The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1898-12-01
Thanksgiving Service.

Thanksgiving Service.
The union Thanksgiving service, held
Thursday evening last in the First B ,p-
fist church, was very Interesting one
and well attended, notwithstanding the
rainstorm that prevailed during the
evening.
For several years past services have
| been held the evening OF Thanksgiving
day, and the result has been that much
larger audiences have bceu in attendance
| than when the services were held in the
forenoon.
Music by n choir. III der The direction OF
Mrs. Philo Steward, with Miss Josephine
smith, organist. Was II prominent feature
of the exercises, ard much enjoyed
Mrs. Steward also rendered several solos
which were greatly appreciated by the
audience
Rev. b. c. Wentworth, pastor of the
NJ. E. church, preached the sermon, an
able and comprehensive one, devoted
largely to National Z, fl tirs.
Following is an abstract of the ser
mon, the subject being "a Prosperous
Nation:
Text, Isaiah, Goth chapter, LIST and
End verses, I'm that day shall this song
be sung in the land of Judah; we have a
strong city; salvation will God appoint
for walls and bulwarks. Open we the
gates, that the righteous nation which
keepeth the truth Tor truths) may enter
in" After giving "A brief comment on
the text, the speaker said, 1--WE take the
liberty on an occasion like this, to turn
aside from the old beaten paths of ser
monizing and give our thought to local,
national and international issues, re-
viewing the past, surveying the present,
observing the signs of the times and
possibly to indulge in a day dream OF
coming events"
The secret of our national strength
was then considered. at does not con
sist in our intelligence, even though we
are dwelling in an age of critical culture,
philosophical investigation and scientific
research, nor in our wealth or states
manship, nor in the dominant political
parties, but in divine Christianity,
taught by the Bible, and received as an
eternal verify, incorporated into a mans
head, heart and conscience, changing
his nature, controlling his will, govern
ing his appetites, sanctiiying his life and
fortune.
Pessimists would make us believe that
I hristianity is on the decline, but facts
prove to us that it has made greater
advances in the United States during
our national life than it did in the
whole world during the first eight
centuries after Christ by an excess of
more than six millions of protestant
church members. Notwithstanding
America has been the dumping ground
of foreign nations, who have brought to
us their pauper and criminal elements,
the church of the living God has been
making mighty conquests. In 1900
there was one evangelical church mem
Der in every fifteen of our population,
now we have one in every five. While
the population has increased ten times
evangelical Christians have increased
thirty times 1t is a matter of history
that national prosperity and happiness
Is the measure of the moral and in
telleetual condition Of its people"
Here Nineveh, Greece and Rome were
referred to az illustrative of the truth
llldt you mas hdld lUt ndtIOH anu
Kingdom that will not serve me shall
perish; yea, those nations shall be utter
~ wasted" England, Germany and
France were compared, England stand
ing first among the nations of the East
having a steadfast throne and upon it IA
thristian Queen. and having done more
than both the other nations to civlize
and Christianize the world, proving that
/ .l-.. L. oil 10th no
Warm words were spoken in relation
to Luther, the German reformer and of
Bismark AS man of "lron and Blood ,
yet a Christian who has had much to do
with the moral status of Germany.
France was referred to as tickle in her
government, not having recovered fully
from her infdelity, a plaything in the
hands of a partisan priestcraft. The
United States towers above them all as
nominally Christian nation, but we are
far from being what we ought to be,
and unless we repent of our national
sins and iniquities, coming the blood
and souls of men, for revenue only and
gro wing rich and faUteniHg on the weak
nesses and crimes of our citizens, we
shall perish as "A nation of drunkards
and drunkard makers.
We should look hopefully into the
future. Nothing is impossible to us as a
people if we but dare TO do right. The
speaker here took up the questions of
reform and spoke of Thomas Clarkson,
the young Englishman, who fought
through all opposition to the freedom of
the slave on British soil and lived to see
the curse wiped out, also of William
Lloyd Garrison, the printer lad, in back
attic printing his little paper entitled
1.-THE Liberator," in which he said 81
will be heard" this youth was alone at
the beginning in his war against slavery,
but fought to the finish. Wendall
Phillips, as one "born out of due time"
came 10 his side, but when Mr.. Lincoln
~ hn 10 y,