The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-26
PERSONAL GREED.
II Makes Trouble With Our Laws
and SOcie:y.
REV. W. f. BERRY'S THANKSGlV.
ING SERMON.

We of America have Many Reasons to Be
Unsatisfactory of the Day.
From the eastern portion of the city the
Thanksgiving service was held at II a. m.
in the Congress street Methodist church.
Rev. A. n. Wright of the st. Lawrence
Congregational church, assisting the
pastor, Rev. W. F. Berry.
Mr. Wright read the proclamation OF
the Governor of Maine; and then read
from the 10Th chapter, First chronicles,
beginning at the seventh verse. This Is
one of the Thanksgiving selections from
the old ScriptIlres of the Hebrews. At
the conclusion of the reading MIR. Wright
offered the prayer. In the course of this
prayer. Mr., Wright petitioned that the
time NAV come in our beloved city when
the men of the city, its great men, its
influential men, its strong men, may
combine and stand together to sustain
righteous law, just law, and for the love
OF men.
This portion of the prayer was greeted
with hearty amens.
After the singing of Nearer My God
to Thee" the pastor, Rev. Mr.. Berry.
began his sermon from the text of the
Psalms: What shall render unto the
Lord for all His benefits towards ine?"
In beginning his sermon Mr.. Berry
read sketch Of the origin of Thanksgiv-
ing. 1t was in 1921 that young Pill
grim arose at Plymouth and moved that
instead Of fasting they have day of
thanksgiving, reciting as reasons that
'our colony is prospecting, our corn fields
are larger, our wives are very obedient,
etc. Although established in New Eng
land SO early it was not until 1861 that
President, Abraham Lincoln, issued the
first proclamation for a national Thanks
giving. Mrs. Hale Philadelphia lady,
had been for several years laboring to
bring this about, as she had great ad-
miration for the New England custom.
. Having given this sketch of the history
of the day the speaker went on to speak
of the great desirability Of more patience
and thankfulness, in families and be-
tween man and man. People are very
ready to complain at their misfortunes;
but they rarely remember to be thankful
for their blessings. The spirit of thanks
giving should be cultivated to greater
extent.
AS nation we have much to be thank
full for. What magnificent nation this
is, How inexhaustible its resources
And remembe that it Ia God who has
given this to us as n heritage. The chare
aoter which the settlers Of tho land trans
United to their descendants is another
great reason for thanksgiving. To them
It is due that we were bound down by no
such ecclesiastical system as was given
to the South American republics by the
Portuguese and Spanish adventurers
who settled there. Those republics have
progressed only as they have looked up
to and initiated the noble institutions
which our forefathers brought to this
land. Ecuador, the only one of those re-
publics which has not progressed is still
under the ecclesiastioism that has curshed
it for four hundred years. A Bible would
be burned in the public square there;
the people are nearly all illiterate, and a
large proportion of the women bear chill
dren out of wedlock.
The material progress of this nation
was very great, SO much go that since the
passage of the Dingley bill the nations of
Europe had begun to look on US with
Q IVY.
But there were many reasons for alarm
as well as for qualification.
In 1890 there were 1000 prisoners in
our jails and prisons, of whom 56 per cent
were of foreign birth. Thus there were
only 81, 600 American criminals out of our
g., 900. 900 people, and many of these were
colored people of the South.
But while this seemed satisfactory |
there were causes for trembling. The re-
cent triumph of Tammany in New York |
was discouraging relapse into corrup-
ton. There had also been in this city "a
recent investigation instituted by q man
who needs to be investigated himself, I
suspect, which brought out the fact that
he owed his election to votes bought with
money.
land sent to the state prison eight crimi-
nails; in 1896 she sent twenty. and in 1897
she has sent thirty four. There has been
steady increase of criminals, due to the
selfish greed of those who make and ad-
minister our laws.
In the executive and judicial branches
of our state government the affairs of the
state are sacrificed to personal and party
selfish ends. Various laws are being sus-
pended for the sake Of personal greed and
party gain.
In dealing with the temperance ques-
ton with the question of greed public
and private, the people of this country
will eventually act as did the great party
shat overthrow slavery, although the solu-
ton may come in tears and blood.
At the conclusion the speaker expressed