The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-12-05
A REMARKABLE SERMON

heard the wonderful sermon preach
ed at the Reid Memorial church on
Thanks giving day by the Rev. Andrew
F. Mitchell of South Eighth Friends
church. he has kindly consented to
present synopsis of it for publica-
ton in our city papers; as hundreds
and doubtless thousands who could
not he present to hear this wonderful
ly appropriate Thanksgiving sermon
for such a time of worldwide trouble
and dire commotion as never before
shook this old world Of ours will read
it with no ordinary interest. A syn
opsis Of the sermon follows:
1t is not only beautiful custom to
gather at our places of worship, once
year at the call OF the chief execu-
tive of the nation, but it should be an
occasion to every citizen Of the re.
public of profound gratitude. and
thanksgiving to Almighty God. An
ideal Thanksg giving would be a day of
radiant sunshine, following abundant
harvests with gamers and larders and
cellars and warehouses we'll filled, and
exports piled high; crowding the
places of worship with eager gratitude
and retiring to the old home in family
reunions to sit again around the table
board in the inexpressible joy and hill
arity of domestic life. Across the
states with speeding cars the children
come with more children to look into
the faces Of father and mother and
give them good cheer and brighten
their hopes in the fading years. From
colleges and universities the boys and
girls hurry back to touch the home
base once more and soften the sense
OF lost companionship and separation
from family life. And who will dare
to measure the influence of these an
nual thanksgivings in family and ma
tional life. These perhaps, are ideal,
but those which have found a place in
history and marked with emphasis
the worlds life were begotten and
launched in adversely rather than in
abundance and great prosperity When
men had left their homes and families
exposed to the pioneer dangers of
frontier and savage life and resolutely
faced famine and bitter winter at Val.
ley Forge: when conspiracy and cab
led plots at the Headquarters Of the
confederated colonies were testing the
faith of heroes and shattering the
hopes of patriots; it was then that
faith unexampled in modern times,
burned in the bosom of Washington
until he withdrew from his bleeding
soldiers at Valley Forge into a Sc
Guided thicket and there under the
crushing burden of foreign tyranny,
and domestic treason lifted his stream
ing eyes to God in thanksgiving and
gratitude for an mistaken faith in
the triumph of truth, Righteousness
and justice over every foe.
When the children of Punishment
gathered in the Mayflower, facing win
ter and wilderness and famine, they
registered historic thanksgiving and
formed a holy compact born of graft
tude. Thanksgiving never arose from
human lips with greater exultation
than he who lived in constant peril of
land or sea. Whether he stood upon
slippery plank in shipwreck; wheth-
er under arrest at jerusalem; wheth-
er receiving forty stripes save one;
whether chained between two Roman
soldiers, Or entombed in a cold dark
dungeon st. Paul could say Thanks
be unto God who giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ" pray
without ceasing and in everything give
thanks" Thanksgiving then does not
depend upon the abundance Of the
things which a man possesses but is
born out Of gratitude to God. No fruit
OF the spirit called into action so
graces christian character, gives
courtesy to conduct and allegiance to
God like the voluntary expression of
gratitude.
Shall we then not be able to make
this thanksgiving universal? If there
is such a being as the dictionary calls
an atheist, he can have little or no
part in the purpose of this Sabbath
day of the nation; for he has nobody
to thank. If there is creature who
is materialist and believes this uni
verse to be the product of "a fortuit-
Gus concourse of atoms" he can have
no part in these services, because he
has no place to bestow his thanks. If
there is a third being who assumes
that God is imp ersonal, a somewhat
instead of some who, he cannot
share our fellowship on this great
day, for thanks and gratitude are be-
slowed only upon intelligent person
ality. If it be possible that there are
such beings let them play this part,
that they thank their unhappy stars