The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1897-12-01

of plants and trees on the earth during
the great geologic ages long before man
appeared The full evidence of this is
seen in the fossil remains yet found in the
rock aud in the vast coal deposits that
have been carefully slowed away in the
cellars of the earth. During all that
period there Is, however, no trace of
grains. or fruit-bearing trees or llOwers
worthy of the name. Indeed. the bios
som Is no essential part Of the Hover:
stamens and pistis are alone necessary
for seed and the beautiful corolla Is
required for none NJ these purposes.
Instantly. when man was created. how
ever. all the grains and fruits and llow-
ers came on the earth and went forth in
procession to meet and greet HIM at his
appearing. A beautiful picture this
that science brings before us! Our
Father above has spread out table IN
the wilderness for his newly-arrived
guest. and furnished that table with
the choicest food, and heapcd IL up with
the richest fruit and wrcathed and
adorned IL with the rarest- flowers ard
man came and sat down at this table.
and bowed his head and worsbippcd.
This is where geology finds her first
Thanksgiving service. Now open ut
the beginning Of our Bibles. "Bchold.
I have given you every hcrb-bcaring
seed which is upon the face of all the
earth, and every tree In which IL the
shall be for meat" So that geology
becomes a commentary ON Genesis. and
they both tell the one wondrous story.
All the plenty stored up In the grana-
ries Of the world to-day are as truly
Gods gifts Of love to man as were the
miraculous supplies wrought by Christ
when He was on earth. In the small
supply Of seed grain multiplied into
the abundant harvcsts that have just
been waving golden over every valley
and hillside and plain, we have had
again wrought before our eyes. on
a vastly grander scale. the same miracle
by which the hungry thousands were
fed on the greensward by the Galilean
sea. The same miraculous draught
again rewards the fisherman's toll.
Some one has said, ''COuld we only
discern things as they really are, every
mountain would become to us a Sinai
whence Jehovah yet thunders forth His
law; every valley would become to us a
vale of Sharon. where the rose and
/ lilies bloom: every tree would be to us
burning bush: every nightly gem Of
! light would be to us Bethlehem star:
every sea would yet be trOdden by the
Masters feet and stiled by his COM
mand: we would find sermons in stones,
books in running brooks, and good in
! everything. "
One thought more before leaving gem
oral considerations. a suggestive writer
has called attention to the unspeakable
scene of utter desolation which present
ed itself before Noah when he came out
of the ark ON Ararat and stood amid
the wreckagc of perished world.
Would not a feeling of terrible nsecur-
| ity rise up within him? What is the
use of going out and building cities or
cultivating fields when at any moment
another deluge may sweep everything
away before IL? In that awful hour of
dread and uncertainty the patriarch
turned to his God and built an altar on
the mountain top and knelt down beside
the smoking sacrifice and bowed his
head and made supplicatiOn. Then q
voice spoke out of the troubled sky:
While the earth remaineth. seed time
and harvest, and cold and heat. and
summer and winter, and day and night,
shall not cease. Each ripened head of
grain from that day to this is Il stand
ing witness that God has kept his word.
And will he keep covenant with every
blade Of grass In the field and every
tree In the forest and every bird in the
air and every perishing creature on the
earth, and shall he not keep covenant
with man, created in His own likeness,
redeemed by the blood of His own son,
and heir to Immortality? Every leaf
and blade and stalk about us should re-
buke our unbelief. "Have faith in
God" are the words OF the Master.
''The word Of the Lord endureth for
ever" Who can behold tie miracle of
Gods bounty and His enduring faithful
ness without gratitude apd wonder?
Let us feel that each harvest has come
as truly and directly from Him as did
the mama which fell In the wilderness,
and let us pause to-day to offer Hin our
warmest thanksgiving.
H. This Thanksgiving Day is pecu-
liarly an American institution. It re-
ours at stated time Of each year and
is observed as national holiday. Since
the reign OF our sainted Lincoln 1t has
been strictly observed by the nation.