River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-07-05
Tribute To Rev. ThOrSen
Delivered at Continents Reunion
June II, BY Atty. N. 3. Hanson
of GAINESVILLE, MINI.

say "our" for came today to
speak few words to you on the be-
half of the hundreds you have con-
firmed in the past forty-three years
of your work. l feel the weight of
my responsibility in attempting to
convey this message, for am by no
means certain that possess that full
understanding of spiritual value that
entities me to speak here for my
felloW-confrmants.
However, | must confess to you
and also to those whom | represent
that no duty has been assigned to
me for long time that has appealed
to me so warmly, and that | have
undertaken as gladly as this one. 1t
is true that we have here today not
able men who have indeed been kind
to grace this occasion with their
presence and their sentiments, but
we have felt that the occasion calls
for something direct from your own
boys and girls, as you used to call us
in the old days. | use the words,
''boys and girls" though they are
no longer literally true, and | believe
that some of us have grown nearly
as gray and worn as you have, but
the idea that wish to emphasize is
that there was a time when we all
came to sit at your feet to receive
spiritual instruction and you gave it
to us gladly and efficiently and mere
lapse of time has never been able to
wholly destroy the relation thus es-
tablished between us.
Yes, you must hear from those
who have been the object Of your
tenderest care; those whose lives you
have touched during their formative
period; those who owe you most be-
cause they were susceptible of receiv-
ing most; those with whom you can
share some of life's most sacred
memories as we think back upon the
days when in our golden youth we
each one came forward, took your
clean, strong hand and vowed that
we would forsake the devil and all
his works, and that we would remain
true to our Maker and Redeemer to
the end; and trust that we may all
be able to feel through the inspira-
ton of this meeting and especially
the powerful sermon preached by
you this forenoon, more conscious
than ever before of the sacred obli-
cation of that vow that each one Of
his or her own life will endeavor to
realize it more fully.
Our dear friend and pastor, we,
your confirmants, do today tender
you our heartiest congratulations
upon your great good fortune in Sc
Letting as a young man the calling
of a minister Of the Gospel. We
congratulate you on the great fund
of physical health and strength, the
sane, wholesome mind; the fine spirit
ual enthusiasm; the unfagging 10y
atty; the great length of your work
day; all Of which you have been per-
mitted to employ in your sacred cal
ling.
We believe that for many, as life's
shadows begin to. lengthen, when
life's sharpest struggles are over,
and when one can serenely look back
and estimate life at it's true value,
there comes the feeling of keen dis
appointment, the feeling that after
all it has been nothing but a battle
for selfish ends; that all ones own
energies and the energies of others
have been directed solely to lifting
self; that there is nothing but dollar
values of it all to remain; that there
remains but little that is permanent
and constructive. AS it is true that
it profits one nothing to win the
whole world if in doing so one. be
damaged in ones soul, SO it must be
true that he who labors to instruct,
to fortify, to illuminate with Chris
tian truth, in short, to save human
soul, must be thrice blessed beyond
him whose endeavors have been en-
pl Dyed in the building up and con-
serving Of things lesser than the
human soul. May you at this hour
be made to feel a peculiar sense of
reward for the forty-three years of
toll and prayers you have invested
in US.
Continued next week.