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


Cromwelfs Ironsides made the earth
tremble and at whose affairs the cove
nanters and the pilgrims were ready
TO sacrifice their lives, may we be ready
TO rapturously greet thee next Thurs
day morning and to reverently touch
the pure white hem OF thy garment
with the holy kiss OF thankful lips, IL
was for this religious liberty that the
pilgrim fathers thanked God I'm 1921.
1t is for religious liberty that we. their
children, ought 10 welcome the au-
tumnal queen OF American festivals.
With humble prayer and fasting
In every strait and grief
They sought the Everlasting
And found a sure relief
Their covenant-God o'ershadowed them.
Their shield from every foe.
And gave them here dwelling place
Two hundred years ago.
The Lesson OF the Pilgrims.
My friend, there ought To be n lesson
for you I'm the pilgrim fathers graft
tude to God for the supplying OF their
necessary temporal wants. You may
not be a millionaire. You may not
have big bank account nor enough
money to keep you In ease IL you
ceased to work; but, like the pilgrim
fathers OF old. on this Thanksgiving
day of 1902 you can thank God that
you have a home in which to live, no
mssttey hew humble thai home may be.
You can thank God that you have
enough clothes to keep you warm and
enough good, plain, wholesome food to
eat. Should your table be simply
spread you can thank God with the
same humble, beautiful Christian spir-
ii with which Elder William Brewster
of Plymouth colony gave thanks. AL
though the bread supply and the coffee
and tea supply and nearly all other
supplies for months had failed, and he
and bis family for weeks at a time
were compelled to live upon fish alone
yet William Brewster used to gather
bis children about his table and utter
n deyout grace. With nothing but
CLAIMS and oysters for breakfast. din
ner and tea month in and month out.
William Brewster used to thank God
that they were permitted to enjoy the
abundance of the sea and the treasures
hid I'm the sand"
But, although few of us may thank
God merely for the bare necessaries.
most OF us can thank him next Thurs
day morning for the Injuries as well.
Our national prosperity was never as
great as today. II we were to cross
the seas and recount to the inhabitants
or any other land all the temporal
blessings with which we are surround
ed, those foreign inhabitants would not
believe the Utopian stories we would
tell them. They would be as skeptical
about our ATunchausen-like tales as the
relatives of one OF DIR. William s.
Breckinridge's parshioners were sun
posed to be.
IT was during time OF great plenty
In Kentucky. Food at that time was so
abundant as to be practically without
value. But one day this parishioner
came to DIR. Breckinridge and asked
him TO write TO his family in ireland.
Among other things he said. TEL
them 1 have meat twice week. with.
out fail" why, Patrick" said DR..
Breckinridge, you know that is not
the full truth. You know you can
have and do have meat every meal of
every day instead OF only two times n
week. Il know that, your honor"
was the prompt reply, "but If / told
my old father and mother, who rarely
have meat In Ireland more than once
week. that meat was SO plentiful in
America that 1 could have Il twenty
one times week they would not be-
ueve another word that might ever
say" Next Thursday, like the pilgrim
fathers. all can thank God for the bare
necessar.es OF LIE. On that day, like
DR.. Breckinridge's parishioner. nearly
all or us can thank God for the lux
uries also as well us the necessaries.
We can thank God that under the
shadow or the American eagles wings
there are this year more refined aud
cultiveted homes. more abundant Ia
tleA more beautiful wardrobes, more
well selected libraries. with their food
FOR the mind, more pianos and musical
instruments, more pictures upon the
walls and more OF everything that goes
to make temporal life happy than ever
greeted any Thanksgiving day before.
Thanksgiving day Is harvest day-a
day for recounting your temporal as
well as your spiritual blessings. 1t is
q time for thanking God for full cup
board as well az for a church altar.
The Freedom From SIN
V,ss pnar&ss fsefssrs retstced because
they had removed their children from
the sinful temptations OF foreign /
land They themselves We're men and
women OF sterling and unimpeachable
Integrity. They were just as willing
to lay down their lives as martyrs for
Jesus Christ, in Leyden In 1920, as
were their three fellow townsmen, Hen
~ Barrows, John Greenwood and John
Penny, who, I'm 1893, laid down their
lives In England; but though the pill
grim fathers might be ready to die for
Christ, their undeveloped children, OIL
account probably OF the influence of
their foreign surroundings, were not al
ways OF the same mind. Their sons
and daughters sometimes drifted away
from the principles OF their fathers.
They not only fell into the sinful habits
of this European city, but they married
the sons and the daughters or the for
eigners. They enlisted in the foreign
navies and went forth as free lances to
the foreign wars, and 1t was in order
to save their own flesh and blood from
the sinful contact OF the "uncircum-
cised Philistines," as well as for reli-
gious liberty, that the pilgrim fathers
turned their backs upon the land of
their adoption and the homes OF their
friends. Shall we not, then, ON this
Thanksgiving day OF 1902 be thankful |
that We can rear our children In a land |
whose silver dollar Is stamped with |
the suggestive motto, "In God We |
TrustT Taking our little children's |
faces between our two hands and look
Ing lovingly and earnestly into the |
depths OF their pure eyes, Gun we not |
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-
ticaily monopolized, as OF old, by |
few vestal virgins consecrated to life
long service in heather temple? Can |
we not thank Cod that o,r obfldrap ORC