Show The Union ervlces I The Methodists Congregationalists and i Presbyterians held union Thanksgiving services at the Presbyterian church yesterday yester-day morning The attendance was very large and the services were unusually interesting in-teresting After Dr McNiece had read the governors gov-ernors proclamation the congregation sang a hymn and Dr huff offered prayer The union choir rendered two selections in excellent style Rev J B Thrall preached an eloquent Thanksgiving sermon of which the following is a synopsis Text Psalms xxxi S Thou hast set my feet in a large room Let us try to get an impression of what the word large means Size or bulk doss not convey the idea Mere bigness is not largeness A mob is big but an army is large a rambling structure is big while a temple is largo There is unity in the very idea Again mere figures do not convey the idea Number is not largeness What is the difference between the leaves scattered through thoNovember woods and the leaves that clothe the trees In autumn the leaves are a mere heap In summer they are foliage In November they are disconnected in June they aro related re-lated Cut down a giant redwood lop off its branches pile all together a conglomor ate heap big confusing unnumbared but not large Tneunfelled redwood was large standing in majestic symmetry trunk branch twig leaf all its members fitly joined together an image of unity and growth out of which comes strength beauty and every arboreal grace Mere space does not convey the idea of largeness Space to be large must mean opportunity the promised land of something some-thing vital which is seeking room for growth and development Again mere time does not convey the idea Me thusaleh who died full of years was not so old as Christ who died at 3 From these illustrations we see that largeness in that sense in which we wish to use the word does not convey the impression im-pression of mere multiplicity and variety nor yet of duration space or bulk but rather of relation order idea and symmetry sym-metry of breadth scope and opportunity ofpurpose process and consummation In a word of unity and growth Let us give today this meaning to the word and then largeness will mean to us simply opportunity Take ic where we will in whatever age or period in whatever what-ever department of life or nature 5 take it as we will under whatever conditions and circumstances whether in greatness or I littleness of number size space or time whether in success or seeming failure progress or hindrance joy or sorry plenty or want largeness should mean to us opportunity op-portunity room for our feet a sustaining idea a strengthening truth an elevating thought comforting inspiring satisfying to body mind and soul What a subject for thanksgiving How many in thankfulness because in singleness single-ness of heart have eaten unleavened bread heart in privation 1 This singleness of heart is an important element in thankfulness Our Pilgrim fathers believed ic one God the Creator and Preserver of all living one lawgiver tho ruler of all things in heaven and earth one Providence whose law was love and Who could bring order out of confusion and give songs in the night In obedience to His law they found their liberty and in this liberty of loving obedience they found first Thanksgiving joy joyAmid Amid the storm they sang And the stars heard ana the sea I And the sounding aisles of the dim wood rang To the author of the free Have we como farther than they In space yes we are farther west In time yes itis tho close of the nineteenth century In bigness yes In numbers yes In largeness let us hope The country is greater than then its territory is wider I its people more numerous its resources vaster and more varied its government definitely established well proven and stupendous its institutions are many and benign its wealth untold But if it be true that we beginning the last decade of this third century of our countrys history have more to be thankful thank-ful for than our indigent fathers on their raw inclement and hostile wilderness it is because our faith in God and mans destiny I is nobler and more abiding than theirs the I vantage higher and more commanding the vision clearer with which we Expatiate wide oer all this field of man A mighty maze but not without a plan I we have more to be thankful for than our fathers it is because we are more believing be-lieving and more lawabidingfor however how-ever lat the fowls the thanksgiving feast which atheism proclaims is left for anarchism anarch-ism to celebrate I we have more to be thankful for than our fathers it is because be-cause we know our opportunity better and have more fully entered upon it because we are nearer the soul than they because we are more united in one union more vigorous vig-orous in our development The speaker described the condition of America today and drew a graphic picture of the wealth of the nation |