Evening star., 1926-11-25

service at Metropolitan Memorial
Church besides President Coolidge.
The big church was packed with
communicates from all of the Metho
dist Episcopal parishes of the city.
Bishop Mcdowell built his sermon
around the text found in Timothy:
II thank Him that He enabled me
and counted me worthy of this min
istry."
There are two ways of thinking
of Thanksgiving. both Of them per-
fectly natural" the bishop said.
"One thinks of 1t in national terms
and makes it a patriotic occasion,
which is essentially in line with the
historic origin of the day The other
makes it personal matter and seiZes
the national observance as an occa
sion for the expression Of personal
gratitude. These ways are not con-
trary but parallel,
There has probably grown up
among us, both as citizens and as
individuals, an unconscious tendency
and disposition to emphasize mate
rial welfare and prosperity as the
basis for gratitude.
IF, on the other hand, things have
not gone well, if we have missed
prosperity and health and material
welfare, we are quite likely to feel
and say that we have precious little,
If anything, to be thankful for.
Deeper Basis Urged.
"Now, there must be a deeper basis
for all Of this if we are to observe the
spiritual element of gratitude and
thanksgiving in our lives as indi
Viduals or as a nation. Let me name
two or three of those deeper grounds
for thanksgiving that ought to cause
the trumpets to blow through all the
land today.
First. We may have missed ma
terial prosperity and physical welfare
the year, but we have
been able to keep faith, to keep our
souls alive, 20 keep the light of truth
burning in minds and the love of
truth afame in our souls. And if all
this be true, then we have a deep and
abiding ground of thanksgiving that
Is utterly independent of things.
Second We would easily under
stand that we should be grateful for
the benefits we have received and help
that has been given us from various
sources through the year. But really
this is to put the second law of life
in the front instead of the first law
We have received help. That is we'll
Let us be glad and grateful. We have
given help. Then let our songs
abount. But we have served without
restraint, and without counting the
cost. Then let us thank God with
music in our hearts that 1t is hardly
possible for man to utter.
For, after all. the abiding ground
of thanksgiving lies in those words
that St. Paul wrote, I thank God, who
put me into this service and gave me
strength to perform it, and intrusted
me with a great task, and enabled me
to carry it, 1t was this that made
him shout out to Timothy in one of
his letters, L have fought good
fight, 1 have kept the faith
Basis of Gratitude.
And this is just as true personally
as it is nationally, and just as true
as it is personally. We are
always in danger of thanking God for
our growing strength, whether it be
of wealth, or means, or position, or
possession. We ought always to be
God for our growing SYM
pathy, for the spirit with which we
use strength and possessions and op-
Ihlru. we ought TO ma the basis
of our gratitude in increasing insight
into it and appreciation of the higher
and spiritual values of life. We can
not build personal life or national life
upon one element. History and biog-
raphy are full of elements that teach
the utter futility of attempting to do
this. And they are equally full of les
sons which show that only those per-
sons and nations which have kept
their souls on top have come to full
glory in personal or national life.
Our supreme product in. America
is not our material welfare, our finan-
cial system, our unShakable pros
perity, though all of these are i'm
important. Our supreme
product at last is the American per
son, the man. or woman. If we are
not developing spiritual values it does
not matter much what else we are
creating. If now we can meet these
tests and the tests like them, we may
say gratefully and reverently Now
thank we all our God