Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-12-01
The FIRST Thanksgiving Day.

We reproduce brief but gri phic
sketch of the first Thanksgiving day on
the American continent. IT was in the
middle of November the Pilgrims first
sighted the dreary sand hills. 1t was
beyond the middle Of December, that,
after various explorations, having chosen
their landing place, they began to
disembark. Then they set to building
their village. They reared seven log
cabins, daubed With mud, and four
other buildings.
Meanwhile death had been busy. The
voyage had been terrible. The time of
year was wintry on that hostile coast
They were racked with coughs; they
were wrenched with rheumatisms they
were weakened through scanty food.
In December six died. In January eight
In February seventeen. In March four
teen. They had landed but about
hundred strong. Now, in four months,
forty-four of their number had been
laid away on Coles Hill.
But the spring began TO smite the
winter, and break its chains. In March
warm winds blew gently from the South,
and in the woods there was the pleasant
singing of the birds. SO they turned
their thoughts toward sowing. They
planted twenty acres of corn and beans,
six acres of barley. II was stiff work.
1t was all done by hand. They had
neither plows nor cattle. 50 the March
simmer Of sun light and sun warmth
passed on into the steadier genialness
of April.
All this time they had one tic still
binding them to the distant country
beyond the sea. Out in the harbor.
with furled sails, the Mayaower had
ridden out the winter storms at anchor.
But nov, in this April weather, she
shook out her sails and lifted her an
chor and stood for England.
But not a man or woman faltered.
No one would leave the high enterprise
on whose threshold they we're standing.
They watched her from those sandy
shores, until she blent herself indis-
tinguishable with the green and blue
of the distant sea and sky. The day
after that cutting Of the last tie, Cover.
nor Carver died. He was working in
the field, was seized with a sudden
sickness, ard was almost Immediately
amitten down.
They we're very sore of heart, but they
would not despair. Before they had
started from their Leyden home in
Holland they had looked the whole
thing over, and had said: call great
and honorable actions are accompanied
with great dif1culties, and must be
both enterprised and overcome With an
swerable eourages.' They we're pos.
sessed Of ansverable courages." They
put Governor Bradford in the place of
Governor Carver, and held on.
So the summer months moved slowly
along. They we're consumed in tillage,
in treaties with the Indians, in various
eIpeditions--to Manhasket, nov Mid.
dleborough; TO Nauset, now Eastman;
Shawmut and its vicinity, nov Boston
and Charlcstown.
Then the green OF summer began TO
pass into the autumn gold. They
gathered in their first harvest The
corn, as the old record has IL, yielded
veil; the barley indifFerently good; the
peas we're q ;ailrre, owing to drought
and late sowing.
But. for the voyage over the stormy
SEA, for the landing, for the village
building, for protection from the In.
dians, for this first harvest, nov RI
pened and garnersd, for their trials even,
binding them closer to each other and
to God, for the hopes, too. shining
above those graves which had made
Coles hill sacred, they would be thank
fu So the governor sent four hunts.
men into the wood for Wild fowl.
They returned soon, plentifully sup
piled. And then, looking backward
through the year, and thanking God
for his mercies and partaking of his
bounty, "after . special manner" the
pilgrims reioiced together. And this
is the story of the first Thanksgiving
dav