The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-12-01
CENTRAL ,NION CHURCH.
Rev. Mr.. Gardner on Thanksgiving
rOr All things.

rOr All things.
\ thankless heart is dwarfed and
miserable. 1t is a sure impeachment to
the development of noDIe character.
A grateful heart gives depth to char
acter by putting its possessor in sym
pathy with all men and cultivating
feeling of responsibility and a dIspo-
sItion to give.
There is no difficulty in being thank
full for great and unexpected blessings.
When the news reached the UnICed
States that Dewey had destroyed the
Spanish fleet at Manila, with almost
no casualties to the American navy,
every loyal heart was flied with graf
ltude, and multiplied thousands were
saying, God is helping us in our
war TOR humanity" And when the
again happened and Ger
vera's feet went down at Santiago,
shout of thanksgiving went up from
American hearts such as had not been
heard for a quarter Of century. We
said, History is repeating itself; the
God who gave victory to the army I'M
der Joshua is giving victory to the
army under Mckinley" but the
thanksgiving which is most acceptable
to Him in whose honor we nave met
today, is that which recognizes His
hand in all the little as well as in a
few of the great things of life.
Have you ever considered what an
army of men and women God has con-
stantly employed in providing for our
comforts and necessities? AS | medi-
tated upon this thought in my study |
saw gang of men toiling in the cot
ton fields and mills of the South,
company of shepherds caring for and
Shearing the sheep on the plains and
mountains of the West. the multitude
of silk-growers in Italy and peasants
in the flax fields of Ireland, with an
army of weary factory girls, upon
whom | am dependent for my daily
clothing. | am grateful to them and
give God thanks for His wonderful
providence, which, with such marvel
GUS system and order. brings to me
from all parts of the earth the things
| need.
Starvation is within a days march
of countless multitudes and sometimes
within month of the whole race. With
n year of total blight the whole human
family would be swept from the earth.
In Norway there is custom requiring
each guest upon arising from the table
TO bow TO the hostess and say. Thanks
for this meal" so today and every day
and three times every day we should
thank God for the food We eat.
1t is hard for some of us to be thank
full for Affections and disappointments,
yet it is reasonable as well as Script
ural. that these are often necessary in
order to our greatest happiness and
\ noted musician once
went to hear a young lady sing. In
expressing his opinion of her after
ward he said, IF some one would mar
ry her and break her heart she would
become the star soloist of the world"
Let us thank God for the Affections
of the heart, for they impart grace
which other blessings fail to confer.
Carlyle said, "A man should place
himself at zero and then reckon every
degree ascending from that point as
an occasion of thanks" We are all
far from the extreme point and let us
stand where we are and say with the
Psalmist, BLESS the Lord o my soul
and all that is within me bless His
holy name"
AS an American citizen | thank
God that the foundation of our repub
lie was laid by Christian men; that the
great law of love and the universal
brotherhood of mankind were made
in the Declaration of In
Because of the things for
which We stand God has mercifully
preserved our nation through long
Civil War and given us a speedy vic
tory over tyrannical Spain. The sun
of prosperity shines upon our whole
nation; our abundant crops and the
good prices at which they are in de-
mand has called to remunerative la
Dor the 100000 of unemployed, repre-
sentatives OF whom were so recently
calling for bread at the doors Of near
ly every family on the Mainland.
Notwithstanding the expensive war
we are carrying on in the Philippines
our revenues are sufficient to moro
than pay all expenses of the Govern
ment, and we are steadily reducing the
debt that has accumulated in the past.
the United States is an infant
among the nations, it Is the wealthiest
of them all. We have $4,000, 000,000
more wealth than Great Britain and
S13 1000, 200, 900 more than Spain. What
means this immense wealth placed in
our hands? 1t means that this is Gods
country, which He is blessing for a
special purpose. He gave Solomon
wealth to build a temple; He has Civ
en- us wealth not simply TO construct
great railways, factories and carry on
other gigantic material enterprises,