The Princeton union., 1906-07-26

faith, even to small degree, let US in
these moments of self examination
take fresh grip on the eternal
verities, for surely our church is still
destined to be the instrument in God s
hand to make our fellow men see,
"what is the height and depth, and
length and breadth of the love of
God.'
We need a supreme faith. This COM
munity must be saved for the sake of
those who long for the better days of
the kingdom; for the sake of those
who believe that here the Lord is
working out the supreme problem of
the welfare of coming generations: for
the sake of those who come here hun
cry for the ideals which a true church
should exalt
I make my appeal to you that you
permit not our work to lag Or halt,
because believe we have something
to bequeath to this people. This CON-
munity is not done with us, we are not
done with it. Our forebears helped
to found this church. We will try to
direct it's more effective work The
pioneers of '56 laid the corner stone.
but we will raise the structure story
on story and hope and pray that ours
may be such an effective work that
the kingdom CT cur Christ shall speed
lily be ushered in in mighty power.
We cannot prove a failure if we are
true to the past, faithful to the present
and alert for the future.
I am convinced that it is possible
for us to make undreamt of additions
to the energy and impact of our
church's strength, but to do it we
must walk along the paths of sacri-
fetal grace. When the power of our
church becomes sacri6cial, where she
bears in her body the ''marks of our
Lord Jesus" you may be assured
that the people will come together,
and the church will move among the
alienated classes with fascinating
constraint. Deep down in the hearts
of men there are loving chords of kin
ship ready to thrill and to respond to
| the royal note. But we shall fail dis
mally in our attempts to bring har-
mony unless we enter into the expert
ence and suffering of Christ and be-
come clothed with "the power of His
resurrection" May it be our blessed
lot to exhibit to this people the spec
tacle of a church thoroughly "alive
unto God;" a church quickened in
moral perception, compassionate and
daring, presenting at all times in the
name of Jesus the only remedy that
has proved effective for the "healing
of the natiOn.''
Sunday evenings services began
with song of praise, which was fol-
lowed by the reading of poem writ
ten by Mrs. O. G. Tarbox, Oneonta,
New York, and received by the Dor
cas- society. A letter of greeting to
members of the church from DR.. Tar
box was then read to the congrega-
tion. The letter is hereunder repro
duced:
Oneonta, N. Y, July H., 1906.
To the Members of the First Congre-
gational Church and Society,
Princeton, Minnesota.
Greeting: Your kind invitation to
be present at the celebration of the
fiftieth anniversary of the church
has been received by me and I thank
you for the same. Nothing would
give me greater pleasure, but unfor-
tunately the distance is too great, and
my time too limited. Nothing, I re-
peat, would give me greater pleasure
than to meet you all once more, and
to grasp the hand of friendship, and
to call up past days and events when
I was one of you.
The Congregational church of
Princeton has had a checkered his
tory of ups and downs, of bright and
cloudy days, but feel sure that it's
future is bright and promising. It
has done a good work in the past, and
it will do more successful work in the
future. God has been with the church
all these years, and will further bless
you if you are faithful to His word
and His promises. Pardon me if 1
speak from a personal standpoint in
this letter, for, as my friend Mr.. Rines
used to say, II am in a reminiscent
mood" tonight, and the memory calls
up many persons and events connected
with the church in years past and
gone.
I first became acquainted with Prince
ton people, and the Congregational
church in particular, in the summer of
1880, rs years ago this month. Fresh
from college, I drove in from Elk
River one day, with my father,
hitched my horse in front of Il. B.
COIu1oS, old ctOro IN Moi, e+,oo4 .-l