The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-11-30

and are we now RECEIVING Vn1y
things which CRAFTY our selnsu ny qe-
sire. and pleasantly situate us! IAa &c
nothing occurred to mar the peaco ~
this community? Does no snaqo" -
sorrow or regret rest upon ~ u ~ ~
hnsinass social and civic life has IL
49,, and Is IL now all that could be
dasiradp Does every individual IN
al this vast country come to his ALTAR
Of worship this day, with his lie Iull,
his sorrow dlspeIled, his happiness
comnIete his desires grained, ana
every thing that is related to MIN eX-
setIy as he wants it to be? VI course
We must answer these questions IN
the negative We are asked to thank
(4od for our political institutions, our
civic life our national greatness, anu
that ssour nation has been brought IN
safety and honor through another
vaar = But there are those VINO 40
rot believe that our institutions ana
national life are all that they should sll
he There are those who deeply feel
that there are corruptions in pubic
life there are evils in government
tbp honor of our Nation is not albo-
gether untarnished and that THESE
naight and ought to be corrected ny
law and legislation. Are these expec-
ted to ioin us in returning thanks 70
Almighty God? If they do It WILL
require not little courage. we are
asked to give thanks Tor apunuanO
harvests. And it is fitting we snoulu.
The pillow and the reaper are as Inucn
If not more to us than the loom OF
the forge Autumn is here ana grea1
haryests are being gathered. Frovi-
dence has brought rich stores OF gram
from our fertile soil. For thls we
should be thankful But there are
very many VINO have been but lltele
benefited by all this. They see apun-
dance but they see it IN the graharlles
and on the tables of others, while they
mist struggle and toll to keep want
from their door. Are these expected
10 ioin us in our expressions OF graft
tude? 1t will require not a little
courage of christian faith for some
this day to thank God for bountlful
haryests. We are asked to thank Goa
that sour industries have prospered
and our commerce has spread over the
world. - And this is occasion LOT
thanksgiving. Our commercial stands
closely related to our moral and splrl-
tnal life. We have occasion to pc
grateful that the financial panic OF
a few wears ago is passed and a larger
prosperity has come to us. BnU unere
are multitudes of our business men
to whom this has been of no advan-
tage. They were never in such imam
eial straits as they are now. Are they
expected to join us in singing our
hymn of praise 1t will take great
deal of courage for some this day TO
thank God for increased prosperity
in the commercial world.
We are. asked to thank God that
s'our official representatives and many
of our people in China were marvel
ously preserved and that though
the city of Galveston was over
whelmed with a fearful calamity
there were so many expressions OF
sympathy and christian charity.
But while our ministers and mission
aries in China were marvelously pro-
tected, much of our property was des-
troyed aud some of our sons sacrificed
their lives in their rescue. There are
few at least whose first and almost
only thought of China is that OF be-
reavement. While christian sympathy
from all parts of this nation went
forth to the sorrowing sufferers at
Galveston, that in very small way
restored the property they lost, and
did not at all bring back those whom
they loved, and who were swept from
them by the flood. Are those who
have thus suffered and lost expected
to come at the call to the affairs of
God and respond amen, to our ascr1p-
tions of praise to him, whose hand is
over the nations and whose word the
seas obey? If so, they will have to
look out over these from view point
which makes them take courage be-
fore they can thank God. As on a
similar occasion we are expected to be
grateful to God for our homes for the
beauty and joy of domestic love the
ties of kindred and the dear ones
whom God has given us. And indeed
we have reason to be thankful for the
American home, for here more than
elsewhere, unless it may be in Eng
land, the mother country, has been
realized the christian home. Well has
the eloquent Dr. DePew said THE
force that made possible America and
its reflex influence upon Europe is the
open Bible by the family Preside. "
Thank God for the home and for what
the christian religion has done for it,
Thank God that the christian religion
has done so much for our American
homes. But to great multitudes it
has been year when an impenetrably
dark shadow has come over the home.
aud an insufferable grief has pierced
the very heart of domestic love. Are
these expected to join with others in
giving thanks to Almighty God for
all the blessings he has vouchsafed to
MS during the past year? Can any
thing else than the courage of an
uRWavering faith and the celestial
light of spiritual hope bring them in
to the presence of christian worship
pers who are met this day to praise
their God. If then as a nation or as
communities or as families, or as
individuals we are truly thankful to
God, it will not be because the evil
dences of his benevolence are found
exclusively in the fact that we have
no suffering, no disappointment, no
wishes unrequited, everything is going
our way and we have no want that
is not gratified. Indeed if that were
the only evidence of divine benevo-
lence. aud ground for thanksgiving
question whether enc man would be
at the altar of God with q grateful
heart We are all situated, in some
features of our lives very much as
was Paul at Appi Forum. The struggle
OF life is on, the hills of life are to
be climbed, the obstacles are to be sur
mounted, the disappointments are to
be overcome and we have no reason
to. expect that everything will be as
we desire AMI that as viewed
from a selfish standpoint, our condi-
: 4 1 sss a L. .I..