Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-11-24

did 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 were reunited in that
better land, then they would there
meet to part no more.
My 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 shah part no more? Thanks
giving day without this blessed belief
would be to us a meaningless festival
and would be robbed of it's chiefest
joy. The young people may look for.
ward gladly to the autumnal queen Of
American festivals as a holiday from
school, day for a football match, a
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 if 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 it.
By the hope with which we parted
from our dear ones as we set sail from
Hollands shores we would tell thee,
troubled hearts of 1902. we shall all,
yea all, meet again."
Can we prove that we shall all meet
our loved ones in heaven by better
way than the source from which the
pilgrim fathers gathered their hope Of
a final reunion with their absent kim
bred? Upon the bold, bluff 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
lowed graves of 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. Sc
at the foot of that mighty statue OF
Faith with open Bible may we all re
| jOice in the confident assurance thai
our Thanksgiving chairs at the family
gathering shall not always remain va
cant-that we shall all be together II
the heavenly reunion.
Thanksgiving Home Day.
| But while studying the history OF
| Plymouth's first Thanksgiving day we
must remember that it was not only ;
day for thanksgiving to God. but als'
q day made memorable by home enjoy
ments. The pilgrim fathers opened tn
day with prayer. They also felt the.
did not desecrate it when they gath
cred about the festal board and laugh
ed and joked as well as talked abou
the great themes of the gospel Will
they sat at dinner. AS far as poSSibl
all our people should make mex
Thanksgiving day Il home day as wei
as q church day, and, as the preSiden
of the United States by his Thanksgiv
ing proclamation has signed the dealt
warrants for all the biggest and tn
latest turkeys the barnyards hav
been able to produce in the past sum
mer, let grandfather and grandmothe
and all the children and the grandchi
dren meet again in the old homestead
1t will not be very long before sue
gatherings will be an impossibility. L
a few years the chief magnets tina
now draw the children together a
Thanksgiving will be gone. Then, a
you meet about the great, big roaste
turkey, which is the symbol of
Thanksgiving feast, l not only wan
you to cut the best and the tenderes
slices for your mother and father an
for your wife, but 1 also want you t
be sure not to forget to cut off larg
part of that turkey for the poor. Their
will be many people next Thursda
morning who will have nothing to ea
except the plainest kind of food unles
the Christian people, out of their abul
dance, are ready to help them.
Then next Thanksgiving day afte
you have helped everybody all roun
and after you have thanked God fc
all your many blessings, and after 20
have also worshiped in Gods sanctl
airy, in spirit as your pastor, and as
privileged guest, want to come int
your dining room. And, though yo
NAV olive different DartS of the tIlrke