The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-07-14
Fitting Close of Anniversary OF
Saint Johns Parish
Yesterday
CEREMONIES AT CHURCH
In the Sabbath Is Recognized
The Importance OF God;
Musical Program
From Me,days Daily.

in the celebration of the golden an
niversary of the church by a most
impressive and appropriate golden
Jubilee program held in the churcn
Sunday morning, services being held
at seven and at 1890 o'clock, as the
climax of three day program IN
honor of the great event. The seven
o'clock service opened with the pro-
cessional hymn Saviour, Blessed
Saviour" The choral celebration OF
Holy Communion was held, and as
the communion hymn the choir sang,
and Now, o Father, Mindful of Thy
Love-" The occasional hymn was
"On Our Way Rejoicing"
At 1920 a. m. the program opened
with violin solo entitled "Med1ta-
tion," played by Charles Schwanen-
berg, after which the procession,
which included Rev. Samuel Cook
EdsaIl, d. D., bishop of Minnesota,
Rev. George C. Tanner, D. D., Rev.
Charles J. Shut, rector of st. Johns
parish, the vestrymen and the choir,
passed down the central aisle to the
pulpit, singing as the professional
hymn, Onward Christian Soldiers"
The choir sang three selections, "Ven-
tie. Exultemus Domino "Te Deum
Laudamus," and "Jubilate Deo."
Bishop Edsall delivered an inspired
and eloquent jubilee sermon, and ex-
planned the full and beautiful meaning
of jubilee.
Sermon by Bishop EdsaII.
"The year of jubilee was the last
and most remarkable of the Hebrew
festivals" he said, land bears the
unmistakiable mark of divine plan.
The Jubilee of the Jewish people
brought to their minds many truths
which we can also use here, and
chief of these is to make us feel our
dependence on God.
First of all l will have you note
that the jubilee brought dependence
upon the powers of Heaven. By the
Jewish jubilee men were taught that
their welfare, their material and
spiritual happiness was dependent up
on the bounty of Almighty God. AS
one day in seven was set aside as a
rest day, one year in seven was set
aside as a rest year, and at the end
of forty nine years the jubilee came
to emphasis this need of rest from the
grind of life and devote the time to
forgiveness of sins and debt so that
the unfortunate could begin over
again with an equal chance. 1t was
recognized that grinding toll took
the best out of life. In order that
human life be given an opportunity
for full development this period OF
rest was necessary. By divine Ordi-
nation every seven years liberty was
given to all the slaves and bondmen,
who generally became thus through
debt, and this kept the Jews from be-
coming like the oriental people and
dropping into the custom OF estab-
fishing caste from which there was
no escape. By the jubilee was guar
anteed to the people broad, demo-
cratic spirit, and they were saved
from degenerating into the caste
observances of the orientals, a GUS
tom which is also a spectre of our
modern life.
Many Beautiful Institutions.
There are so many beautiful in
situations connected with the jubilee
it is hard to single out the most
worthy l think we should remember
such great principles as, first: De-
pendence upon Almighty God; second,
the necessity of rest, and the neces-
sity for curbing the selfishness of
men; the importance of maintaining
bond Of equality among men, and
the importance of family life, and we
will thus gather some of the funda-
mental lessons of the Jewish jubilee
and learn in time to compare them
with modern life. There is a necessity
of the presence among men of a con-
slant recognition of their dependence
upon Almighty God Men forget, they
get out of the habit of going to
church. There is tendency in the
human heart to stray, and has been
ever since man was created. The
Great Jehova has tried to correct
this. He has taught that wherever a
nation did not observe the periods
of rest, presumed to set aside that
one-seventh of the time that was to
lift man to higher things, just SO
sure that nation became corrupt, and
the same is true of families.
I'm the Sabbath is recognized the
importance of God, the importance Of
rest and of family life, it should be
a day of forgiveness, happiness and
charity. Toll and labor should cease
On one day in seven for every man.
no matter what his occupation he
should have one day in seven for
rest, it is an absolute physical neces-
sity. But he must apply the princi-
pie of the Sabbath right, it must not
be all devoted to pleasure but to
God and family"
Fifty Years Of Work.
Bishop Edsall then spoke particu-
larly of the fifty years faithful work
of the parish and especially of the
years that had come under his own
observation since he came to Min
nesota in 1901. He referred to the
splendid work Of Rev. George H
Davis, and how out of his efforts in
the time Of his great discouragement
had come the turning point IN tbs