Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-11-28

| tod that man there WAS not enough
money In all the treasury OF the United
States TO buy my flesh aud blood. and.
though you may laugh when | talk
about my $4,000 baby, yet 7 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 20 high our physical
valuation OF our children. shall We not
also place Just as high the spiritual val
uatlon? 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 I'm Christian neighborboods and
under the shadow of the spires of
| Christian churches? Shall we not re
joice because on account of being born
in Christian land they may the more
easily learn to love CHRISTI Shall we
not rejoice that on account of their
spiritual advantages after their lifes
work is do,re they will associate with
us in the great harvest home. where an
eternal Thanksgiving day shall be spent
I'm 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
behild IN Icyden. Ths whole COM
munity of pilgrims which i'm 1910 set
tied I'm Leyden did not cross the Attain
tie in 1920, as many people suppose.
No. Only small part-120 men, wom-
EN- and children-came first. The vast
majority of that community remained
behind. And SO these American Dill
grims on Plymouth's first Thanksgiv-
Ing day were living in the hope that
John Robinson and the absent men,
ters OF his spiritual flock would soon
be by their side. They did not then
know that death would first claim
their 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
not 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
knowledge, that, whether at the foot
OF plymouth rock or at the foot of the
great white throne OF God, they would
meet again. And If they did not meet
again until they We're reunited I'm that
better land, then they would there
meet to part no more.
Ny friends, cannot we rejoice In the
hope that we are some day going to
meet our redeemed loved ones? Can
we not rejoice that when we meet
them we shall part no more? Thanks
giving day without this blessed belief
would be to us u meaningless festival
and would be robbed OF its chiefest
Joy. The young people may look for
ward gladly TO the autumnnl queen of
American festivals as holiday from
school. day for a football match. n
day when they can eat big turkey
dinner, but most of us will think OF
thanksgiving dinner as a day for va
cant chairs-a day when we would be
willing to give all we owned il we
could only bring back some who have
forever gone from our side.
But with the comfort OF the blessed
gospel how-our sorrows can be turned
TO JOY! Mother. father, brother. sister.
husband, wife and child, shall we
never. never meet you again? Eyes.
yes!' answer the pilgrim fathers. "By
the sacred book which we read the
morning OF the bright autumnal day
when we celebrated Plymouth's first
Thanksgiving day we can prove Il.
BY the hope with which we parted
from our dear ones as we set sail from
/ ch..
troubled hearts OF 1902, we shall oil.
yea all, meet again."
Can we prove that we shall all meet
our loved ones in heaven by n better
way than the source from which the
pilgrim fathers gathered their hope of
a final reunion with their absent kin
dredf Upon the bold, BLUM heights
overlooking Plymouth harbor Amer
lean patriotism has erected a colossal
statue commemorative OF the heroic
deeds of these first great ancestors.
AT the base OF the pedestal rest four
figures. These symbolic freedom and
education and law and morality. But
these four figures, though beautiful in
themselves. are all sitting at the feet
of gigantic statue called Faith. There
Faith stands in midwinter. not only
overlooking the surging. angry waters
OF the mighty deep. but also the hal
lcsesd srs~ss % the mighty men whose
principles laid the foundation OF this
nation. There the pilgrims faith
stands. with the opened Bible In one
hand and with the other hand pointing
upward to where the spirits OF the
mighty and the redeemed pilgrim IA
theirs have passed to their reward So
at the foot OF that mighty statue OF
Faith with open Bible may we all re-
joice In the confident assurance that
our Thanksgiving chairs at the family
gathering shall not always remain va
cant-that we shall all be together In
the heavenly reunion.
Thanksgiving a Home Day.
But while studying the history of
Plymouth's first Thanksgiving day we
must remember that il was not only u
day for thanksgiving to God, but also
day made memorable by home enjoy
ments. The pilgrim fathers opened the
day with prayer. They also felt they
did not desecrate 1t when they gath
cred about the festal board and laugh
W. yONCu dS WSiA ab tuikco doOut
the great themes OF the gospel while
they sat at dinner. AS far as possible
all our people should make next
Thanksgiving day home day as well
as a church day, and. as the president
of the United States by his Thanksgiv-
ing proclamation has signed the death
warrants for all the biggest and the
latest turkeys the barnyards have
been able to produce In the past sum-
mer, let grandfather and grandmother
and all the children and the grandchil-
dren meet again In the old homestead
1t will not be very long before such
gatherings Will be an impossibility. In
a few years the chief magnets that
now draw the children together at
Thanksgiving will be gone. Then, as
you meet about the great, big roasted
turkey, which is the symbol OF q
Thanksgiving feast, I not only want |
Won To emf the hest and tho fapdarsof |