The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-11-27
Union Thanksgiving Service
Attended by Unusually
Large Number
AND
FORCEFUL MESSAGE
Courage Brought by Spirit of Thanks
giving - Other Ministers Had Part
i'll Program-ofering for Associated
Charities

in Program-ofering for Associated
Charities.
The annual Thanksgiving union service
was held in the Methodist church yes
terday morning and was attended by
larger congregation than has attended
the Thanksgiving services in the past sew
eral years. Rev. +. Q. S. Osgood. pastor
OF the Unitarian church, offered prayer
Rev, Roy NJ. Houghton, pastor of the
Centre Congregational church, read the
Scripture lesson. Rev. Demar e Trout,
pastor OF the Universalist church, con
Quoted the responsive reading. Fred c.
Adams sang twice. the Thanksgiving an
them and The Lord Is Mindful of His
Own. Mrs. Helen Crosby Brasor was at
the organ, and thoughtful and forceful
sermon was preached by Rev Thomas w
Owens of the Methodist church on the
courage that comes through the spirit OF
Thanksgiving. The offering was for the
use OF the Associated Charities of the viii
lage. Rev Mr.. Owens said in part:
Luke has faithfully described the journeys
OF the great missionary, Paul. His trip to
Rome Is pictured very wildly The storm
on the sea and the shpwreck Is written
with the accuracy of sailor Through
TINS storm and shipwreck Paul is on his
way to Rome a a prisoner 1t Is evident
that Paul, when he had reached this crisis
OF his fate, was feeling disprited for the
tendency to low spirits has been referred
to before by Luke Meeting the brethren
from Rome at Putcoli brought about "a
marked change, whom when he saw, he
| thanked God and took courage,
| The past with its hardshipS, beatngs.
! prosecutions, prisons and shipwreck, lies
/ behind: the future with larger opportuni-
! ties for work and greater prosecutions
/ looms before him. The spirit of Thanks
giving brings to him a courage that en-
fables him to accomplish the work
! The spirit of Thanksgiving brings cour-
! age with which we can do the worlds
work, Associated with this day is the
memory of the handful of men and wo-
men who left their homes in England and
went to Holland in order to worship God
~ their conscience directed They left
/ Holland because OF an approaching war
and came to these shores long voyage
and a hard winter did much to discourage
| those settlers Their spirit OF Thank>giv-
! ing brought the courage which enabled
I them to build the foundation of a future
nation
Today our nation has great task to
perform. both at home and abroad. Such
work demands men and women OF large
vision. OF great courage. and this Will
come through an acknowledgment of God
as the giver and Il proper spirit of thank
! tume~>. Our republic Is peculiarly fitted
/ lay the blending of the races that make mp
its population to bring to the whole world
/ some new note. some now spirit that will
make for peace.
| The foes ct onr nation are many and
courage l. needed to send lis forth to bat
tie against them.
The arch enemy of ou nation. rum. calls
for greater effort 10 drive ii from its
3-troughold. Much has already been ac-
! eomplished by strong public sentiment
There was a time when our churches coun-
teuanced the use of liquor. To-day the
church has entered the fight in great
carue>tneSs- Religious periodicals not -
long since advertised patented medicines
which were a. alcoholic a. any brand et
whiskey. Today our best newspapers will
question the advertisement OF liquor III
their columns for fear of insulting then
people We thank God for success, bat
we need renewed courage TO see the fight
through.
Perhaps the spirit of irrcvcrence is the
most subtle Zoe of our nation. The lac6
lof reverence of home, of parental authority
IS depriving the home OF a force that makes
strong men and women. The lack of rev
erence Of God which Il shown in an attl
tude of Indifference toward the church and
disregard of His laws governing our SO
cial life * very marked today. y glance
at the pages of The Reformcr will give
lone an ideasof the number of divorces IN
one county OF tins state.
Our foes are many and our problems are
as great. The hordes that are coming to
our shores must be trained into good cltl-
zens When the war is ended in Europe
our work will further he increased. This
is the time to take a square look at our
tasks. not with the look of a pessimst, for
our country has no use for DISMAL jim
: mics, they belong to the other SIDE bat
with a spirit of Thanksgiving for the great
work before rs, the worlds work, and We
shall accomplish it.