The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-12-01
CITIZENS MKT IN UNION MEET.
ING no SHOW THEIR THANK
b~LNEsSGFDR YEARS sue.
CESSES.

1t Is noticeable that each succeed
ing year brings out a larger number
Of people to the nn!ca I TTihahksgiv-
ing services which are held in this
city, and the number ought to be
large enough to fill the greatest audi
torium in the city, but the day is ac-
cepted too much as a day of rest
rather than a Aay of thankfulness,
which the president of the United
States and the governor of this state
endeavor to impress in the words of
the proclamations that are issued.
The services were held in the Con-
gregation church Thursday morning
at 1880 o'clock, and the main audi
torium Of the church was more than
filled while the lecture room was
drawn upon to accommodate the
crowd. The services were in choarge
of Rev. E. NJ. Jeffers, pastor of the
Baptist church. The music was furn-
ished fby a chorus choir under the di-
rection of, j. G. Lindsay and it was
of a character to add much to the
good meeting. The prayer was made
by DR.. j. S. Hoagland.
The offering that was taken up
amounted to $17.15. This money
was forwarded to the Childrens'
Home at Sioux Falls, it having been
the custom for a number of years to
send the offering of this day to the
home. where it will aid in caring
for the orphans and other children
who are gathered beneath it's pro-
Itecting folds.
The sermon was delivered, by Rev.
F. B. Barnett, rector of st. Mary's
Episcopal church, in which he sought
to distinguish between the right and
the wrong way to give thanks. He
turned back to the period of ancient
history and took the story of an emf
nently respectable church member
coming to give thanks to God.
He was a %punctual and devout
churchgoer," said the rector. mot
only religious but prominent among
the religious. He was a good a
He was no extortioner. He was not
unjust. "A man of sterling and I'M
|veneered morality. An upright bust
ness man. telling no lies in his trade,
paying his debts. keeping his hands
out of his neighbors' pockets, deal
ing fairly with the men in his employ.
And he vas very probably as good a
man in his home as in business, a
faithful husband. a very model OF do
mestic virtue.
"He climbed up the steps of the
temple in Jerusalem much as you n
II have come here today and, he rev.
'erently lifted up his eyes to God and
said: God, I thank Thee" God,
IL thank Thee" For what? For the
opportunities and privileges of his
life? No. For the love of God that
made possible a real and helpful re-
Ilationship with his brother man? Nc.
For the labors Of love that had made
his Jerusalem and his people what
they were? No. God, I thank
Thee!" For what, then? I thank
that I am not as other men are.
THANK Thee that thou hast divided
Tall men into two classes and that !
am,in class one God I thank Thee
that I am NO such man as this mis-
cradle publican here by my side
That was mis- attitude in giving
thanks. That was his Judgment OF
himself and his fellow man. But
hear what Christ saith: I tell you
ithis man that il the publican, went
down to his house justified rather
than the other
THAT my friends" said the rec
itor, was the Thanksgiving of an
eminently respectable, religious mar
twenty centuries ago. He thanked
God. oh, yes, indeed, but he in.
!sulted Him and himself.He thanked
COD but he made his Thanksgiving
null and void, worse than useless on
account Of two very great errors. two
essentially wrong attitudes Of mind
land 1t seems to me that you and ]
lwho have come to Gods holy temple
to give our thanks. may well pause
and consider II, %perchance, our
i Thanksgiving today is clear and clean
To- the great mistakes of the Phari-
see who went up into the temple
Ito pray. There we're two kinds OF
people Of whom Christ especially dis.
approved. Those who trusted them
selves that they were religious, and
itnose who despised others. These
two disastrous characteristics often
go together. They did in this case
land they constituted the two great
mistakes. the two fundamentally
wrong attitudes of the Pharisee when
he lifted up his heart in thanksglv-
ling to God-content and contempt.
This excellent gentleman failed in
his Thanksgiving because of his con-
tent with himself and his contempt
for others.
"Content,'' continued the rector,
means neglect of opportunities. No
man was ever satisfied with himself
who measured his life by the rule OF
opportunity. Who OF US has done
all the good deeds he might have
done. Not one oe us, and, my
friends, If any of us in our thanks
giving today is tempted to recite the
roll of his excellent actions, or con-
gratulate himself upon certain evil
things he has not done, he is fail
ling to measure himself by the rule
Iof opportunity, he stands beside the
Pharisee in the temple and is pre-
cisely the same kind of a person and
makes his thanksgiving null and
Ivoid in precisely the same way. He
lis committing one great and fatal
mistake, one fundamental wrong at
titude. He is content with himself.
But content means not only that
a man is unmindful of opportunity,
but it is a positive indicator of spirit
ual stagnation.
Contempt for others is as I'M
lchristian as anything can be. 1t fiat
lily contradicts the whole inrsption of
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