Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-23
THANKSGIVING SHOULD
BE LASTING ATTITUDE
GRATITUDE FELT SAID TO BE
WORTH UTTERANcE
Rev. C. C. Pierce Declares All Should
Seek Advancement of Whole Peo-
pie and Forget Individual
Advantages

At the Memorial Baptist church the
pastor, Rev. c. C. Pierce, preached
sermon appropriate to the Thanksgiv-
ing season, taking for his text the
words of Psalm SOFA, Offer unto God
thanksgiving, and pay thy VOWS unto
the most high
He said, in part:s THE Thanksgiv-
ing season recalls again tire circum-
stances and conditions under which
this day was established; and, among
other things for which deVout thanks
giving is rendered. is that so noble
a company of men and women were
the progenitors and founders of this
great nation. The influence of the Pill
grim fathers is a growing power and
their character an asset in national
opulence which we could not afford
to exchange for any material consider
ations.
Thanksgiving, gratitude and appre
citation of blessings are the fundamen-
tai instincts of the human heart There
is nothing more delightful in child
hood than its sweet and spontaneous
expressions of appreciation for little
favors granted. Whether it is more
blessed to receive or to give thanks
giving it is difficult to say, but both
are delightful. In our busy and hur-
ried lives, however, we are so likely
to be as were the nine lepers who,
having received the inestimable bless
ing of restored health were so inter-
ested in the gift bestowed they failed to
return thanks for the blessing.
"One thing we need to remember
is thanksgiving is not something to
be expressed once a year, but ought
to be a perpetual attitude of the mind;
and as Gods blessings are coming all
the time without interruption so ought
our thanksgiving to be perpetual.
be afraid to show it. We are in many
things far too slow to express our
selves, and in none more than in this
matter of Thanksgiving.
IN this day of national thanksgiv-
ing we approach what seems to me the
ideal religious service where all classes
and creeds Join irrespective of mere
accidental conditions. We are broken
up into classes, sects and cliques all
too much. In this day of national
thanksgiving, we ought not only to be
thankful for all that has come to us
as a nation, but we ought to seek to
cultivate a national consciousness
which will enable us all to seek the
advancement of the whole people and
forget our individual advancement for
a little.
False Patriotism to Be Avoided
1--WE ought to seek also to avoid a
narrow and false patriotism, which
seeks for the advantage and advance
ment of our own nation at the ex-
pense Of others. There is developing
a world consciousness which aims for
and will not be satisfied until all the
people of all the world are brothers
and share in the advantages of our
own great nation.
while we are thankful today at
what we have achieved and enjoy We
are exceptionally thankful the thought
of peace, a world peace, is taking pos
session of all men. While in this land
we are thankful for educational adj
Vantages we are inspired with the idea
that these blessings are for all the peo-
pies of the world and not alone for our
own nation.
while we are thankful for the I'M
numbered material blessings and COM
forts which are ours, for friends and
homes and comforts, and sunshine and
flowers, and some leisure and books
and papers, we pray for the time soon
to come when all the nations of the
earth shall possess these things in
abundance, and when all mankind
shall have the opportunity to realize
its highest possibilities.
among the greatest blessings of any
age are those of spiritual liberty. There
is nothing so terrible as thralldom of
! conscience We rejoice to know the
/ l6NANIS anu TIC DlllitNIH aAN Dcili6 Adhtil
from mems hearts and minds. While
much has been gained in this direc-
ton we still have much to gain and
much to accomplish.
'rhe problems of humanity are not
all solved, the work is not all done,
the battles are not all fought, and this
| Thanksgiving occasion, while we
should walk humbly before our God
in true appreciation of all he has en-
abled humanity to do and achieve, we
should never forget we have only
fairly started on the highway of Lu-
man progress and forever should keep
looking for something better in the
days to come"
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