El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-11-26

and disappointment Ihank1utGeSs
like golden thread runs through al
most every psalm and so the psalter
or psalms of David has be IN regarded
in every age Is the great hymn book OF
the caurch of God. impelling men to
devotion and to thankfulness to the
giver of every good and perfect gift
whose mercy is over all his works.
The 23rd Psalm is especially dear
to the hearts of Christians because it is
ground for Thankful ness though our
feet tread the valley of the shadow OF
death, for even there We have the
sod and the staff of TIE gONd shephe'd
TO support and comfort, and so need
fear no evil. In view of all the bless
| ings both past and present and YET to
core all the kind and loving things
that God bad done for him and the
i gloriss to be revealed to him hereaf' err
when he should have his place in the
house of the Lord farever-David
seems unable to adequately express in
words his depth of gratitude and so
he exclaims, my cup rune tn over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall fol-
low me all the days of my life and l
will do well in the house OF the Lord
| forever"
1t is mans duty to be thankful at all
times and in all places. 1t is mans
duty to give evidence of his gratitude
not only in word but in deed. 1t is
emineptly fitting that one day in the
year should be set apart for this pur-
pose, day observed for special prayer
and Thanksgiving to Almighty Goo.
AS members of the Episcopal church
it is incumbent upon us to observe
the annual feast of Thanksgiving.
The mandate of the church is very
plain. The service we have used to-
day is profaced with the words. GA
form of prayer and Thanksgiving to
A mighty God, for the fruits of the
earth and all other blessings OF his
merciful Providence: to be used W arly
on the first Thursday in November,
or on such other day as shall be APP
pointed by the civil authority"
Following the precedent set by his
predecessors in office, our chief eX-
ecutive appointed the fourth Thu, s.
Jay as the day for nation al Thanks
giving and prayer and his proclama-
ton to that effect is one of the most
beautiful and at the same time one OF
the most comprehensive Thanksgiving
proclamations ever issued by a pres
ident of the United States. When we
consider how true are his assertions
as to blessings bestowed during the
past year and whan we add to them
the countless other blessings of Gods
merciful providence to us as indivi-
duala, mere words should fail to ex-
Iress our sense of gratitude. We
need must say with King David OF
old. ''My cup runneth over"
Some say that they have nothing for
which to be thankful, that plans have
miscarrie3, that they have been I'M
fortunate, that they are unable to bear
the burdens laid npon them. ''As a
nation we have been blessed, it is true,
but as individuals. no. 1 for one have
failed to receive my share. 1 am not
thankful this day Let such one
write off on slips of paper all the mer-
cies that he daily re :eives, he will be
surprised at the number. A teacher
in the mission school after explaining |
the 23rd psalm and the meaning of the
words my cup runneth over" sug-
gested that the children play the cup
of blessing game Each child wrote |
on sip Of paper his or her blessings |
and placed it in large cup on the |
teachers desk. One little girl wrote |
81 am thankful I'm got a mother "
Another said, Thankful is any one |
who is very good and my M Their is
another. "Thankful fer mother and |
life,'' wrote another whose brutal
father had just been liberated from the
peniteutiary. One little girl was
tina okful for ''all the heavenly
boo les
Light Itself Is a trapScendant bless
log. Let one visit deep cave and
after while spent in darkness emerge
to tie light of midday. He will be
thankful fo- the light that reveals the
faces of friends, that colors the flowers,
ripens the fruits and greins and makes
all nature glad. The light of day is
typical of revelations light. All of
us must needs thank God for creation.
preservation ard all the Blessings of |
this life, but before all. and above all,
we must thank him for his iuestimable
love in the redemp' ion of the world by
our Lord, Jesus Christ, for the means
of grace and for the hope of glory. In
view of all these b essings all must con-
fess "Our cup runn"th over"
In concluding Ills remarks, the rector
referred to the fac. thai this was the
anniversary of his adm ssion to the
p iesthOod, he having been ordaiue d
Nov %, 1885. On this day twelve years
ago he thanked God for the bare gift
of no orders. Today he thanked
God for the completion of twelve years
of service, and although they had been
years marked with many a labor,
manv a sorrow, many a tear" he was
thankful to say that his faith in the
good ness of God had never failed him
and that never for moment had he
ceased to place his trust in Christ, the
savior.
The offerings for the day were devot-
ed to charity.
The day was observed fttingly in
other ways. At the Door of Hope
Mission on South Oregon street. the
good women in charge of the work
there kept open house from Loo to 400
p ~ and fed TWO hundred people from
the streets who were rot able to buy
their own Thanksgiving dinners. 1t
was ii eral carrying out of the scrip
tural ipiun ,tiOn to ''gO out into the by
ways ard hedges and compel tbem-to
come in,'' and all who partook of the
hosp'ta tai ties SO freely given express d
their heart felt thanks for the same.
The food was solicited by the ladies
within the last few days from the var
ious merot ants of the town who gave
readily; in fact were much pleased to
help along such good cause.
The ladies in charge were Mrs.
w