Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-28
IDEAL WEATHER FOR
TIA .kSG|V|NG, 1907
Nature Kind in Providing Per-
feet Day For Annual Fes-
tivities
UNION SERVICE OF PRAISE
Churches of the City Give Thanks to
God Above for His Many Blessings
Rev. Mr.. Morris Delivers Sermon
Traffic on Railroads Heavy
Thanksgiving at the Home.
UNION SERVICE OF PRAISE

| Nature was kind in furnishing
weather that was ideal for q perfect
Thanksgiving day. The stars Of the
early morning heralded a bright day
| and Old Sol himself appeared to be
thankful at getting up time that he
was to be privileged to shine. The
| annual holiday was spent quietly, anc
business in practically all lines was
suspended. either for the entire day
| or at noon.
Thanksgiving traffic was heavy, and
relatives or friends. Many also were
| entertained at different homes in this
city. The annual Thanksgiving serv-
ice OF the city churches was held n
| the State street United Evangelical
church, with Rev. c. II. Morris, Of the
| Christian church delivering the ser
mon on 1.-THE Why's of Thanksgiving
| Other pastors of the city took part in
| the service.
An audience OF about 200 people at
! tended the service. which opened with
the singing of the doxology by the
congregation. Rev. l.. b. Xix gave the
invocation, after which Rev. p. H.
Hines read Governor Cummins'
Thanksgiving proclamation. Rev.
Merle N. Smith gave the scripture
reading. Mr.. Hix offered prayer, and
a hymn by the congregation immed-
lately preceded the sermon.
Rev. Morris said in part as follows:
con this good day we are gathered to
offer thanks to our loving Father for
His gifts to His children. This as
sembly Is In pursuance to mandate
Of the highest magistrates of the state
and the nation. But can we not say
that this Is rather a spontaneous than
a perfunctory service? Is 1T not, after
all, in pursuance to a deeper call; the
impulse Of our own grateful hearts,
that seek the house of God today?
ITO each of us there will be, in such
an hour the question pressing in upon
us, what have to be thankful for?'
Certain Of the Fathers blessings are
perfectly plain to all. Probably the
most potent of these is the blessing
of the harvest. In this land. should
the earth fail to bring forth her fruit
In its season, everything else would
fail likewise.
mo man can grow harvest. We
prepare the soil. Gods soil. and plant
the seed. Gods seed. and cultivate and
gather the harvest, Gods harvest.
Should the merciless sun beat down
day after day, week after week, month
after month, what could man do to
ward off its flerceness? Should the
rains descend and the floods come and
the sun withhold its beneficial rays.
what could man do to stay the tide OF
destruction? Nothing, absolutely Moth
ing We must have just enough sun,
rain, and wind, and not too much Of
each. How impotent a creature, after
all, is man! How dependent upon God
for every good and perfect gift!
"But the growing of the crop even
under ideal conditions is beyond our
comprehension. What is in this grain
Of wheat that makes it. grow? A wise
professor determined to make a seed.
With no great difficulty he learned
the ingredients and proportions. With
exacting care he combined the proper
chemicals in the proper proportions,
and announced to the world his revo-
lutionizing discovery. lit looked exactly
like Gods wheat; it was Of the proper
texture and the proper weight, but it
would not grow.
"Tell me, We who can, what is 1T In
this seed that caused it to grow? Elk
plain the mystery Of this miracle! Ye
who do not believe in miracles, tell
me. what is this? This tiny seed, sown
in the earth, putting forth. just the
blade, then the ear, then the full corn
on the ear! The whole Wondrous pro-
cess, describe it to me, We who can!
For. all of this there is but one ex-
PLANTATION, centuries old: God giveth
to each seed body of it's own
"But turning away from our own
land to survey the whole wide world,
another great boon presents itself to
our minds. Here and there the war
cloud hangs heavy over the nations.
Here the tramp of armed men, there
the clank of armour; here the gather
ing of squadrons, there the training of
guns: here the terrible, mangled death
Of noble men in defense of home and
there the gaunt, hollow cry
Of the widow and the orphan; here the
destruction of the harvest by merciless
enemy: here the bony finger Of fam
inc and plague, the inevitable conse-
uuence of war. 1t was not mere pro-
family that made a great general ex-
claim, war is hell!' 1t was the heart
cry Of a man who had seen war tear
ing it's great red gashes thru the heart
Of his country.
America is at peace, and with the
present master hand and head and
heart of peace in the white house, it
Is hard for any Warlike foe to disturb
the peace of this nation. Under such
rule as that of some Of the dwelling
nations, even today, this land might
have been plunged into the horrors of
war. Return to your closets and your
Knees, and thank God for such a pres
dent, and for peace.
"The harvest of the year and the
peace Of the land is not the whole Of
he occasion for thanksgiving. We are
today, the greatest wave of
moral reform in the history of the ma
ion. Men Of affairs are aroused. The
spread of the prohibition
movement is not the greatest indica
ion Of the tendency Of the times. Pub |
ic officials of all political professions !
ire coming to know that it is no long |
r a strength to any candidate to be