Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-11-25

EiianI,>yi,inG 0!.erNancP>.
Tho nic'urcs drawn Of ollen-ii!ne
Thanksgiving festivities ro~-t-~ t
clr.,l Which modern customs fail 70
import. There was Il hca:incs' of
HAMMER peculiar !" the primitive
SIMPLICITY e our ancestor, which
iNle 10 lcer'loe in tAc r''i.'lr
Dt:uYc @: tia }"e"'lt '-r""r',s"n.
While is criT.n ";,r ir'''""..T be
traced to the jewish feast of Tab
ornacles, ol " feast Of inSatherino Il!
,Io end Of the year, the custom III
this country is traced directly to tic
Pd.l.ans of New England. The
+: errms landed in Massachusetts III
1fan. At the close of the harvest,
the next year, it is related Governor
bradford sent four men out towing
that they might after more spe-
cial manner rejoice together and
as turkeys were the only birds to be
found there, they by hereditary right,
grace the festive board TO the pue-
sent day. 1t was then that doubt-
less the wild turkey first Siaced
Thanksgiving board, and was,
perhaps, by the doughty captain.
Miles Standish, carved with his
sword. We can imagine, too, that
there were dishes of baked beans and
pork, and the pumpkin also had a
place on the table, and perchance
bowls of hasty pudding and sweet
milk were served at supper time,
Elder Brewster pronounced long
grace, while John Allen and Priscilla
looked demurely down on their I'M
filed plates. At a subsequent per-
iod, during time of great destitu-
ton, the Governor had appointed a
day of fasting and prayer, when as
the lean colonists were going to
their places of worship, a ship ar
rived freighted with supplies. In
stead OF fasting the people enjoyed
a good "square meal" and the day
was turned into ore of thanksgiving.
The epoch was thereafter annually
celebrated.
Afterward there were official ap-
pointments of days of Thanksgiving,
sometimes more than one in the
same year. and it soon WAS generally
observed. New Yorl; only had oc-
casionally Thanksgiving until 1917.
Previous to that year, however,
Washington and Madison had at in
tervals issued their proclaInations
Tor special reasons. The Southern
States did not adopt the custom
until 1855, when Governor johnson,
of Virginia, recommended day of
thanksgiving; but in 1857, Governor
Wise decided not to do so, because
unauthorized 10 interfere in religious
matters. Since 1868, the President
of the United States has annually
issued national proclamation,
which has been followed by that of
the Governors of the several States,
and the mayors of the principal
cities, and custom has fixed the time
for tho last Thursday in November.
Before Thanksgiving became a
national institution, and when each
State appointed the time to suit its
own views, it was not unusual for
families to partake OF three or more
Thanksgiving dinners in as many
different States, and the host on
each occasion, though of the same
fal-4ily, might belong to different
generation.
Barry Gray, in the New York Era
draws this pleasing retrospect of an
old-fashioned Thanksgiving observ-
ance, which shows the remarkable
contrast between the Old and the
New: When boy I sat at a table
around which four generations were
gethercd. The eldest was % years
of age, a hale, jovial Old man, and
the youngest his great-erandson, a
lad of 4 years. The annual reunion
of this family at Thanksgiving time
was sight to behold. Its members
gathered to the old homestead from
all points of the compass. Tue pat
riarch's descendants numbered over
100, and what with his sons.in- law
and daughters-in-law, with their
sons and daughters. n-law, and a
colony of children besides, it would
have taken a building as large as the
Windsor Hotel to have accommo.
dated them all. Fifty persons have
on Thanksgiving day sat down at
his hospitable table; and what a
dinner it was! A half dozen tur-
keys, as many chickens pies, a huge
round of beef, a roast pig, such as
would have delighted Charles Lamb,
with its crisp, tawny cracking, cold
ham and tongues, and vegetables
numberless. Then came the pud-
dings, pies and tarts; the cakes and
sweet-meats; the apples, nuts and
raisins, with great pitchers of cider,