Norwich bulletin., 1922-12-01

Several churches of Norwich held a 1 community service Thanksgiving after l noon at o'clock at the Central Baptist | church, in which there was worship in 1 acknowledgement of the goodness of God |
 The service opened with the singing of | Come Ye Thankful People, Come,' fol- 1 lowing which Rev. E. c. Dunbar of the | First Baptist church gave the invo- cation. Rev. Alexander H. Abbott of the United Congregational church read the annual Thanksgiving Day proclamation issued by Governor Everett J. Lake. Fol lowing the reading of the Scriptures by Rev. F. C. Williams of St. Andrews Episcopal church the choir sang, Praise the Lord Maker Prayer was offered by Rev. G. F. Bailey of the First Con- gregational church.
 During the offertory the choir rendered Sing Unto God, Schneider following which the congregation joined in singing Tor the Beauty of the Earth
 The message of the service was de- | iivered in a masterful manner by Rev. Charles H, Ricketts of Greenevilie Con- gregational church, his topic being, '"The Testing of Democracy" The meet l ing closed with the singing of the hymn, | % Beautiful for Spacious Skies,' and l the benediction by Rev. E. E. Jackson of Mt. Calvary Baptist church.
 I
 Rev. Mir Ricketts spoke upon The 1 Test of Democracy as follows:
 1 If any platform speaker no later than 1 fifty years ago had announced this top l ie to any American audience, it would 1 have been received with blank amaze l ment-and that is putting it mildly. The look on the faces of his hearers would have given this interpretation: What, 1 the testing of democracy? Was nor that question settled at Yorktown? Was it not reaffirmed forever at Apponat-
 tox? Democracy is fact settled as completely as The Decalogue or The
 Sermon on the Mount. That was tine
 spirit displayed in all the great ora. tions of the 18th century. That delnoc-
 racy was the last word spoken in rela-
 tion to the perfection of human gov.
 ernnent actually perTneates the grea
 speeches of Daniel Webster and Ed
 ward Everett. And it also marked tht l early addresses of Beecher, Sumner ana Phillips. But one notices in their la 1 ter platform work that these men great B ly modified the glowing adjectives 0
 their earlier efforts. They began to se
 the dawning of certain trends whicl
 today fill all patriotic and intendgen citizens with considerable apprehension
 This may sound somewhat pessimistic !. if so 1t is better than misguided op q ti1nisIn. It Is simply looking at fact
 as they are in the light of reason ant revelation.
 T. In this address I wish, at least, |
 touch upon four vastly importan
 things:
 LThe Rise and Growth of Democracy el It is well to remember, as funda mental fact, that democracy was nc something imposed upon us from with 7 out, but the development of somethn 2 from within. Neither did it grow lik ,::1 3 mushroom in a single night but wa Il a long time forming in the hearts an minds of men before it found the ligh > of day. To see the beginnings C :, democracy as we know 1t in moder ,, times let me take you back to the lat 7 ter part of Elizaibeth's reign in ol .e EngIand. Democracy in the state Q l closely analogous to independency
 the church. The one Is the logical out E l growth of the other. One of the fur V. damental principles of Puritanisrn l. this; that it is the inalienable right ( if every man who comes into the worl . to worship God according to the dit V 1 tates, of his own conscience, But !: # that time the law of England said n h you must worship God according to u j. act of uniformity. The Establishe
  le matters at that day, was dictatori 7- and insistent that the act of uniform
 ity should be obeyed to the letter. BV IS the Puritans, being made of hero n stuff, refused to go back on their col d sciences, and consequently they we ol bitterly persecuted.
 This was the reason why in the fir e, decade of the seventeenth century It large contingency of them migrated er Holland, at that time the only republ r. in Europe. The Dutch received the 8, kindly, for they remembered how dea le ly they had bought their freedom u
 der the gallant Prince of Orange. Tn, l. entered with intelligent and hear IS life of the little Dutch republic B s. they were aliens. and could not anna 1- gaInate with people so different Id language, manners, customs and tei in pera1nent Hence they sought a cou
 try which they could call their oN ne and which they could 6equeath to the O. children. representing the outlook wf1i es they held toward life in general Hen or we have that stormy historic passa or across the Atlantic in the latter part
 the year 1920.
 During this long and perilous journ
 across the ocean the little company h
 I U1OuS
 their minds broadened sofnewh IT I which is generally the. case, and t as result of their thinking was the infml 'n tai Mayhower pact, which has since l 1,a come recognized as one of the remal es able political documents Of the wor ,is To say the least it was the visible sta ce ing point of democracy in America. I m. Pilgrim fathers reasoned after t
 fashion: If we concede 1t to be the
 alienaible right of man to select his O
 form of worEhip. why is it not equa
 his right to select that form of ci
 government as best suits his pofti on needs. There is surely no 6auit to ck found with this reasoning As they i rs now arrived at a land which had ] ,as been pre- enptied by another civil; I. race. they were perfectly free to set Tas to motion their new ideas concern as- both church and state. AS these gu w tons were entirely beyond the und id standing of the wild ahor:ginees, tn ds. would be no opposition from this qu am ter, neither would there be any int old ference with the manners and custc Is Of these, natives. Therefore they " pie perfectIy free to put into force th aos new ideas relating to the .governm re- of the church and state. Here, at le:
 they would not have to face the b5gc
 OppOSlulpa Ol- dIl- 4IlCO4eAL -SldIc Gnu NTl The Pilgrims had not been long .,- their new and deso1ate home bel t " they began to put these ideas into c -ol' ro' crete form. With arnazing activity .c;- fortitude they com1nenced to ,preraT' ,s+- place suitable for public worship and ich hold other neetings necessary tor s+ beginning Of a new political body. J ,ck Carver was eIected to De their iv- civll ruIeI. anu saAa. a.er H his nsa5 uilltll