The New York herald., 1872-11-28

Thanksgiving Day.
'whereas," says the President Of the United
States in his proclamation of the 11th of
october last 'the revolution of another year
has again brought the time when it is usual to
look back upon the past and publicly thank
the Almighty for His mercies and His bless-
ings; and whereas, if any one people haa
more occasion than another for such thankful
ness it is the citizens of the United States
whose government is their creature, subject To
their behests who have reserved to them
selves ample civil and religious freedom and
equality before the law who during the last
twelve months have enjoyed exemption from
any grievous or general calamity, and to whom
prosperity in agriculture manufactures and
commerce has been vouchsafed therefore. by
these considerations, and upon the Presi-
dents Recommendation, this day will bo
generally observed throughout the Union as
day of thanksgiving "to God for His kindness
and bounty" A glorious text is here sus-
gested for the preacher of every creed and of
every race and in every place throughout the
Union.
In another part of this paper the reader
will find an interesting sketch of Thanks
giving Day as a religious, social and family
festival in this country, beginning with the
old Puritans Of Massachusetts,. In ssThe
Book of Days, by w. & r.. Chambers (Edin-
burgh, 1S64), they say of Thanksgiving Day in
America that s'this great social and religious
festival Of New England, from which it has
spread to most of the States of the American
Republic, is legacy OF the Puritans;' that
'they abolished Christmas as relic Of
Popery or of prelacy which they held in
nearly equal detestation, and passed laws to
punish it's observance; but that. swanting
some day to replace Christmas, the Colonial
| assemblies, and later the Governors Of tho
States, appointed every year some day in
Autumn, generally toward the end Of Novem-
Der, as day of solemn prayer and thanks
giving for the blessings Of the year" So
far our Scottish historians may pass; but
their history will not apply when
they come to say that our ''Thanksgiving
festival, though widely celebrated. is not
so universally respected as formerly,
as the influx of Roman Catholics and Episco-
palians has brought Christmas again into
vogue" The truth is that while this Puritan
or New England institution of Thanksgiving
has been steadily extending itself to all parts
of the country, and will be more widely OBJ
served this year than ever before, SO will be
the Christmas celebration derived from the
English Episcopalian colonists of Virginia
and the Catholics of Maryland under Lord
Baltimore, and SO will be the New Year festi-
val which has descended to us from those
sturdy old dealers in red herring and drinkers
of schnapps, the Dutch founders and builders
Of New Amsterdam.
1t is only since the tearing down and re.
moval Of that great obstruction, political.
religious and social, which divided the South
from the North-it is only because of the re-
moval of that previously impossible barrier of
African slavery that this Puritanical institu-
tion of Thanksgiving has passed below the
Susquehanna and the Potomac. It was
never, under ordinary circumstances, the SUBJ
ject of Presidential proclamation from Wash
ington down to Lincoln. The new political
dispensation resulting from our late civil
war has made this New England festival
national affair and, from the same causes
call 'the solidarity of the people," the old Vir-
ginian Christmas and our old Knickerbockcr
New Years have gained permanent foothold
even in Boston, and dozen cyclonic fires
cannot burn them out. So it is that there
ought to be no more prejudices of sect or
section, North or South, against the extension
of Thanksgiving Day. It was in the outset q
D,r.to ofEn anti. ~, D.o;o
God-Barebones from his melancholy meeting
house, passed to his gloomy dinner Of pork
and beans and hard cider. It has become q
day Of social reunions and enjoyments posi-
lively delightful to men, women and children
of all sects and sections 'without distinction
Of race or color" Those hard-headed,
fanatical, pragmatical and bigoted founders Of
the Plymouth blarney stone and the New
England Thanksgiving as it was were of that
order of Puritans who, according to Macaulay,
looked with horror upon bear batting, "not
because Of the pain it gave the bear, but
because Of the pleasure it gave the spec
tator."
But with this welcome and benefcent and
universal institution of Thanksgiving Day as
it is, we can forget it as it was. We have it
now in something Of that broad and generous
spirit of social enjoyment and general charity
which mark the original thanksgiving ordi-
nances Of Moses, that great lawgiver of the
Hebrews, to whom the world at large is more
indebted than to all the wisdom OF Greece and
Rome combined. We recognize this institu-
ton, then, as coming down to u.s. not from the
blue laws of Massachusetts but from the in
spirations of Mount Sinai glorifed by the
teachings of Him whose advent was ''peace
and good will to men," We rejoice at that re-
turning spirit Of harmony among our people
made manifest in the anlarnamnnt of this