The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-29
IN CITY CHURCHES
THANKSGIVING SERVICES HELD IN
DIFFERENT PARTS OF
THE CITY
GOOD REASON FOR OPTIMISM
Rev. C. NJ. Morrison, at Peoples
Church, Speaks of the Peculiar
Advantages Surrounding
American People.

Union religious services in which the
congregations of the First Baptist, Peo-
niles Plymouth Congregational and
Central Park Methodist churches join
cd were held yesterday morning at the
PEOPLES church. and the large auditorium
was well filed. A pleasing feature OF the
programme was the singing by chorus
of children under the direction of Prof.
Musgrove The sermon was preached
bv Rev. C. M. Morrison, pastor OF Ply
mouth church, whose text was IhanKs-
giving for Living Now" He spoke as
follows:
We ought to be optimists today, n not
only because this day is set apalt ~ tol
the recounting of our blessings put pco
cause the times in which we I'VE are '-i ;s
hest this world has ever known. 1t s
freely to be acknowledged that lhefe a. = =
grave wrongs yet to be rlgnteu. = Iii III
advancement has not been UNIFORM III q a.
departments of thought and lie. l. 10
hoWever, possible, to overestimate pres
ent evils as compared with those VI lno
past-to misinterpret the trend OF lul a.ss
or to ignore certain forces Which
ise further improvement. 70 De COLI onl ~
ed in our sense of the blessednesS OF TINS TN
age. we only need to look at the Lacls
from the point of view OF the Chflslidil.
We live in the enjoyment OF INVENTORS
and discoveries in the arts and sciences
which have greatly enriched the ile ~
the race. BY so much is our equipment
for life and service increased. But, maj
velols as has been our material progress
tho Enforcement of moral and social Ire
has been scarcely less notable II %
strange but true, that one huIldreu y e a., .
90 profane and obscene language III eHe
nresence of ladies was common In so-catl-
Cd .shest society and that extreme
drunkenness was always expected at lne
most brilliant social functions we are
amazed to learn how prevalent persol n.1
i lon
gress up to fifty years ago, or now
Generally life at our national capital WAS
tainted witt open gambling. Az
Slavery, not only black, but whate, er,c
dishonoring of womanhood by pubic eX-
posure, whipping and selling, the PUBIC
neglect of the insane, the blind. the deaI'
are wrongs of a very recent past;
The suualor and suffering OF the pow
ertV of a century ago were far worse
than any we know today Inc bitter
cry of outcast London rose for centu-
ries. but none needed until lately.
But has not religion belief declined?
The faith has net always been kept, the
church has largely failed IN ITS mlss $40
with the work.. g Gle sses ana the sap :
bath has lost somewhat OF - sacieu-
ness. Yet thsre are facts which explain
these conditions and other facts Whlcn
vastly outweigh them on the other SIDE
The period from which we are JUST
emerging has been one of intellectual
change so marked as to amount to
The faith of the church has never
undergone a severer test than that IN
yolved in the acceptance of the theory
of evolution and the application OF the
methods of historical criticism, yet she
has come through trfumphantly. Inc
apostolic doctrine remains and the
hearts attitude toward it continues the
same On the other hand a great change
has come over certain schools OF think
ers formerly hostile. Confident sceptl-
cism has been broken. Claims that Chris
tianity Is an obsolete superstition are
no longer heard. Science SO far from
having become the vaunted substitute
for religion. is now confessing its limita-
ton and is regarded as the alley Of
Meantime the Christian spirit is touch
ing all life and all institutions as never
before. Unlike the Puritanism of the
past, which colonized away from the
worlds life and made itself all-authori-
tative in its segregation, the Christianity
of today is giving itself as life in the
world, and its conquests and power must
be estimated by a different rule. Brother
hood. service, self-sacrifice are watch
words in all the life of men. Every
where men are feeling after-not, per-
hnps the church as they know it, but
GCd The very greatness of evils, the
complexity of problems, intensity their
yearning.
The gods of paganfsn and the religions
of the Orient are found wanting. The
whole world bekons to Christianity.
TherS are no closed doors, no alien races,
the new world consciousness summon the
church to a rekindled passion, reform
ing of lines, a better economy. Christ
life is Still in the church. She will arise