Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-30


onstrated yesterday when the churches
Of Los Angeles were filled with con-
gregations that taxed their capacities.
Although the day opened with rain,'
which continued until after the opens
ing of services, people flocked from
all parts of the city to the churches
where union services were held.
The main service in Protestant cir
cles was held in the great Temple
auditorium, which was completely
packed with an interested congrega-
tion.
This was the first Thanksgiving
service in the great building, one of
the wonders of the world. Every seat
on the floor, which rises nearly to the
roof, and the balcony were occupied
and the boxes, which have held so
many creations of beauty within the
past month, were filled with people
intent on observing the one great
American holiday.
WeIl-Known CIergymen Participate
On the large platform were seated
the clergymen of the city and the
choir of the Temple church. The seat
of honor was given Rev. Warren +.
Day, pastor emeritus of the First Con-
gregational church, and beside him sat
his son, Rev. William Horace Day,
who has recently returned from the
orient. Rev. Robert Burdette, the pas
tor, who presided, paid delicate COM
pliment to father and son in alluding
to the family reunion for Thanksgiving.
Rev. Robert Mcintyre, pastor of the
First Methodist church, and heralded
over the United States as the most elo-
quent preacher in Methodism, preached
the sermon. DIR. Mcintyre outdid him.
self yesterday and he carried his au-
dience from laughter to tears.
Woman Interrupts Sermon
During his sermon DR.. Mcintyre al
luded to anarchism, socialism and
graft as undesirable quantities to in
troduce to the state. whereupon a
well-dressed, middle-aged woman in
the back of the audience jumped up
and in a shrill voice cried, Christ was
socialist Christ was Socialist
This she repeated in shrill notes and
started down one of the side aisles
toward the stage. Ushers Immediate
ly endeavored to quiet her, leading her
to a seat. For a moment or so she
quietly sobbed and again began her
cries, this time in a piteous wall, that
1.-The dear Christ was Socialist" She
was led from the auditorium, keeping
up her cries, which were echoed and
re-echoed through the large building
as she was led away
DR.. Mcintyre kept on with his SER
mon and little attention was paid to
the incident after the woman was
taken away.
DR.. Mcintyre took for his text the
first verse of the thirty third Psalm:
"Rejoice in the Lord, o We righteous;
for praise is comely for the upright"
Thanksgiving Is Beautiful
"The word 'comely' in this text
means naturally beautiful" said the
speaker. '1t is a natural and beauti-
full thing to pray. Upright means, in
a popular phrase, all right, so that
it means that it is all right with God,
that a man is at peace with heaven
and earth, for the Hebrew word praise
means our thanksgiving. Thanksgiv-
ing is naturally beautiful to those who
are all right with God and man. This
is the essential idea OF the American
Thanksgiving, that we shall stop one
day and thank the Giver Of all good.
"This is the idea of the psalmist;
that it was a natural, spontaneous and
normal giving of thanks. 1t is so to-
day; the Man of Galilee walks these
aisles and he has spread a rich table
for you today.
1.-THE reason that Thanksgiving is
naturally beautiful is that it repre-
sents the higher nature of man. No
nature but the human can give thanks
to his God. 1t is the poets thought
that nature answers to the praise of
God, but it is the poets soul that sees
it, the meadows are unconscious.
All Should Be Thankful
Man alone corresponds with God.
He alone can praise God and know that
he accepts his praises. David teaches
us how to pray and he always packed
his prayers in wrappings of praise.
"As California first taught the world
the art of packing fruit, so David
taught the world how to send prayers
that would reach God, for every one
is wrapped in praise. Praise the Lord,
o my soul, and forget not all his
benefits David was the great prayer
and the great praiser.
But yonder is a man who says he
has nothing to be thankful for this day.
Your thankfulness should not be for the
big things received, but for what you
are. Some of Gods sweetest blessings
fall into foul hearts and rot and do no
one any good, All over this land are
people who are thankless, and the
truth is that they have received some
of Gods greatest blessings. They have
received gifts that the sinless hosts on
high may not receive, given without
money and without price.
Il remember many years ago trip
took on the old Mississippi river. The
whole thing was new TO me, what l
had read about, but never seen, the fine
cut glass and sparkling silver, until
could scarcely say a word, At the
end of the table a man kicked and
growled from the soup to sweets, all
through the hour and half, so that he
spoiled the dinner for some and dis
gusted all.
A Different Scene
After this dinner, as l was standing
watching the old Mississippi churned
into white foam by the wheels, looked
down into the lower section where the
poor people live. They had to secure
their own meals, and 1 saw poor old
white-haired man preparing his little
dinner. He had found a quiet little
corner and soap box. On this he
spread the paper which wrapped his
lunch of bread and cheese, and then
looking all around that no curious eyes
might not be looking, he took off his
hat, his white locks were blown by the
wind, and l. standing above, could see
his thin lips move in prayer. And ther
thought Of the eurmudgeon in the