The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-12-03
All KenOsha Joins in an OLD Fashioned
Thanksgiving Day With Much
Religious Ferv0r.
THE UNION CHURCH SERVICE.
The Rev. e. G. Kunkle of the Baptis
Church breaches to Large Crowd
on Thanksgiving Day


the many blessings that had been
showered upon the city during the
past year Thursday and it was IN old
fashioned Thanksgiving day. There
were the usual number Of family re-
unions, and many of the old kenosha
boys and girls came home from other
cities to take part in the jollity OF the
day 1t was day Of religious fervor
ia the city, and in several of the
churches special Thanksgiving serv-
ices were held.
AT the Methodist church large
crowd gathered to attend the annual
Union church service. The Rev. r Z.
Kunkle of the First Baptist church
preached the sermon, speaking from
the topic, 'The Obligation of Graft
tude.''
The summary of the sermon follows:
"Ordinarily we do not interpret the
Thanksgiving occasion as matter OF
duty, but rather as fitting privilege
or opportunity for the expression OF
the feeling of gratitude which we cher
ish in our hearts. And rightly so, for
the original purpose of Thanksgiving
day was TO voice the gratitude OF the
heart to God for the benefits and bless
ings of life conferred by Him. How
ever, it may serve to heighten and IN
tensify our gratitude if VIC turn away
from the effort of expression to the
reasons for gratitude. If gratitude is
an obligation then there must be some
grounds for it. Doubtless there are
those who neither have the feeling of
gratitude nor recog nize the obligation
of it or its reasons. If such could be
brought to see how abundant are the
reasons for being thankful, the first
great debt of gratitude would be laid
upon them.
Because gratitude is virtue, is suf-
icient reason for grounding It as an
obligation, and makes man debtor to
himself to possess it and keep it. To
be wanting in the virtue of gratitude
is to be wanting in the choicest flow
err Of the soul, than which the heart of
man knows none more fragrant"
It is terrible thing to be wanting
IN gratitude. We all despise an in
CRATE. And possibly we have all felt
with Wordsworth when he said:
s'I'ye often heard OF hearts, unkind; Kind
deeds
With GOODNESS still returning;
Alas! the ingratitude of men
Hath often left me mourning"
And as ingratitude in the individual
is sign of moral deficiency so its lack
in the life of nation is a sign of
approaching ruin. For when nation
| forgets its benefits and fails to recog-
nize ia their bestowal the hand of God,
it is in the first stage of it's dissolu'
ton. It is prominently fitting and
desirable therefore that we seek, by
the assembling of ourselves together
for the giving of thanks to God for His
countless benefits, to keep alive the
feeling Of gratitude.
1t will help to do this if we shall see
the reasons for gratitude-what are
the grounds of the obligation. Our
sense of appreciation will be quickened
if we can see how abundant are the
reasons for being grateful. There arr
three general grounds for the obliga
ton of gratitude: ~ The fact of ply
steal we'll being and national prosper
ity; ~ The fact of the inherent good
J ness and worthiness Of life: and e
the fact of God. 1t shall be our pur
pose to discuss these three grounds,
The lamest ground for the obliga
, ton of gratitude is the fact of physi
cal well being and material prosperity
The lowest form of gratitude is thu
! sense of appreciation of physical bene
fits; and unless we have this sense O.
appreciation, we shall never rise to thu
ability of the highest forms of graft
J tude. That we have, as nation, beer
abundantly favored with physical well
being and 10 aterial prosperity needs AZ
} argument. There is the fullest reason
for glad thanksgiving to Almighty
God for the material goods of the pas
year. Never before in single yea
has God so beautifully blessed us il
material things.
q And if it is thus with the nation i
must be so with the vast majority o
! the people. Health and wealth hav
been their portion. And the sickness
: and poverty that there is ought only Il
serve to help US who are well and pros
porous to be profoundly grateful. w
need but go into the novels of on
, city where poverty prevails and int
: the sick rooms where disease and death
are at work, to realize how excellent il
our condition, and TO be thankful.
: is, therefore, entirely fitting that w
turn our faces to God who gives us al
our benefits, and say, 1--WE give The
) thanks -
J And then the second ground of obi
, cation or reason for gratitute is TIL
fact of life. Greater than physica
well being and material prosperity i
the real, sober, intelligent joy of life
Even though health may be waning
and material prosperity be gone, We
ought we to be thankful for our lif,
for its privileges-and opportunities o
achieving nobility of character
Though we be weak physically, yet W