Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1883-11-23
THANKSGIVING DAY.

IL is gratifying to note the increased OBJ
servance of Thanksgiving in the Southern
States. For some time after the close Of
the war it was looked upon with distrust as
a sort of Yankee institution, but yearly its
genial influences have become more and
more pervasive, and Thursday next will
probably be observed in much the same
manner from Maine to Texas and from
Florida to California
This festival is not only beautiful one in
itself, but has the sanction of ancient Gus
tom. 1t is on record that the good citizens
of Leyden, Holland, celebrated October Bird
1875, the anniversary of the deliverance o
their city from seige. The origin of oui
own custom however, is with the Pilgrim
Fathers. After the forlorn colonists had
landed at Plymouth Rock, in 1920, they suf
fered year of great hardships and priva.
ton, and when it was brought to an end in
1921 by plentiful crop of corn, Gen. Brad
ford issued Thanksgiving proclamation
in the quaint and primitive style of the day.
Two years later the colonists nearly starved
to death, but in the fall OF 1923 a we'll laden
vessel came to its relief, and again the Gov.
ernor ordered day Of Thanksgiving. In
1882 there was another year of privation and
another Thanksgiving to commemorate the
arrival of provisions from Ireland just in
time TO save the little colony. In this early
period Thanksgiving were ordained appar.
emily, only on. special occasions, and cele-
brations were held in 1861, 1868, 1880, 1889
and 1890. According to Palfrey, the Gus.
tom became an annual one, so far as Ply
mouth was concerned, as early as 1880, al
though the records fail to mention any cele-
bratiors between 1880 and 1882
For many years no other State than Mas
sachusetts celebrated Thanksgiving, but one
by one the other New England States
adopted it, and then New York and Penn
sylvania fell into line. During the Revolu-
ton, Congress annually appointed day of
thanksgiving that was generally observed.
In 1917 the Governor of New York issued
Thanksgiving proclamation. In 1857 Gov.
Henry A. Wise, of Virginia, was requested
to fix day of thanksgiving, but refused on
the ground that he had no right to inter
fere with religion. In 1868 eight of the
Southern States celebrated Thanksgiving.
The first proclamation of the day as a
national holiday was made by President
Lincoln in 1863, and since that time his sue
cessors have usually fixed the day, which
has thus become uniform throughout the
country.
During its advance from local to a
national festival, it has lost something of
the religious. solemnity of its early charac-
ter, and is now perhaps the most enjoyable
of all our holidays. Christmas must al
ways remain in close association with one
of the profoundest religious mysteries. In
dependence day is given up to the uproari-
GUS small boy, and Washington's birthday
has never acquired any definite character
Thanksgiving day is time of mrth and
pleasure, of enjoyment of the good things
of life, of family reunions, of reconciliation
and mutual forgiveness of real or imaginary
wrongs, Of those benefcent and harmonic
ing charities which smooth off the asperi-
ties of our struggle for existence.
II is festival, too, in which all persons of
every creed or nationality can heartily par
ticipate. There is no being who lives but
has accumulated reasons during the year
for offering up thanks to the Oliver of all
Good, and few indeed are they who cannot
recall special mercies requiring grateful &C
acknowledgement and the homage of a cheer
fu and appreciative spirit