Arizona republican., 1902-11-28
ALL UNITED IN
 THANKSGIVING
Union Service by the Churches
 of Phoenix
An Excellent Musical Progrs mme- The Sermon by Rev. Mir Bagley of the First Church of Christ. I.

der the direction of the ministerial as sociation at half past ten o'clock. There was a large attendance for an excellent programme had been prepared.
 The music was under the direction Of the choir of the Presbyterian church. The pastors who took part in the ser vices were: Rev. Lewis Halsey of the First Baptist church; Rev. w. Fl. Bag by of the Fifth Avenue Christian church; Rev. R. A. Rowland of the NJ. F. church south; Rev. C. V. Cowan of the First Methodist church; Rev. Alex ander Wagner of the African Methodist Episcopal church; Rev. s. F. Heilman of the Free Methodist church: Rev. Lawrence Reynolds of the spanish Methodist church south, and Rev. Lapsley A. M'Afee of the Presbyterian church. The services were opened by an invocation led by Dr. Halsey. After an anthem and responsive reading the proolamat.cns Of the president and the governor were read he first by Dr. Halsey and the latter by MT. Cowan. MT. Basoy had been chosen by the unanimous vote of the association t1 deliver the sermon. MT. Bagby select ed for his text, 70 Give Thanks Unto the Lord; for He Is Good; for His ! Mercy Eldureth Forever" UTon this he said:
 In willing obedience to the procla- nations just read in our hearing, and yielding to the promptings of gratitude to the Giver of all good, we are here assembled to publicly and unitedly rem der thanks to Almighty God for His manifold blessings so bountifully be- slowed upon the people Of this goodly land.
 This most beautiful custom, follow ing which we are gathered together here today does not owe it's origin to mere politico-religious sentiment; but like it's sister anniversary, the Fourth of July. was born of the travail that attended the birth of the nation.
 In their home land persecuted and de- nied the right to worship God accord ing to the dictates of their own con sciences, a handful of hardy pilgrims severed the dearest of earthly ties. and daring the Giscomforts and dangers of a strange and stormy sea. and the pri- vations and perils of a pioneer life in a far-away, wilderness land, that they might enjoy, unmolested. the priceless privilege purchased for every man by the Prince of the House of David at
 
 sailed for the shores of the country that we love to think and speak of as the land of the free and the home of the brave When this goal of their hopes had been reached-when, at the fearful cost to them indicated by the empty seat at the fireside, the charred stake in the depths of the forest. and the rude slab in the silent churchyard the precious liberty they had longed for had been obtained. the light within shone through their tears and painted athwaIt the dark cloud of their sorrow the arched emblem of peace and joy and they cried: 70. give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his loving kindness cndureth forever," II was {, voice crying in the wilderness and call ing men to thanksgiving and praise Like the voice of John the Baptist call 1 ing men to repentance, that cry of the pilgrims has come echoinG down tho generations even unto us their chil dren; and along the dim vista of th' swift-passing years. even back tc Plymouth Rock, can be traced the long and almost unbroken line of these an
 nual gatherings for thanksgiving anC praise to the God of all nations. AnC shall they ever cease? Not while tn, human heart is capable of gratitude t' a loving Father who year after yea opens the windows of heaven in evel increasing wilderness and pours out upoI us his rich blessings in such overflow
 ing abundance that we have not room to receive them.
 Perhaps we of the present tim, would appreciate our blessings more il
 we saw them in contrast with tn
 IL
 gave thanks. They had made thei
 horne in a most rigorous climate. Tn
 winters were long and characterize,
 by intense cold and much snow. Ye
 they had no rubber shoes to protec
 their feet from wet and cold. Tn
 early mornings were bitterly cold, bu they had no matches with which t
 light fire. and they were forced t
 rely upon a flint and steel. or els !, tramp through the biting cold to f neighbOr's house to borrow a "chunl 5 of fire" The heavy forests intensifie,
 the darkness of the night, but they ha'
 nothing better than pine knot torche
 and tallow candles with which to d-iv
 the gloom from their rude log cabins ! Sickness invaded their homes by night and the roads through the dense for ests were dark and dangerous by reaso, of wild animals and wild men; b. they had no phones with which t. 7 summon medical aid. Thousands O , miles of deep and stormy sea lay be 7 tween them and the loved ones left be
 hind in the mother country. but the.
 had no cable under that broad eX , panse of water to flash messages of jo, } and sorrow-no swift ocean steamer . to bear them quickly to the bedside O
 their loved ones. nor to bring thos
 loved ones to them. Not until the gras
 had long been growing upon the gray | could they hope to receive the sad new Q Of the death; for no morning pape s came to them as it comes to us, ladel 5 with the news of the whole world e much less the swift-winged message O . the electric telegraph. The forest were infested with. ravenous beasts o . prey, and with wild and warlike In e dians, and they had no better weapo | of defense than the 1int-lock, muZZle