Norwich bulletin., 1914-11-20
THANKSGIVING was HIS SHOP TALK TOPIC. Rev. H. J. WyckOff Spoke at Hopkins 6 Aliens at Noon.

@ At noon on Thursday the shop necS- SElgs at the plant of the Hopkins X < Allen Firearms company were opened { and the speaker was Rev. H. J. WycR- = off, pastor of the Second Congrega- tioaal church.
 In part Rev. Mr. WycRoT spoke as z follows: An old proverb says that '+One man . can lead horse to water, but ten @men cannot make him drink" Ii takes only little twist of the words, 7 without at all changing the meaning z to make the adage read: The preSi- 3dent or governor can appoint a day of Thanksgiving, but a dozen proclama- { lions cannot make man thankful sTne truth is. all real action is pro- @moted from within, rather than from gwithout; and this is why we are going 10 try today to stir up within our SSpecial opportunity of Thanksgiving. It's a pretty crusty individual who twill not say Thank you" for a favor done. The most of us, as children, swere frequently prompted to express sour gratitude for some gift by tue sharp question of our parents, What do you say?'' If Thanksgiving day can do no more for us than this, it s good that our forgetfulness should be nudged to say Thank you" to Him 7 from whom cometh every good and perfect gift.
 Yet the words of gratitude never satisfy a truly thankful heart: there ought to be something more than thanksgiving. You cannot give much with the mouth: little advice, may be. if anyone can be found to accept it. But isn't the reason advice, how ever good, is so hard to give away that it lacks the example to make it effective? Gifts to us were to make LIS better. as well as richer: to en- able us to give to others, to 'tpass it 5 U T1d e.1 n fhof fI1n int If the original gift was carried out in our accepting it. It takes the deeds Of thanksgiving to make good the words of thanksgiving.
 And both the words and deeds of Thanksgiving. depend on the spirit of Thanksgiving. The man who feels that he has nothing to be thankful for will neither say Thank you" nor try to pass on his benefits. If he has had prosperous year and is richer in money and friends, he may think he is possessed by the spirit of thanksgi y- ing, as he speak words of gratitude, or does the deeds of benef1cence But what If the year has left him poorer, or out of work. or with fewer friends, or in sorrow or trouble? Can he be thankful under such conditions? Say Yesl In fact. that is the real test of the true spirit of thankfulness that 1t thinks not of the little things of the physical life in weighing ifs Ag4SASk1AAAk9os pf opportunity to be Gods partner iIl bringing this world of want and woe hnd selfishness and sin out into tue light and joy and peace of Gods greai plan for it, All business calls for in vestment, and investment calls FoI Q risks, and risks bring loss as well as gain. A good partner takes all these Into account. and according to the prosperity of the business as whole b-not according to his personal feelings Et any particular moment-he rejoices Tor in his own disappointments 4an5 sacrifices that all things work to. sether for good. And the man who has caught this view Of life; that it IS partnership with God. will learn tc lake the good and i'll together, aud reckon them all part of the growine business of God in this world, and re- loice that he has share in it all. an6 be thankful that interests larger thar his own private affairs still drive Straight on to success, though 1t be over the ruins of mere personal inter Psts. If we can but get up to this < seveL, we shall see, it may be for the hrst time. the greatness of Thanks k giving.
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