The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1902-11-28

| RlOuS liberty, ludI the pllSIlLu ldthSh
turned their backs upon the land o.
their adoption and the homes of thei'
friends. Shall we not, then, on this
Thanksgiving day of 1902 be thankful
! that we can rear our children in lane
whose silver dollar is stamped will
the suggestive motto, "In God We
Trust? Taking our little children
faces between our two hands and look
ing lovingly and earnestly into the
depths of their pure eyes, can we moi
be thankful that both we and they are
living in Christian communities where
human affections are held sacred and
where purity is not an oddly and prac
tically monopolized, as of old, by q
few yestal virgins cOnsecrated to life
long service in heather temple? Can
we not thank God that our children are
not breathing the morally depraved at
mosnhere of some less fortunate land
whose daughters are sold like chattels,
never even seeing nuptial day, and
where a wife is regarded as disgracing
q family when she becomes the mother
of n daughter instead of son?
We place a priceless value upon the
physical lives of our children Shall we
not also place a priceless value upon
their spiritual welfare? How much
we value them few of us realize until
we are brought face to face with the
sore trial of parting from them. l used
to consider myself poor man financial
" until a few years ago. | never do so
now after the following experience:
had been visiting my mother in the east
and was returning with my wife and
little daughter to my PittsDurg home.
Being very tired from overWork. lay
down in the cars to sleep. Meanwhile
nv little baby daughter began 20 smile
and nod her head at stern faced man
reading across the aisle. She held out
her hands for him to take her. After
awhile his face lighted up with an an
swering smile He took the baby on
his lap and played with her hour after
hour. As we neared the Smoky City
this stern faced man came to me and
said: young man, do not know who
you are, but here is my card. | am one
of the wealthiest men in Milwaukee.
have everything that money can buy,
but l have a home without any chill
dren. Young man, you can thank God
that you have a family. And If you
are willing to give me this baby and
let me adopt her l will give you GER
titled check for $4,000, and she shall
be my daughter and inherit all that
have" Of course l refused the offer.
l told that man there was not enough
money in all the treasury of the United
States to buy my flesh and blood, and,
though you may laugh when | talk
about my $4,000 baby, yet l am not
putting any higher valuation upon the
physical lives of any one of my chill
dren than every father sitting before
me today would upon his. If we par
ents thus place so high our physical
valuation of our children, shall we not
also place just as high the spiritual val
uation? Like the pilgrim fathers Of old,
shall we not rejoice this coming Thanks
giving day because our children are
not only living in Christian homes, but
also in Christian neighborhoods and
under the shadow of the spires OF
Christian churches? Shall we not re-
ioice because on account of being born
in a Christian land they may the more
easily learn to love Christ? Shall we
not rejoice that on account of their
spiritual advantages after their life's
work is done they will associate with
us in the great harvest home, where an
eternal Thanksgiving day shall be spent
in the green pastures and by the still
waters of heaven?
The Hope of Meeting Loved Ones.
The pilgrim fathers rejoiced in the
hope that they should soon be reunited
with their loved ones who were left
behind in Leyden. The whole com
of pilgrims which in 1910 set
tied in Leyden did not cross the Allan
tic in 1920, as many people suppose.
No. Only a small part-120 men, wom-
an and children-came first. The vast
majority OF that community remained
behind. And so these American PHI
yrims on Plymouth's first Thanksgiv-
ing day were living in the hope that
John Robinson and the absent mem
1ers of his spiritual flock would soon
De by their side. They did not then
know that death would first claim
heir beloved pastor and that his bones
would be buried in the little church
yard which his preaching has made
world famous and which is today the
Mecca of many a pilgrim. They did
lot realize that most of their earthly
friends would never meet beside the
waters of the new world. But they
lid know, and they rejoiced in the
that. whether at the foot
If Plymouth rock or at the foot of the
yteat white throne Of God, they would
meet again. And if they did not meet
again until tl&y were reunited in that
better land, then they would there
meet to part no more.
My friends, cannot we rejoice in the
nope that we are some day going to
meet our redeemed loved ones? Can
we not rejoice that when we meet
hem we shall part no more? Thanks
giving day without this blessed belief
would be to us meaningless festival
md would be robbed of its chiefest
10y. The young people may look for
ward gladly to the autumnal queen of
American festivals as a holiday from
school, a day for a football match, a
lay when they can eat big turkey
Inner but most of us will think of
Thanksgiving dinner as a day for va
ant chairs-a day when we would be
willing to give all we owned If we
,ould only bring back some who have
'orever gone from our side.
But with the comfort of the blessed
gospel how our sorrows can be turned