Grand Forks daily herald. (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1914-1916, 1914-11-26
SOUNDS Note
Of OPTIMISM
Rev. VIM. H. Elfring Says
We Should be Thankful
For Prosperity.
DEPRESSION IN
BUSINESS A JOKE
No Such Thing, He Declares
Prosperous Period
in the State.

An optimistic note was by
Rev. VIM. II. Elfring, pastor of the
Plymouth congregational church, IN
his Thanksgiving sermon today. Mr..
Elfring preached the sermon at the
union services, which were held at
the First Baptist church. ~.
For These Things Give Thank"
wac the subject of his address, and he
declared that we should be thankful
for the prosperity Of the city, the state
and the nation.
The special collection. which was
taken, will be turned over to the Bel
gian Relief fund.
Under the direction Of Rowland
Manuel of the Wesley conservatory. an
Mr.. Elfring said in part:
Day OF Remembrance.
Thanksgiving day should be a day
of remembrance. A season for call
ing to mind the merctes Of God, for
looking over the debit side of our &C.
counts, and for calculating the guam
tity of rain and sunshine which God
hath visited us.
In the old covenant at the cur
renee of the Passover it was custom
sry for the head of the Jewish fam
lily to rise in The presence of his chill
dren and recount the mercies of God.
How He had led them out of the house
of bondage, how He had rained man
ma around their feet, how He had
brought water from the rock. how He
had saved them from their enemies
and brought them into the possession
OF the land which flowed with milk
n honey. And then they sang, 20
that men would praise the Lord for
His goodness and for His wonderful
works to the children of men," Thus
1t would be we'll If We, on this day Of
gratitude recount some of the bless
ings thai have come to us as a fam.
lily, as a church, a community, a state,
n a nation.
Prosperous City.
We should be grateful for the pros
perity of our city. When we walk up
n down the streets of this city Of
ours, which is clean. sober, safe and
Tor pessimism. There are between
three and four million dollars on de-
post In u banks. Legitimate busi-
ness is good. The intrinsic values Of
our real estate are as great today as
they ever were. The city is growing
conservatively. The balloon owners
are being ostrasized and rightly so.
Real business that has been founded
on h principles Of righteousness is
making good returns.
OF course there are a. few ~..girning''
pessimists who dwell among ue, who
have been "emptying their tables to
fll the gasoline tanks they are harp
ing about business depression. but
they are sadly mistaken. There is no
business depression save for the ex.
t~ravagant and grasping man who has
neither brains nor capital and who is
sponging off somebody else's earnings.
We should be grateful for the pros
perity Of our state. According to the
November crop report we raised near
ly three million more bushels Of corn,
over four millions more bushels of
wheat, between six and seven millions
nor bushels of oats, and nearly one
million and a. half more bushels Of po-
tatoes than the year 1918.
Great Period in Nation.
We should be grateful for the pros.
perity OF our nation. There never has
been a time when national prosperity
reigns as 1t does today. And when we
do have prosperity all the people of
our nation share in 1t. 1t is true we
have the very rich but we do not have
the desperately poor such as are
found In other lands. When we have
good crops and an n OF industrial