Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-12-06
F THANKSGIVING SERMON
- in the ID. &. Church, Woodbury.,
Ecy. 30, 1900, By Rev. G. w. Tomson.


great things Tor Us, whereof we are glad.
We meet to-day in accordance with
time honored custom. 4 moments though
however, will convince US that our posi-
tion is one Of rare and peculiar interest
No person in this congregation ever wit
messed Thanksgiving Day precisely lik,
this-alld no person here Will ever SCI
another, holding the same place in th.
calendar of the fleeing years 1t is tht
last Thanksgiving Day OF the nineteenth
century. Already we hear the rumblins
! OF the chariot wheels Of a new century, al
it comes rolling toward us, along the yener
able course Of time Already the distant
Ehulls are agloY with the sunrise of that new
and eyentful period, which will complete
the two Hillenniums of Christian history
Our position, therefore, afford fine van
tage ground from which TO view the past
and take a survey Of the future--that, from
the backward and forward look, we may
gather some definite material to stimulate
our sense Of gratitude on this day set apart
especially for public Thanksgiving.
1t is one Of the strange things about the
world and its history that there are
generally two classes of people in every age,
times in which they live.
One person looks smilingly over human
history and says: Behold, how everything
is improving. The world was never SO
good as it is just now Another man
looks over the same history, and saws:
Behold how everything is growing worse
and worse. The world was never So bad as
it is Just now. Each Of these persons
finds in the same century, the same genera
ton, the same records of human life, the
data which they regard as sufficient to con-
firm their respective and widely differing
theories.
For the century now closing, there are
voices of praise, and voices of censure.
From the same outlook, different visions
are beheld by the same men: or rather
different interpretations arc put upon the
same vision. There are those who tell us
that the century has been marked by a
steady adyance-and that society was never
better than now. Righteousness and faith
were never more dominant. Everything
have been on the rise, until now, as the
century closes, we have reached the
very climax Of goodness. The. optiInist
sees everything III the golden glow of an
unclouded sunset. There comes the pes
simist, who looks across the same land
scape, in the slanting light Of the closing
day, and sees only signs OF gloom The
clouding sun gives promise Of to-morrow's
storm. He says that we are worse than
old reverence, our old confidence. our old
faith. High and blessed things have passed
ont of our sky as the vanishing vision of a
dream. We have become materialistic,
and have let our grip relax on eternal
things. The church is losing its distinctive
character, and taking color from the world,
as insects in the tropics do the foliage
amid which they live.
Wickedness has out-run morality in the
race of the century. Truth has proven
itself to be weaker than error.
So men differ, in ther view and estimate
Of the century now closing. One class
says: Things are bad and growing worse y
The other class says: Things are good and
growing better. y
! will ask you TO take your place with me
this morning by the side of the Optimist
He Is better company for us on an occasion
like this We want no Pessimist to sit
down with US at our Thanksgiving festival
in this closing year of the century. We
want no smoked glasses to-day, but the
cleaFest crystal-not magnifying lenses to
be sure that will distort facts out of their
proper proportions. A good oculist will
not allow you TO wear glasses that magnify
What you want, he says, is corrected vision,
sight made natural, so that you will see
things as they actually are To-day we
will try to look through glasses that will
neither make things too small, nor too
large, but that viii give us a clear and
accurate view ef Athe past, as we are per-
n, to look Mack upon it from this
! lls'll kssSglyIhg Da5A outlook. shall lay
aoMh TINS pfopositiNp at thess, hat tllss
~ now closing aas ~ ~, ~ = '1ass
,'' pess thus far, ilnd Is snraly H. =
4 eie threshold of sc oreas ..S .s.,.
'iae. And IN this It'd se5s 49, a'l'1 ~.
.la abundant reason tl.. rs suls Z
'ya tno hath done grst tbina ,.a,,.,ss -
n \ Is ~ s ..,,arac-
sristics and achievements Of this century,
i the closing period of which we are per-
lifted to live. Very familiar to us all, is
he material and industrial advancement
fhieh the century has witnessed. What
wonders have occurred in the world of
invention-of discovery-while
hese hundred years have been dropping
ilently into the past. If it were possible I
0 call from his peaceful sluniber some long
aouldered coIonist, some loyal son OF
reedom, who died soon after the old State |
louise bell rang out its immortal message,
it were. possible to call such an one from
is long resting place, and bring him forth
nto the rushing, bustling life of this age, /
e would scarcely recognize the world in
shicll he had lived He would see the old |
inc, the moon as it used to be, the fixed |
nd familiar stars, unchanged aud undis- |
urbed by mans art or device.
But almost all things else, would bear |
he unfamiliar stamp, which the hand OF
hange and Of progress has set upon them.
Houses changed, dress changed, customs |
hanged, modes Of travel changed-every-E
hing. Stand with him here on Broad |
treet, and let him observe the trolley as it |
soes whirling by, as if propelled by some
nyersible spirit Of the air, and he would |
carcely believe the witness of his own
yes While he has slept, the whole |
history Of the nineteenth century
progress has been enacted. Not many
months ago multi-n1illionaire died in
litt A0ltilClu patti VI aOhl t3tatNf Nt oliC
advanced age of ninety-seven. The nine
zenith century had advanced three years,
when he was born During his lifetime
he saw the greatest procession of wonders
that ever marched along the fruitful years
of amy century. At the age of five years,
he might have seen Fulton's steamboat on
It's trial trip up the Hudson. He was
twenty eight years old before an iron pillow
existed IN the world. At twenty-eight, he
might have travelled on the first railroad,
Of which he afterward became the owner of
Of miles. The finder box was
The only means for lighting fire, during
thirty years of his life. He was thirty-six
years old when the first steam ship crossed
rom one continent to the other-of which
: had been declared that such thing was
impossible, because the amount of coal
required for such journey would sink any
vessel that could be built. Mid-life had
seen reached by this near eentennarian,
when the first telegram was sent. Till
abeut the same time, the only implement
sor sewing which he had seen, was the
needle in his wife's iingers-then came the
sewing machine, which reyolutioned hand
sewing, from shoes to carpets, and from
lresses to harness.
What wonders were witnessed by that
nam What wonders have been witnessed
nv any person, whose life has been Co
ztensive with even three quarters, or the
,fter half Of the nineteenth century. At