The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-12-03
your town and school district taxes
together.
ssSsTHANKsGIVING SERVICES.
some Thanksgiving Sermon Thoughts by
Princeton Pastors.

princeton at the M. E. church on
thanksgiving evening were we'll at
tended. The church was we'll filled
and when Rev. Gratz introduced Rev.
James Steenson of the Congregational
church, he remarked that the audience
was the largest he had ever seen at
Thanksgiving service in Princeton.
and he congratulated Rev. Steenson
on this fact.
The sermon which Mr.. Steenson de-
ivered was something out of the usual
line OF Thanksgiving day topics, and
he spoke more from spiritual than a
temporal standpoint. He chose his
text from Psalm 100: "Shout aloud
to Jehovah, all the earth. Serve Je-
hovah with gladness. come before
His face with joyful cry. Know ye
that Jehovah, He is God. He has
made us and His are we, His people
and the sheep Of his pasture. Enter
His gates with thanksgiving, His
court with praise. Give thanks to
Him, bless His name. For Jehovah is
good: forever endures His loving
kindness, and to generation after gen.
Grafton his faithfulness.
Rev. Steenson gave the true origin
of Thanksgiving which came to man
as result of gratitude to God for
grace given and mercy shown: for
deliverance from temptation and dan
ger and for benefits and blessings be-
slowed. The speaker traced the Gus
tom of giving thanks from the time of
Noah after the food had subsidized,
and the observance of the annual re-
ligious festival by the children of
Israel, when they were commanded to
keep the feast of the harvest. The
spirit of this feast of the Jews has ever
been recOgized in the church in the
form OF harvest festivals and Thanks
giving days, and when the Pilgrim
Fathers observed a day of public
praise and prayer after their first har-
vest Tha nksigving day was given the
American people as perpetual her.
itage. The day was observed inter-
mittently by the churches and the ma
ton until Abraham Lincoln appointed
a day for public thanksgiving in 1853
for the blessings that had come to the
nation in victories for the northern
troops.> Ever since the day has been
observed annually.
While the nation might set aside a
day for praise and thanksgiving, no
act of congress or proclamation of
president or governors could place
within man the spirit of thankfulness.
Thanksgiving must be practiced daily,
not annually and the spirit of thanks
giving can be cultivated. All have
much to be thankful for. if they but
stop and ask themselves "What have
| to be thankful for?' \ few mo-
ments serious reflection will bring to
all many reasons for thankfulness.
The little child that started to count
the stars, began rapidly and counted
up into the hundreds, but the longer
it counted the more stars seemed to
shine, until it's little mind was be-
Wildered with the countless twinkling
stars that sparkled in the armament.
It is just the same with ones bless
ings if we sart to count them. There
is no end to them. We might as we'll
attempt to count the sars as to men,
ton the reasons why we should return
thanks to Almighty.
Affection and sorrow are oftentimes
blessings in disguise. They may seem
at the time to be cruel sings but in
some way and sometime the blessings
will be revealed. Quoting from a
writer the speaker said ut was better
to be preserved in brine than rot in
honey
Many reasons were given why we
should render thanks to God: Be-
cause He is the only living and true
God. He is mans creator, physically
and spiritually. He is our rightful
owner, the children of the earth are
His people, 1.-THE sheep of His pas
ture." He is good and his mercy and
loving kindness endures forever.
There was special musical pro-
gram rendered and 3. 0. Brown of
the orchestra gave THE Holy City"
as trombone solo.
The services at the Catholic church
in the forenoon were we'll attended.
Father Levings spoke on the triumph
of the gospel and the cause for thank
fulness for spiritual blessings. There
was special music in the celebration of
the mass and Mrs. II. G.. Cooney and
Miss Lizzie Nachbar sang 80 Salu-
taris' as special feature of the must
cal part of the service