The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-11-30
THANKSGIVING DAY
SERVICES IN OAKLAND
We're Held This Morning In ST. Paul's
Methodist Episcopal Church.
REV. ia. McCLELLAND'S SERMON
Was Preached 10 Large Audience -
Special Music Was Rendered by
ChOirS of the Several Churches.


ChOirs of the Several Churches.
In st. Paul's N. 4. church in Oak
land this morning at 1880 o'clock the
union Thanksgiving services were
held in accordance with custom and
in pursuance Of the proclamations of
President Roosevelt and Governor
Warfield.
The church was comfortably filled
by the members of the several denom-
nations Of Oakland. Special music
was rendered by the united choirs
Of the Methodist, Presbyterian and
Lutheran congregations.
Rev. J. B. Workman, pastor Of the
N. L. church, had charge of the SER
vices and read the morning lesson,
folio wed by prayer Of Thanksgiving
by Rev. e. Manages, pastor Of the
Lutheran church. Rev. John \. Nc
Clelland, pastor of the Presbyterian
church, preached the sermon, his
text being from the 95th Psalm, 9TH
verse:
Let us come before His presence with
THANKSGIVING. and make joyful noise unto
Him with psalms"
In his discourse the minister said
1T is evident from these words that
David, thespoet king, was not only
himself thankful man, but desired
Others to unite with him. Turning
to sacred history we find the first
national thanksgiving to be the Feast
Of Tabernacles. This feaa was OBJ
served at the close of harvest, and
therefore called THE Feast of In
gathering Elk. 23:1G. The people
lived in booths or tents for seven days
to remind them Of their wandering
life in the desert. Special sacrifices
were offered. 1t was the festival par
eTceUence and celebrated with more
rejoicing than any other. Turning
again to secular history we find the
first English Thanksgiving was Sept
Sth, 1888. This was to their deliver
ance from the Spanish Armada. Com
ing to the history of Thanksgiving
Day in America, we are carried back
to 1921 when Coy. Bradford called
for day of thanksgiving in the New
England colony, to celebrate their re-
coyery from sickness, also TO acknow-
ledge the bounty of God in the boun-
tiful harvest. From this time GU
days of Thanksgiving were observed
with varying regularity, depending
altogether on the governors of the
various states, until 1868 when a
national day of Thanksgiving was
proclaimed by Lincoln to celebrate
the ending of civil strife and the per-
petuation of the union. Ever since
the succeeding presidents have fol-
lowed his example in calling our
people to thanks. If the Plymouth
colony had much to be thankful for
in 1921, if this nation had much to be
thankful for in 1868, surely we have
more to be grateful for in 1905.
AS a nation we have so much to be
thankful for that we are compelled
to say with David: "They are more
than can be numbered" SO, there
fore, out of this great field we shall
CLEAN three sheaves.
in the first place we are thankful
for the influence of the Christ religion.
Between the religion of our Christ
and other systems there is no compar-
ison Other systems have tried for
centuries to civilize various parts of
the world, and as yet it is only a
standardization. The foundations of
our civil and religious liberty were
laid by Christian men. and we should
not forget that much of our blessing
today comes because "others have
labored and we have entered into
their labOrs.n
Nothing can take the place of
Christianity as a civilizing force.
in the second place, we are thank
full for our national influence.
"a little girl once saw a sunbeam
dancing on the floor and asked her
mother if it did not owe its brightness
to the fact that God was at the end
of it. So l believe that much of the
brightness of our national preemi-
hence comes from the fact that God
is behind US. Surely this has been
evident in the men of character, that
in the providence of God, have been
given as presidents and leaders of our
Republic.
"In the third place we are thank
full for the progress of righteousness
in our country. This is borne out by
our late elections. The political
standard has been elevated-bosses
and organizations have been over