Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-21

1 right who can praise fittingly. there is OPP
portunity for determination on Thanks
/ giving day for each of US. 1t may explain
| Ices In these days. People do moi fse, IN a
| At mood for praising. therefore they are un-
inclined to go to Gods house, where their
manifest business would he to count over
the mercfes that God has given them, rather
than to think on their own discomforts. 1t
seems as II God must miss a great deal of
human praise that should be His naturally.
For when you come to think of it, how
could man who was daily SHINING against
God have the face to come and thank Him
for the mercies that were being showered
upon him? He would rather go and hide,
and only sneak out to get the blessings God
has sent him when no one is looking.
IT, then, at this THANKSGIVING season, we
find no throb of thankfuiness in our hearts,
we have need to examine ourselves and see
from being thankful Perhaps We have
wandered from our Fathers house and
spent His substance in what we know He
would not approve. Then how can we truly
say Il thank Thee?"- For praise cannot lift
up its head where shame is.
And first. then. we need to examine our
own hearts and see If we have counted anu
weighed our Fathers love and balanced IL
with our own humble thanks. and If not,
what has been the cause. If each Christian
individual would do this the question OF a
national Thanksgiving would be very diff
ferent one, indeed
Not for years has there been Thanksgiv-
| ing season when there was so little talk OF
hard times, trouble, sickness and general
depression as this year. Shall we as ma
ton forget to be doubly thankful this year?
Will prosperity make us so content that we
forget the Giver Of all prosperity? Going
back to that first verse again. perhaps the
reason that we as nation are not SO de-
voutly thankful as in the early years OF our
history is that we are not as nation so
| upright. Oh, that we might get back to first
principles. Oh. for the days when the right
to worship God was the principal thing!
Nevertheless we Christian workers have
plenty to be thankful for this year. Think
| of the grand work that has been done this
summer in many Of our cities! Think of
| the tent meetings and the gospel meetings
| held in theaters at noontime. and the street
meetings and the mission work that has
! been accomplished. Think of the many who
| have come to a knowledge of Jesus. Think
| of the temperance reforms and the gains
| that have been accomplished in various
other lines of reform. Shall we not let our
hearts swell forth for one whole day in
| paeans of praise to the God who has an
| swered our prayers and brought us thus far
| toward the coming of the kingdom?
And If, as the Thanksgiving day dawns,
we sit sorrowful and think of the little We
| have done to help on any of these good
| works, and of the selfish way in which We
| nave spent most of the year, let us thank
| God that He has brought it to our realiza-
| ton now while the years are still before US
and we have opportunity to do better.
Yet in spite of prosperity there will be sad
hearts among us on this day of praise. and
these must have their part in the thanksg1v-
| ing also 1t is. some one has said, to be &C
| counted great honor when God allows HIS
| own to suffer for Him. 1t is no easy
incense to .'ofrer him the sacrifice of thanks
giving when ones heart is heavy. May II
not be that those who are sad on TINS DAY
| have even greater opportunity of Offering
acceptable praise than we who are Joyous!
Applied Truth.
In a child's paper I read the other day
| of little girl who was sobbing bitterly
about some little trouble of her own. Her
| brother asked her If any one was dead,
| or even very sick She shook her head.
| but kept on sobbing, and he named over
| various troubles that might have come
| to her. but it was none of them. Then
| said he, Never mind: If nobody is dying.
| or sick, or hurt, it can't be the worst
| thing. Now, how many things ought you
| to be glad about?
They began counting up, and started
with Gods sunrise. By the time they had
put in their friends, their home their
| clothes and food and toys and all their
| pleasures they had counted seventy-three
things to be thankful for and only one
| to be sad about.
Sometimes we gather the sorrowful
things 50 close to our eyes as to COM
pletely shut out the glad ones, and so we
think we have nothing to be thankful
for at all. How many of us, for instance,
ever stop to be thankful for a sunrise, or
the tlntlnS OF the SKY at evening! HOW
many ever thought to thank Him for
gathering the wates together and hold
ing them in His storehouSe?
HOW TO HELP THE LEADER.-Speak
OF your own cause for thanksgiving in
connection with the 21st verse Of the
Psalm
PARALLEL Observation-Disclosures 1876:
Psalms, BAL; Psalms, 95:2 Psalms, 116:
LIT; Isaiah, 63:7; 1 Corinthians. 1887;
I Thessalonians. Sis; Colossfans, 3:17:
Colossians, Az; Ephesians, $40; REVEAL
tion, 7:12.
HINTS TO THE LEADER.
Christian Endeavor hymns-12 II, 81,
"a. 115. 1877
The Endeavor hymnal-1, 8, 5, 16, 265,
267.
Arrange to have some special Thanks
giving music. Ask members to each tell
some one thing they are thankful for,
and if possible ask them to bring a thank
Offering of money or flowers or some
thing that will be helpful to some one
These things can, be wrapped that
they will not be given in an ostentat ious
way nor create comment or criticism
The missionary committee should take
charge of them.
1--WE thank Thee for the passing of
what changes and the changelessness of
that which passes not'-Maltbie D. Bah
cock.
''SOme hae meat that Gamma eat,
And some would eat that want it;
But we haze meat and can eat,
Sac let the Lord be thankit."