The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-28
It's Origin.

IT'S Origin.
The annual festival of Thanksgiving. Is emf
henty Puritanical institution which dates
back for its origin to the early colonial days OF
New England. The sett' ,ers of that section of
our country, by the Religious prosecutions to
which they were Subjected in their native
hand, imbibed thor oUgh and uncompromising
hatred of almost ev cry feature of the established
mode Of worship. The great festival OF Christ
mas has from tiJ ne immemoral been the hap
piest and merr est season of the year in ''Merrie
Old Englandra-the period to which old and
young alike have looked forward for brief re-
taxation rom the labors and cares OF their
daily life. For this very reason, If for no other
the Pur hans came to regard it with feelings of
pecult At hostility. SO, upon establishing them
selves, ia their new homes in the wilderness,
they Ersvely resolved that the whole thing was
not hing short of relic of PapistTy, without
ap q foundation in Holy Writ; and they forth
with proceeded to do away with it.
Still they deemed Unnecessary that there should
be set apart some particular day in the year on
which the people should manifest their thank
fulness to the Creator for the crowning mercies
sapd favors of their lives The latter part of No
yember was the period at which the chief labors
of the year were ended, and its substantial fruits
fully garnered. 1t was naturally period of
rest and relaxation and what time could be
more fitting than this for returning to an all
merciful Providence the thanks with which
their hearts were swelling? For this reason,
Thanksgiving-Day was fixed at this particular
season OF the year, above all others.
1t became by degrees an established institu-
tion of the State, the precise day being ixed
and its faithful observance enforced by express
legislation. The time was not uniform, how
ever, in all the New England States. In two of
them, we believe, it occurs on the Thursday
next preceding the last in the mouth; while
in the others, including Massachusetts and Con-
necticut it is fixed upon the last Thursday of
the month. In none of the other States in the
Union, as far as we are aware. has the snhiact
been thought in appropriate one for the inter-
ference of the law-making power But in all
the Middle and Northwestern States, the chief
element of the population of which has been
drawn from New England sources, the day has
been regularly observed for many years past,
on the voluntary recommendation of their re-
spectiye Governors. The time fixed upon out
eide of New England for the observance of the
custom has generally been the last Thursday in
the present month.
Its Observance IN OIden Times
was IN 10 especial particular different from
that which now prevails, although in the
earlier days of New England history it was
undoubtedly somewhat more austere than at
present. 1t was necessarily tnctured by all the
severity which then marked the Puritan char
acter and training In the Puritan creed idle
ness was set down as 'the worst form of origi-
nal sin," and irivolity did not hold a much
higher rank. Hence Thanksgiving Day was
about the busiest and the soberest of all the
year; and its main feature In the days of the
Mathers consisted of a doctrinal sermon of
from two to four hours duration. But this was
compensated for, in some measure, by the royal
feast to which all the members of the family
circle sat down upon its conclusion. AS Ban
croft has aptly said:-
"a lovely picture of prosperity, piety, and
domestic happiness was presented; Every
fountain of all good; yet lite was not sombre.
The spirit of frolic mingled with innocence;
religion itself sometimes wore the garb of gayety,
and the annual thanksgiving TO God was, from
primitive times, as joyous as 1t was sincere"
The Puritan character, as resulting from the
peculiar training to which child was inva.
riably subjected, has been vividly portrayed by
the late DR.. Brainerd, in his Life of John Brai-
nerd, the Missionary" We reprint, as particu-
larly interesting in this connection, the follow
ing passages, which were read ON last Sunday
afternoon by the Rev. Albert Barnes, in his SER
mon on DIR. Brainerd's Life and Character:-
Its activity was bliss its growth was a spring
of life; its achievements were victories. Each day
garnered some benefit; and rising LIE, marked
by successive accumulations, left smile on the
conscience, and bright and reasonable hopes for
the future.
"We might have desired that this Puritan
training had left childhood little larger indul-
gence-had looked with interest at present en-
joyment as we'll as at future good-had smiled
little more lovingly ON the innocent gambols,
the ringing laughter, the lrrepressible mirth of
boyhood; and had frowned less severely on inn
perections clinging to human nature itself We
might think that, by insisting too much on obi.
cation, and too little on privilege--too much on
the law, and too little on the gospel-too much
on the severity, and too little on the goodness of
the Deity, the conscience may have been stimu-
lated at the expense of the affections, and men
fitted for another world at an unnecessary saeri-
fee of their amia6illty and happiness in the pre-
sent life. But In leaving this Puritan training,
the world has gone farther and Jared worse. N
From such a picture, We can easily imagine
the character of the only great religious and
social festival in the Puritan calendar,
The UniversaIity of Than X S giving.
Considering the origin and early character o
This great festival, 1t may be matter of wonder
to some that it has become national ant
universal institution. Restricted at first to thu
Puritans and their descendants and religious
adherents, it has in the course Of two centurie
established itself on firm footing in ever,
creed. By Catholic as well as by Protestant, 1t 1
now observed in an appropriate man
ner, and even the adherents of judaism