The Portland daily press., 1898-11-25
UNION THANKSGIVING SERVICE.
Large Congregation at Free st. Baptist
Church Yesterday Morning.

Freeman of Chestnut st.-Good sug-
| gestions From Other Pastors.
| The union service at the Free Street
Baptist church yesterday morning twas
participated in by large and deeply in
terested congregation gathered from vari-
oUs parts Of the city. Among the clergy
men present besides the pastor were Rev.
DR.. Jenkins. Rev. DR.. Fem, Rev. DR..
Blanchard, Rev DIR. Merrill, Rev. DIR.
Dalton, Rev. Luther Freeman, Rev. w.
Is. Ayres, Rev. j. G. Perkins, Rev.
Lewis Malvern, Rev. W. I. Phelan, and
| the Rev. Mr.. Aaron.
After invocation by the Rev. Mr.. Nal
vern and the rendering by the congrega-
ton of s'Praiee God From Whom All
Blessings Flow the 103d Psalm was inn
pressively read by Dr. EBlanchard, fol.
lowed by the Goth hymn, given out by the
pastor, the Rev. DIR. Wilson. and sung by
the congregation. Indeed throughout
the exercises the singing was entirely
congregational with beautiful organ &C.
compartment.
The Scriptural reading was by DR.. Dali
| ton, the Reatitudes, from the sixth chap
ter OF st. Matthew, and was followed by
prayer from the Rev. DR.. Jenkins, who
asked that spirit of sobriety govern our
people and national councils in their ac-
tions, and who closed with the "Our
Father
The Thanksgiving proclamation from
the governor of Maine was then read by
the Rev. Mr.. Perkins. Then DR.. Dalton
reminded the congregation that the col
lection for the morning would be in aid
of that beneficent Institution, the Provi-
dent society. In this connection he paid
q merited and feeling tribute to the faith
full and disinterested labors of that friend
of the poor, the Rev. W. T. Phelan, and
a compliment to the pastor of the church
in whose building the services were held.
He also took occasion to reprehend the
growing practice of sitting during prayer,
instead of standing or kneeling, which
he chided as unworthy of the true ideal
of worship. In this opinion be believed
every pastor in the city was at one with
him, and he suggested that some enter.
prising reporter interview them on the
, subject
i The morning Offering, resulting in
, goodly sum, was bhen taken, the offertory
prayer being made by the pastor.
II The sermon, vigorous in thought.
couched in eloquent language, and deliv'
, cred with great fire and earnestness, was
then preached by the Rev. Luther Free
man of Chestnut street church. We give
it in substance as follows:
Il REASONS FOR THANKSGIVING.
J The observance of special day o.
thanksgiving dates from 1888, when the
: Massachusetts Bay Colony called upon al
1 to gather in their places of worship and
, given deyout thanks for Gods mercies.
The people were poorly clad, sheltered
: and fed, and subject to frequent raids
from hostile Indians, but they found
} grounds for devout gratitude How
, changed are our conditions. Our homes
are comfortable, food ample, apparel ap
: propriate Prosperity is seen on every
, hand. And yet the rarest topic one cal
select in these days is "Reasons fol
Thanksgiving. This is the day for ser
monic night shade. We have alread.
been told of the sappers that have
/ already honeycombed the foundations o
our most treasured monuments, and in
situations preparatory to their distinctive
, fall. We hear the roll of the maffiet
; drum of evil prophecy until we go hom
to the dinner Of the year too hopeless to
J eat and too sad too digest if we do eat
Alas for the perry rsion Of the most char
acteristic New England day from day o
, worship before God into time o
) dubious prophecy; our sad ness renderin,
the festivities a mockery and opening the
realm of indigestion-the kingdom of tn
devil.
Although I appreciate the fact tina
there is much that may give us anxiou
, thought, in the problem of the illiters tt
masses, undesirable immigration, unjus
: class distinctions municipal corruption
of which we are the viot inns, tn
nefarious liquor traffic now defsming on
own fair city, and other local and nation
| al perils, this does not seem to me to b.
the time or place to give to these specia
consideration.
!, Is there anything in our conditions +
give us ground for genuine thanksgiving
, My text is found in the one hundredtl
Psalm at the fourth verse: ENTER int
: his gates with thanksgiving. into bi
courts with praise.
First, we should thank God for on
nation. Our personal intelligence, free
dom, wealth or culture is largely due t.
I our surroundings. The spirit of our ma
tionaI life we must thank for these excel
lencies in our lives. While we are prou'
q of our great domain recently made great
f er and with large prospects of expansion
: in the near future, our great lakes ant
rivers, our mines and manufactures, bet
Q ter than all these is the splendid freedom
|, of our national life, freedom that give
ever man an equal chance before the lsw
opportunity to better his condition, an
through the public. school offers every DO
| a chance to win IT Is moi; Russia wit