The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-30

substantiaI gifts of staple provisions.
 peelaily See Ssers bssntiful Here srapsa %'r were used exclusively, and The blending of the several colors was effective in the extreme The standards throughout the churcn were sfitwinsj wfth -miax and tall grasses and sheaves of wheat while the window silis were banked
 with fruits and vegetables and the windows were draped with smilax and
 vines in rich autumn colors.
 cnancel was filled w pack ,:ses and bags of fruits and provisions. the yol- untary offerings of the members of the two congregations, ,-and every reat in men, women and children who had cop- | tributed to the making of the Harvest Hcme festival" of this year n.emorable one in the history of the churches.
 After the service, in the afternoon, | the offerings were gathered together | and sei:l to tie Nc g'lh 9f is,a 'usp in Wes: End " he~e the more substan- | t'nI of the gifts will pe k; aud dis demands, while the gifts of fruits and
 flowers will be given out at once:
 The Neighborhood House Association ! will attend to the disbursement of the | generous offering of money made by the congregation at the service ycster-
 day The work of decoration was done ! by the members of the Guild of Chris { tian Service of St. Johns.
 The service which was altogether in1- rresSive and beautiful was conducted | by Mir. McQueen, who spoke interest," ingiy of the history of TharEsgiyns
 .First. word or two with reward to the history of Thanksgiving Day" said Mir. McQueen. beginning his discourse I ''The first Thanksgiving Day tor days, | for it Is said to have lasted Weekl' was appointed by William Bradford second Governor of the Plymouth col -S s9ata nFEL 1 thanksriving festival is not known, but | 1t was probably in the month of De- | tober after the harvest. in the year | 1921 There were present hftysnve English and ninety Indians. What a contrast to Thanksgiving of today With
 millions observing It all over this | broad land of ours. One of the dishes at the feast was the national bird (al- though the eagle is usually regarded ais such), which Governor Bradford ! quaintIy speaks of as 'turkes.' He says 1 beside water fouie there was great store of wild turkes.' Thus early was set a precedent which the nation has ! carefully followed. It observes that feature of Thanksgiving day If no
 other.
 Tn late years, at varying intervals, there have been special days of thanks giving in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York The first national ap- | D0iutment or a Qay or InAukSBAFluS was | in 1TS9, upon the recommendation or
 President Washington. The day has been regularly observed, however, as an annual festival only since 1863.
 'This church, as you know. expects her people to assemble in their re- spective houses of worship yearly on | the first Thursday in November, or on such other day as shall be appointed by the civil authority It is her law and she sets forth in the prayer book A Form of Prayer and Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the fruits of the | earth and all the other blessings Of His mercifui Providence and note how comprehensive this is. 1t takes in both | the material and the spiritual. There
 fore 1t applies to all that concerns 4 us in this life. The fruits of the
 earth that Is to say everything that comes from the earth the things that minister to our necessities, comfort and 1 luxuries, tour bodily wants), such as l grain, coal and the precious metals \ of whatever kind. All the other bless ais overs the whole field of
 the moral, the educational
 | ligious, everything that ministers to
 our higher nature, our souls and spir-
 Us. Here we find many grounds for | thanksgiving. Look, for instance, at politics. Of course there is much of 1 corruption, yet no observing man can | fail to see that there has been a gem | eral quickening of the public con
 science. We are demanding more and
 more as time goes on, that honest, com- petent and moral men shall be chosen
 for public positions, both in municipal,
 State and National Government, and as | a rule, only such nrer "~n | too, at the growing and deepening sense
 of unity between the different sections
 of our common country. Ultimatly this will substitute a national for a sec- tional way of looking at great ques- tiors of governmental science. Thus shall be generated a large minded and | liberal statesmanship. Add to this the | fact that men are realizing more and
 more their individual obligation to the State, realizing that we are not indi-
 Siduals merely, but are also members of society, and that we have social needs ana social responsibilities. Look,
 too, at the gifts for educational pur- poses. How they increase year by year! | Universities, colleges and schools of all rorts are being endowed with increas- ing liberality. The rich are appreciat- ing more their duty to the country from whose prosperity they get their riches. What causes all these things are for thanksgiving from grateful
 we are bidden to thank God for the fruits of the earth This directs our thoughts to His work in the Domain of Nature where we can discern His hand turn where we will, whether m the study of the earth. the sea, or the air. Moreover, we always find uni- | formity, together with law and order, wonderfully manifested. The affairs of | the world are but the orderly result of deep laws. And the more we study, the more are we filled with admiration
 and awe. And 1t should make us all
 the more clearly recognize the Presence
 of the Law Giver Himself. We should be ever ready to discern the will and | providence of God in immediate control of the course of the universe. We must never conceive of Him as having
 once for all made laws and then set them In motion Gas if the universe were some great clock and He its maker)
 and left them to work along mechan- ieally In their own way without any further direction from Him. Nay we
 must realize and be grateful for the
 fact that God-as the Scriptures teach visits the earth, blesses it, makes fl
 very plenteous sends rain to water the
 eurrows. to bless the increase and
 crown the year with His goodness.
 How suggestive the fact that in the
 matter of the annual harvest, the year.
 ly food supply, we are so absolutely al
 the mercy of God! It should serve tc
 rebuke the boastful and self-compla-
 cent spirit with which we are wont tc
 regard our partial control of Natures
 laws. I repeat, the supply of food
 which keeps us in health and strength
 Is in Gods hands a living, present
 God. and is not dependent upon laws
 framed years ago. For, observe, wC
 prepare with utmost painstaking, the
 soil. We SOW the seed. That is al