The Portland daily press., 1871-11-30
The First Thanksgiving in New pnu,..

Aho I'll % AM'oihS In New England.
Upon this day, set apart for our Nationo,
and State Thanksgiving, fancy wanders baclx
two hundred and forty years to the first dav
of public thanksgiving ever held in this coun-
try. The year 1880 had been one of great
scarcity and distress to the infant colony Of
Massachusetts Bay. Death had made sad in
roads into that little pilgrim band, and at the
beginning of the year 1881, more than halt
their number were in the grave. Of the sur
vivors many lay PROSTATE with wasting sick
ness, brought on by hardship and destitution.
In the depths of a painless forest, surrounded
by savage beasts and more savage men, with
houses that scarce served for shelter, they
were suffering all the rigors of New England
winter. Famine was approaching and 'even
the Governor had seen his last grain of meal
go to the oven''
The hearts of the best and bravest began
TO fall. "Will God utterly destroy his peo
pie? they asked in deep dejection-almost
uespalr. Then, remembering for whose dear
sake ana Tor whose true worship they had for
saken homes Of plenty and come to this VIII
derness across the sea, they resolved to cast
their burden on the Lord, and to commit
their cause unto Him. whose ear is never deaf
to the cry of his people. And so pious Gov
ernor John Winthrop, with the advice and
consent Of his Council, appointed day of
fasting and prayer. But the very evening be-
fore, the good English ship 'Lyon," laden
with provisions, entered the harbor of Nan
tasket and the appointed day of fasting was
changed into one of thanksgiving.
The morning of February 22, 1881, dawned
serene and radiant The very benediction of
Heaven seemed to have descended upon it.
and every heart was in unison with Natures
peace and joy. From every little hamlet
from every lowly dwelling, throughout the
colony, devout men, women and children re-
paired to their humble places of worship,
there to render thanks to God for his great
mercies. To the rustic Meeting House" at
Namkeag, now Salem, went up band of
wOrshippers, the flower of the colony of Mas
sachusetts Bay, Among them were those
whose names have since been shrined in song
and story, and whose memories, after the
lapse of two and half centuries, are still
green in our hearts.
Sand sweeter than marriage-feast,
1t was that band to see,
Walking together to the church,
goodbye companye."
There were Governor John Winthrop and
Eieut.- Governor Thomas Dudley, both goodly
men to see; around them were grouped the
wives and children. There, in the prime of
early manhood, sat Simon Bradstreet, after
wards Governor of the colony-a man who,
by long life of piety, wisdom and unselfish
devotion to the public good, was to gain and
merit the title of the Nestor of New England.
And there, too, beamed the rapt face of his
young wife, Anne, the first poetess of the
New World.
"And .jubilate Domino her every look did show,
And gloria was writ upon the brightness of her
brow"
And there, too, seated by her husbands
John Alden) side, might have been seen the
beautiful Priscilla, whom years before, sturdy
Captain Miles Standish had loved and woed
in vain.
The mucl,-beloved Parson Higginson was in
his grave, but those two s'godly Minister'S
Shelton and Bright, occupied the rustic pull
pit and ''were exercised for some three hours
or more, the one in preaching, the other in
prayer. The prayer-embracing every petit
tion which pious heart could fittingly offer to
Gods throne-touched upon vast variety of
topics, in which all creeds and all climes, all
ages and all nationalities-Jew and Gentle
found place, and the sermon, a most learned,
profound and edifying production, exactly two
hours long, began with Abraham and Mel
chisedek, and ended with the scarlet beast of
the Apocalypse.
No costly organ poured forth its notes, no
hired voices led the singing; but the whole
congregation joined in a glad psalm of thanks
giving. What if the good old deacon who
carried the tuning-fork, as usual, pitched the
hymns too high? What ifsome sang through
their noses? What though many sang sadly
out of tune. and still more wofully out Of
time p Borne on the very wings Of devotion
the sacred song rose heavenward, and all
made melody in their hearts, if not with their
voices, unto the Lord.
Their own quaint, rythmed version of the
Psalms of David is not before us, but we know
that they sang such words as these:
80 come, let us worship and bow down, let kneel
before the Lord our Maker.
Let us sing unto the Lord; let us make joyful
noise unto the Rock of our Salvation.
Let US enter his courts with Thanksgiving, and be
glad iD him with praise.
The Lord hath made known his salvation; his
mercy hath he openly showed in the sight of the
heather.
Let the people praise thee, God yea, let all the
people praise thee"
And then, after benediction pronounced
by Brother Brewster" they all went on
their several ways rejoicing.
The God whose signal mercies the Pilgrim
Fathers of 1881 met to celebrate has since
dealt very bountifully with us as people,
From that feebest of beginnings we have be-
come great and rich and powerful, and stand
to-day foremost among the nations of the
earth. The SEED SOWn In persecution ana eX-
lie has borne rich fruit; the metal tried in
wars hottest crucible has come out pure gold.
Our government, founded in the hearts of the
people, has withstood the attacks of foes with
out and traitors within. The God of the
fathers has been with the children, and has
richly fulfilled his promise: ''The seed of the
righteous shall be mighty upon the earth :
his generation shall be blessed" But chief
est of all the blessings that have come down
to us, priceless heritage from the Pilgrims
of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay, are
those of civil and religious liberty-that priest
craft and kingcraft have no dominion over us,
that we are free to worship God as conscience
dictates, we owe to them.
Then all honor to the Pilgrim Fathers and
the day they instituted! Let it be kept in the
spirit of the old traditions. Let it be day
for all things lovely and honorable and
of good report-a day for the forming o.
new friendships as well as for tho
cementing of the old-a day for in
nocent mirth and festivity. And as upoI
this day we gather around our bountifully
spread tables-reatives, friends, and even the
stranger that is within our gates-let us not
forget the poor whom we have always with
us. He who has so bountifully blessed us in
basket and in store loveth the cheerful giver
F. Il. s., in Boston Transcript.