Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-11-27
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Row.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE, DID,,
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby.
terrain Church. ChieAao

Chicago. Nov. PIN this sermon, ap-
propriate to the season, the preacher
points out the manifold reasons we
nave as q nation for a joyful acknowl-
edgment Of Gods goodness to us ON
every hand. The text is Proverbs Nv,
10, HE that is Of a merry heart hath a
continual feast"
Thanksgiving dayi What does this
American queen OF festivals mean 10
the average hungry boy-for the. aver
age American boy is always hungry, A
Feast. great big dinnerl A feast
which IL famous for two Characters
ncs-frst, Quantity-that is the great
essential; second, quality - this sec
end characteristic must tread closely
upon the heels Of the former. Not only
should there be pleUsy of food and not
only should the soups and the fish, the
turkeys and the ducks and the vege-
tables and the salads and the pies and
the puddipgs and the ice cream be mar
shaled In courses, but these courses
must all be Of good quality. Then the
gardens should contribute their finest
pumpkins. the vineyards their most
luscious fruits and the orchards their
richest Juices. Then the cooks must
ny - Guido themselves by testing the
scored recipes for the mince pies-these
recipes which the cooks guard as jeal-
susdy as the patent medicine men do
the formulas OF their "cure ais" or as
that famous Delaware family does the
secrets by which it Is able to hold rs a
monopoly the making OF gunpowCier for
the nation. A Thanksgiving day for
hungry boy and no banquet 1t would
be farce, an absurdity; a wedding
without bride. Hamlet without the
Dane. q spring carnival OF flowers with
no May queen. an orchestra without
music. comedy. merrymaking with
empty dishes. Barmecide feasti
We have never fully outgrown our
early respect for the culinary master
pieces OF the Thanksgiving kitchen.
We hope that we never shall. But to
day we would interpret our text from
a higher standpoint than the hungry
boys stomach. We would apply Ii, in
the fgurative sense. to the banquet OF
gratitude, the banquet of love, the ban
quet or divine mercy-the banquet
which King Solomon described when
ne wrote these words: HE that Is Of n
merry heart hath a continual feast"
1t IL in order to recount some of the
many nercles. both national and do
nestle. that preach this sermon. May
our hearts. one and all, be joyful on
the coming Thanksgiving dayI
Gss's Goodness and Mercy.
Ny purpose extends beyond the day
Itself. Next Thursday, by presidential
and gubernatorial appointment, we cali
70 mind our national mercies and as a
nation render thanks to him who has
crowned the year with his goodness.
but his blessings to us as individuals
are 30 many and so great that they de-
mand what Solomon I'm my text calls a
continual feast. Not alone on the COM
ing Thanksgiving day, but every day
from year to year as we receive daily
counties from his hand. should our
hearts beat with love and gratitude to
him whose goodness and mercy follow
as Al our days. Thanking him for past
mercies, trusting him for future bless
hgs. let US rejoice that we have a God
% GOOD and kind. and thus let our
thanksgiving become perpetual and our
oA&~AASeS u COutluUNt Ic3St-
Let rs rejoice over our national pos
sessions geographical. We have n coun-
cry. not little island like England: not
a reclaimed sea bottom like Holland.
nor collection OF mountain tops like
SwttzeIund. nor a harborless territory
ike Austria. nor national chicken
coop like Portugal, nor n menaced gov
ernment like France, with the frown-
sng guns or Metz trained upon her cap
ital. but We have a land stretching
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from
the great lakes to the gulf stream. Our
wheat fields are the Red river valleys
OF the Dakotns, our coal mines the inex-
hausdble veins OF Pennsylvania and
Ohio our cotton fields the snowlike
treasures OF Louisiana and Alabama.
eur fragrant gardens the Floridas. or
10 land Of flowers" our VINEYARDS
and orchards the Michigans and the
Caiifornias our pools of Bethesda the
health springs OF the Yirginias and the
Saratogas and the Arkansas. Our riy-
ere are the mighty Hudson. the Mis-
sissippi and the Missouri Nature has
Given Us as affairs at which to worship
ns storm rlven rocks Of Mounts Wash
ngton and Shasta and Pike's peak.
which are old enough TO have heard
&ed thunder from Mount Sinai md
waose hearts may have been shattered
at the tragedy of Calvary. Fertile and
beautiful our landi Yes. 1t is situated
In the temperate zone. the best Of all
climates. The intense fires OF the trop-
ies cannot burn 1t. nor the refrigerat-
Ing blast OF the far north freeze II.
Truly II Is with US as with the peo-
pie who inherited the promised land:
! The Lord thy God bringeth thee
Into good land: land OF brooks of
water. OF fountains and depths that
spring out of valleys and hills: a land
OF wheat and barley and vines and
ng trees and pomegranates; a land
OF oil. olives and honey; a land where
In thou shalt eat bread without scarce
ness - thou shalt not lack anything
In 1t: land whose stones are iron,
ana cut OF whose hills thou mayest
dig brass. When thou hast eaten and |
art full then thou shalt bless the Lord |
thy Gsa for the good land which he
hath given thee"
oup National Possessfon..
Decd net only IN reference to Its FER |
6hty. but also In size. The United |
Stetes. exclusive Of the immense gold |
AelSs Of Alaska, Is estimated to have |
an area Of over 3.025. 600 square miles.
Few people have any conception of |
what that enormous territory means.
A few months ago disgruntled states
man OF Texas was reported to have de-
ciared that In the near future the Unit
ed States government would disinte-
crate. He begged the Texans to stand
nrm together, so that the state of old |
Sam Houston might become the ''re-
public of Texas" with 3OocO, 900 In
habitants. But, though this statement
excited q smile over the length and
breadth Of the land and though we do
not believe this government Of ours
win ever disintegrate as long as earth
81 time shall last, we do believe that
the statement In reference to the sup