Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-11-29
TALElAGE
SEP RdON
BY Rev.
FRANN DE WITT TALMACE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terian Church, Chicago

the pilgrim fathers Of the seventeenth
century are vividly sketched In this
sermon by Rev. Frank De Witt Tai
mage on the text Psalm C. 4, "Be thank
full unto him"
Thanksgiving day Of 1920 Is our theme
today. Plymouth rock Is the pulpit.
The mighty trees of the American for
ests are the massive pillars of the sane.
tuary. Our dome is the blue skies OF
the heavens. The sunshine Of the IN
dian summer" which derived Its name
from the time of Massasoit's visit to
the Plymouth colony to be the pilgrims
guest OH their first Thanksgiving day.
shall be our illumination. The waves
Of the fathomless deep, with their white
fingers Of foam playing upon the many
keys of projecting rock, shall lead IN
our singing. The bold, bluff hillsides
overlooking the harbor Of Plymouth
shall be our auditorium. And we shall
gather within these four walls as wor-
shipers the stern faced, Iron muscled
and godly voyagers OF the little sailing
ship Maynower, whose sacrifices made
the pilgrims first Thanksgiving day a
possibility. Surely, II Governor Brad
ford and Elder Brewster and Captain
Miles Standish and Edward Winslow
and Isaac Allerton and John Alden
and that little band OF twoscore and
ten men and women and children had
ANYTHING to be thankful for 2S1 years
ago we Americans now living ought to
welcome the Thanksgiving day Of 1902
with open arms. After the example OF
our noble ancestors, whose names have
made the Ply-:0uth colony immortal,
we should never cease to thank God
for the goodnesses and the mercies he
has showered upon us and our land
during the past twelve months.
The proclamation which President
Theodore Roosevelt sent forth few
days ago, appointing the day when the
autumnal queen of American festivals
shall summon all people to worship at
the sacred affairs OF church and hcme,
was very similar in spirit to the verbal
proclamation which Governor Brad
ford gave to the pilgrim fathers and
mothers In the autumn Of 1921. The
first Thanksgiving day was really a
harvest home festival. On that mem
orable morning the new governor-for
| John Carver, the first governor, had
lately dled-personally led his people
and guests into the house OF worship,
where q religious service was held.
There the psalms were sung. There
| the prayers were offered. There Elder
William Brewster thanked God that
he who had fed the flying birds and
had clothed with fur the wild beasts
OF the forests had fed and clothed and
protected them. Then the rest OF the
day was spent as a home day. as day
of feasting and frolic and fun. Let me
read to you the account which Edward
Winslow, the historian Of the famous
colony and one of the participants
wrote in reference to that day:
"Our harvest being gotten In, our
governor. William Bradford, sent foui
men on fowling. so that we might re
toice after special manner, after we
had gathered the fruits of our labors
At which time, among other recrea
tions. we exercised our arms. many ol
the Indians coming among us, among
the rest their greatest king. Massasoit
with some ninety men. who for three
days we entertained and feasted. AnC
they went out and killed five deer
which they brought to the plantation
and bestowed upon our governor ant
unon Captain Miles Standish and 9th
ers And although 1t be not always
40 plentiful as 1t was at this time witt
lis. vet by the goodness Of God we ar
so far from want that we often wisl
YOU partakcrs Of our plenty"
The First Thanksgiving.
Yes. even among all their sorrow
and troubles the pilgrim fathers ha'
many. many blessings surrounding
them on that first Thanksgiving day
And # is to catalogue some Of thei
ancient blessings, as we'll as some
the multitudlnous blessings OF our owl
time. that preach this sermon.
The pilgrim fathers re1oiced lh re
Iigious liberty. They rejolced that the
could not only worship Christ IN tnei
own way and according to their owl
belief. but also because as Congrega
tionalists they could select their oW
pastors and elders and deacons an
have their own kind Of church goN
ernment. II was In order to win tni
religious liberty that the little band G
pilgrims first endured the persecuuon
In the village Of Scrooby, England.
was to win this kind Of religious III
: arty that in 1909 they emigrated froI
the English shores and became exile
iu Amsterdam. 1t was In order to WI
this religious liberty that the lit
band Of pilgrims In 1910 broke ava
from Amsterdam and, under their pa
tor. the famous John Robinson, WEI
TO Leydeu. and it was in order to wi
this religious liberty that the immort'
1O2 passens srs Of the Mayhower hna
" crossed the seas and emigrated to
new and unknown world. Religion
liberty means more than life and con
fort and money to strong, consecratt
men. 1t means their combined ter
poral and spiritual existence. 1t meal
so much that. though one-third OF th'
memorable pilgrim band died the mr.
month after they had landed upon Il
American shores and though all at oi
time were helpless on account of sic
ness except seven men and women. y
when the time cnme for the sailing
- the Mayhower back to England n
one OF the survivors would return
their old home, even though Govern
John Carver and the company we
ready to let any one go who woul
The spirit which led the descendan
Of the pilgrim fathers a century and
j half later to shed their blood at Co
cord and Lexington and Bunker Hin
prove that taxation without repl
sentation was wrong and must not