boast itself against
him tn = heweth herewith Isaiah
X, 10. Ii, said:
The prophet was referring to nations
and rulers 1t is an appropriate interro-
cation for such an occasions as this
our national Thanksgiving. lie indicates
that the instrument might assert iude-
pendencc. Communities and individuals
were maChineries TO be used by the IN
finite to execute his purposes, The axe is
only an agent. Reading the text again
we muSI say that the American axe has
a tendency toward boaStng rather than
blessing. The celebrated tool with which
Gladstone cuts down the trees on his es-
tate wouldn't be as wise in insisting that
credit was due to it and not to the drive
in the grand old mans muscle. Let him
quit hewing and it has no history. 1t
takes proclamation of our executive TO
call the attention of this productive pcG-
pie from themselves to the real energy
. operating in their schemes and successes.
Some would blot Thanksgiving day from
our calendar as an Insult to our ingenuity
\ and industry, suggesting that God is a
Htiction and man the fact. The pious pa
{pers of our rulers are regarded as bias
phemy against the race that has downed
1.-The trees and brought improvement to
its reign in this territory. Even heathens
rehuke such, for the Chinese, so dCtCSt-
liable to some, send their sovereign as
their high priest yearly to the Temple Of
-Ieaven at Pekin to represent all in ac-
Acknowledgement of their Indebtedness to the
Infinite Power. Queen Victoria confess
edly reigns by "the grace of God" Shall
America be atheistic? A wild talker who
ha itinerated through several isms until
he is beyond all fences, said recently: Il
think it is not a good thing for people
10 believe I'm God. l think it is a bad
thing" Some think with him. The pro-
fanation of Sabbath and neglect of the
sanctuary shows he has disciples. Gorg-
ing is a good thing while glorifying God
j. the worship of an inherited superstl-
ton. If there is a God He IS the property
, of the church folks, let such recognize
him if they ease. These say that to
them he is a discernible factor in
lCarth's movem Materialsm has BAN
ished him with th. Vths. Let those who
like listen for the Nrch bell, they will
listen for the dinner Dcll. Are we pessi-
mistis if 50 hearing we ask is the Amer
team axe boasting itself? Theators full,
. dance houses crowded saloons with extra
patronage, while churches have TO unite
in groups to gather enough TO use the
plural words in the service-we, us, our.
DOES NOT FILL THE TEMPLES.
The proclamation shuts the shops, but
4 does not fill the temples and what was set
| apart for devotion is given to diversion.
( 1t has been said We are running to word
} and tongue. II this is to self assertion
apart from God it is downward and not
an upward tendency Those calls from
Washington and Harrisburg are like
ghosts from an almost forgotten world,
suggesting that W. are in arrears of
praise should honestly pay our debt 10
the Real one who has worked by us,
1t is not relishable suggestion that We
are misplacing credits. Some may say
this is not a good appetizer into which
to prepare the viands before them. 81
lence these men who speak for God, sub
stitutng gratitude for gladncSS Instead
of thinking of God let us think Of men,
the hungry, the needy Yea. Who give
most help those who deny the Maker.
Charity is n child of Christianity. All the
food skeptics viii serd to the suffering
this day from New York to San Francisco
would not make a light lunch for small
orphan asylum. Pity for the human is GC
substitute for praise to the divine. Why
does the American axe incline 10 self
boastinG? Frst-lmmense selt-cOnsCious'
ness. The finite is in his feeling to the
front and so impressed that he does not
see beyond. The Hebrew statements a,
10 divine energy everywhere potential art
tolerated as poetry not as truth. Amer
leans do SO much, there is no need fol
God TO do anything. Second-Apprccia
tion of second causes has removed the
Almighty from immediate action wher,
once He alone was supposed to be al
work, until He Is suspected as not having
any place in human history. We do no
find him here, perhaps lie Is nowhere
The laboratory has reported a new Deity
named Force, transmissable somethnl
that may wear myriad shapes as heat
motion, light, these being the labels on
the idols in the Pantheon of Science. Car
lyle says: "The word inspiration still lin
gers but only as the name of poetic
figure from which the once earnest, aw
ful soul-subduing sense has vanished. ,
SO God is a word, with no touch Of tn,
eternal, no thrill from beyond, in it; IN,
axe works itself!
Some who do not see Goa I'm the usua
may admit him in the extraordinary. O
course we had to have him when we Gu
the chains that bound us to England
He was in the strokes that constructo,
our constitution, every one sees m
marks of the more than human there
What Is the sense of dragging God into
year tame as the last? We have spas
modlc use for the Lord. A civil war call
for His Intervention, but average states
can run the government I'm thes
calm days. As If God came into affairs a
intervals The age of miracles is not 5
lawful as this very nay when lie is max
ing so much use of human aids, 9TH
sreastest miracle is 10 do without NH
lie. Pity that man gets so much of tn
sry In this republic there Is nothin
E5ltger than the almighty dollar, IT Is IN
greatness that makes it," Caesar salc
Vent, vidi, vici. Charles said Ven
Vidi sed Christus vct.' American
Quote Caesar. We are the men who hav