Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-26
Through Bright Sky and Warm Air
Nature Bestows Smile.
INDOOR AND OUT THE FESTIVAL Is
.Devout Give Thanks in Religious
Observance of the Day.
VIGOROUS YOUTH RUNS AND PLAY
Even the Pork on the Block and Fat
Poultry Seem to Give Forth
Freshness of the Cheer
full season.

II was a day OF genuine thanksgiving in
Omaha. And busy paused to OBJ
serve #. The weather-sprinE-like In its
balmy. clear atmosphere-toned the spirits
to a high key and the Great Human Fam
lily, or that portion OF IL In this city, partook
Of fcstal feasts and engaged I'm devout
worship and participated I'm out-of-door
exercise with a vim and vigor Characters
tic Of a healthy, happy people.
That aspect Of THANKSGIVING day from
which the name itself Is derived, was
not ignored in Omaha, many churches
holding services OF praise and gratitude
and these services were particularly inn
pressivc among those denomination to
whom the day means much in an historical
way. But there was opportunity for all
who felt like observing the day in other
than a Astronomical way. so to act,
One sermon with particular reference to
the history and meaning OF Thanksgiving
day vas delivered by Rev. L. o. Baird.
pastor of st. Mary's Avenue Congrega.
tional church. who occupied the pulpit at
Grace Lutheran church, where one Of sew
eral union services OF the day was held.
Christmas is the feast Of the nativity
Of Christ" said Or. Baird, land as the
Fourth Of July is the birthday celebration
of the American nation, so Thanksgiving
day is the birthday holiday of Puritanism.
I am here to say some words concerning
Puritanism and the Puritan.
So with All Great Events.
Just as at the birth OF Christ, there
were the wise men who reioiced and the
people who wondered and the Herod who
scoffed. so It has been with other great
events and facts at their inception ami
afterwards.
1T has become the fashion to indulge in
much easy abuse of the Puritan. To call
a thing 'puritanlcar is to damn IT; to call
a statute a blue law is to kill It. And all
this abuse, all this unfounded criticism is
entirely unjustifiable.
Il do not want 70 return TO witch hang
~ings-thero never were any witch burnlngs
in New England. Nor do l wish to return
to the intolerance which exiled Roger VIII
lians; nor to the fake blue laws which are
much talked Of, but most Of which as ex-
ampled were never I'm any statute book.
These references as commonly made are
the eXaggerations Of carlcature. And what
basis they have I'm face were the excuses
necessary to a primal state. II Is true
that their ways were rigorous, but their
hearts were stupendous, The easy going
critic seated in his armchair under an
electric light in a steam heated flat seems
to forget the drapery of these rugged
men was cut from the cloth of their day.
do you judge a school by its ounces or
by it's wise pupils?
do you rate men at their best or their
worst averages? Shall we discount Peter
after Pentecost because he had lied once
and sworn once?"
AnaIyIIzes Popular Charges.
DR.. Baird then went on to analyze many
of the popular charges against the Puri-
tans in New England. He referred to
witch burning, now well known by the
educated never to have occurred in Amer
lea.
There were all told thirty-one executions
for witehcraft In New England" sa d he.
land this was but in the fury Of the de-
fusion which swept across from the old
world. Prior to the Ma sachusetts GU braax
there were $4,000 put to death In England,
5000 in Germany, 100, 900 in Francs-an for
the same cause.
do you ever hear anything about witch
craft in England? DO you ever hear about
It in Germany? In France?
-Four years later we see in New Eng
land the whole community Join in a public
expression Of humility and penitence."
Seated with Rev. Mr.. Baird before the
sermon were Rev. w. e. Todd OF the Third
Presbyterian church, M. J.. Melick Of the
church in which the services we're held,
DR.. Ball Of the Parkvale Congregations
and w. S. Fulton Of the Westminster
Presbyterian. Members Of the Hanscom
Park Methodist Episcopal church al o took
mart In fha service