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

! Kew ~ Es "d'ihCNSs hstoi VI '"S
church Was in Charge of the Ser
vices aud Rev. J. u. Moilitt, OF the
Washburn street Presbyterian
| Church. offered the Invocation.
| Fine Musical Prosramme--Mr.
Doty's Thoughtful Remarks.
( The only union services in West
Scranton in Observance of the day of n
general thankful spirit was conducted
lat tie Scranton Street Baptist church
yesterday morning.
Services was begun at 1890 o'clock.
Mis-. T. G. Beddoe, church organist,
played the voluntary after which the
doNolugy was sung by the Congrega-
tiuu. Rev. $. +. Matthews, pastor Of
. the church, who presided, pronounced
the bcncdiction. The Invocation was
/ given in a few simple words fraught
with the spirit of the hour by Rev.
J. L. MoGatt, pastor Of the Washburn
street Presbyterian church.
\ hymn announced by Rev. L. r.
Foster, pastor of the Sumner avenue
( prashyterian church. was sung. Rev.
J. L.. Sweet, pastor Of the Simpson
Methodist church, read the Scripture
lesson and prayer was offered 10y Rev.
" h. Peck. After the singing of the
hymn, as announced by Rev. ]. =, Mof-
fltt. an Offering was taken for the West
Side hospital.
The OIortory was pronounced by
Ruy. : T.. Matthews and the choir
rendered a beautiful anthem. The SER
.mon which was preached hv Rev. T.
y. Doty. pastor Of the Hampton Street
Methodist church, proved deeply inter-
C,Jiug to the large congregation pres
lent His sermon in substance is print
cd here with.
lie chose as his text that passage
from First Samuel, vi:12: "Ebenezer,
hitherto hath the Lord helped us" and
carried out the meaning in the fol-
lowing words:
MIR. DOTY'S SERMON.
I'm the midst Of the excitement of men
. stranin@ every nerve and power of body
and brain, in the race for position and
wealth, we have this day the strange
spectacle Of 70 millions of people pausing
to observe a day of prayer and Thanks
giving unto Almighty God
our president ana the governors of the
| separate states unite in recommending
the observance OF this day.
/ In remote ages past. it was the custom
! Of the people to set up monumental
stones to commemorate events which
U'rn Of peculiar interest to them
'r5ug the lifetime of Samuel the
. 1H...r prophet and judge of Israel, the
. IuliStinCS made war against Israel
Jehovah came to the assistance of His
people, and speaking in tones of thunder
filled the hearts of the Philstines with
fear, so that their host was panc-strick.
en- ana fled before the army of Israel
My text records that Samuel took a
stone and set it up between Mizpeh and
Show, uhd called the stone Ebenezcr, ol
the stone of help. 1t recorded Gods
Irovideutll dolivCranCe of Israel. and
was monument Of their gratitude tC
Him. ON this day we assemble here ant
. set up our "EbeneZor" Hitherto hati
the Lord helped us"
THANKSGIVING Day is Americas mon
! umantal stone. erected in recognition OF
$ the Divine help and favor in the past
. II was first set up on Dec. q, 1921, by
p order of Governor Bradford upon whicl
- day he ana the Colonists gave thank!
3 for the bOuntiful harvest that year, con
- sistipg of forty bushels Of Indian corn
, From time to time, with more or less reg
l / uluity, 70 day Of thanksgiving was oh
; served, until about 1867 since which dat,
/ am annual observance Of such day wal
20 | established.
a Election, and TO offer our tribute of prais
e 10 our Bountiful Father above"
n NEARING IT'S END.
{ The year ~ is nearing its end. 1t
d events will soon have passed into history
e. As W. set up our "Ebcnczer" today
D may assist us perhaps to first call III
y the past i'm retrospect. Truly, we Amer
{ leans can adopt the words of Samuel
t when lie said Hitherto hath the Lor,
f helped us" America, in its greatness i
j the marvel of the world.
10 Its beginnings were but feeble.
% handful of Colonsts dispersed along tn
Atlantic coast holding nominal posses
sion of n narrow strip of the territory
have grown to be a nation of seVent
- millions possessing all the land from tn
= lakes to the gulf, and from ocean t
" ocean. Where once starvation stared tn
II Colonist in the face, now from our boun
- tlful productions of corn and wheat W
T., are able TO send abroad bread to fee
IS starving millions in other lands
s From the prosecuted Puritans of tn
S Old World God selected the seed wit
e. which to plant this nation in the new
K They were religious people VINO feare
- God and nothing else, 4 multitude G
r. nationalitcs are represented by our pol
"a ulltiou, but the influence of the earl
y Puritan fathers, in molding our educa
Il | tiuual institutions, and our religious Gus
toms is felt throughout a large porto
2. of our land today.
Ia To their sturdy manhood and stron
.C religious convictions we are indebted N
,- der God largely for the honest, straigh
f- forward, patriotic statesmen, VIII
q brought out of the choas OF the egl
ia tconrh century this glorious republic.
'a God helped i'm those days, i'm that OF
p fathers choose men Of known ability an
It worth to represent them in the affair
a Of government. Men like Washington
- Adams, Hancock jefferson and other
80 whose integrity in public or private Iii
IS could not be questioned.
n They were the men to make stat
,e They We're honest men, and the majorit
n were God-fearing men.
\ GLORIOUS PERIOD
n ! Thus we account for the glorious pc
Il iud embraced in our past history,
fn which the hand of God is plainly visib
N I'm guiding us on through a period of nj
lt parallcled prosperity, TO greatness al
IN power,
m / wish now to speak of some of Il
r- factors which have promoted the pro
le pcrity Of this nation.
An First of ALL the people who laid Il
H- foundation Of the institutions Of the cou
IN try I have referred to the Purltans.
p- Is not alone to them, for there we
he others of like spirit, who, for their stroI
fe ! Protestant religious faith were driven
I'd, seek a house where freedom of conscen
,9 would be permitted them. They we
lg ! largely of the aggressive Anglo SAKE
~ | race. The cOnquering race Of the worl
a | whose mission seems to be to march
r- the van guard of this worlds civillz
10 ton,
,1 The transplantnE of the Anglo-sax,