West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1884-12-12
THANKSGIVING.
Origin and History of This Ma
tional Holiday.
Born on New England Soil, In the DAYS of
tho Pilgrim Fathcrs-How and when
1t Became National in II.
Character.

Character.
From Eastport, way down IN Maine,
to the waters of the Golden Gate. from
the lakes to the gulf, all over the Ma
ton, Thanksgiving is now observed as
National holiday. 1t is n peculiarly
American, emphatically New England.
institution. 1t had its birth in our
trouble and distress, when bare hand
iul OF men had pass.d few months on
the rock-bound coast Of New England
and when, indeed, there was little TO be
thankful for; and now in our prosperity.
when the Nation spans continent, we
show our respect and remembrance by
an observance of the day.
Not that the idea of giving thanks
originated with the Puritan who had
successfully harvested twenty acres of
corn and few bushels OF beans. Oh.
no. Tie idea OF thanksgiving is rs old rs
hlStory itself. The Feast of the Taber-
nacies was a feast of Thanksgiving. The
Feast of Demeter. called the
Eleusinian Mysteries of the Greeks
was closely allied to our dav
lhe legend is a pretty one. Demcter
was the goddess of corn-iields and har
vests. One day Proserpine, her pretty
daughter, was out in the garden gather
ing flowers, when horrid old Pluto. the
God OF Hell, spied her, and "smitten"
with her beauty and grace. he lost no
Tune in carrying her Off OF course, her
mamma sighed and cried, and asked
every one she met for her daughter.
None had seen her. But Proserpine
was having good time enough; that is.
she went at once to eating, and when n
woman's s happy she'll eat The way To
the heart is through the mouth. She
ate pomegrantc seed in Pluto's kinp-
dom, SO that she could only spend six
months with her mother. This made
the old lady mad, and she refused TO
live longer in Olympus with the gods.
but took up her abode on earth and con
ferred blessings on all who paid her
court. She taught Seleus. King of
Eleusis, the principles of agriculture
70 plow, sow and reap; how to make
bread and rear fruit-trees. Before this
men had lived on nuts and acorns. She
became patron saint of Eleusis. and i'm
her honor were established the mys-
teres which were celebrated in the fall.
The Romans celebrated harvest fes-
tlval in honor of Ceres, and i'm ENGLAND
IL
tumn holiday of our English forefathcrs.
THE PILGRIMS.
Ten months had passed since the little
band of sturdy pioneers and martyrs
from the decks of the Mayilower in cold
December had spied the sand-hills of
Cape Cod and the rocks Of Plymouth.
Death had wasted them away: one-half
their number slept the sleep that knows
no waking and the fifty survivors living
In low-posted log huts. such as a West
ern cowboy would not corral n buffalo
calf in to-day, had raised twenty acres
OF corn and six Of barley and peas.
Yet these men gave thanks. God be
praised.' wrote one Of them eve had
q good increase of Indian corn, and our
barley Indifferent good, but our peas not
worth the gathering. Edward Wins
low tells the story in such simple Ian
guage that it is worthy OF reproduction:
"Our harvest being gotten In, our
Governor sent four men out fowlino so
| that we might after a special manner
rejoice together after we had gathered
the fruit Of our labOrs They four i'm
one day killed IS much fowl a. with a
little help beside served the company
about a week. At which time AMONGST
! other recreations we exercised our arms.
many Of the Indians coming amonpst
Us, and among the rest the greatest
/ King MassasOyt with some ninety men
whom for three days we entertained and
fcasted, and they (the Indians) went
out and killed five deer which they
brought TO the plantation and bestowed
on our Governor and upon the Captain
(Miles Standish) and Others. And al
though IL be not always so plentiful as
uN f~ 1. 4
goodness Of God we arc so far from
want that we often wish you partaker
Of our plenty
The first New England THANKSGIVING
was, therefore. i'm the fall Of 1921
Though no public record fixes the exact
time, yet IL was probably in October.
since 10 appears to have been largely
an outdoor festival, and lasted a week
Perhaps the Pilgrim forefathers had in
mind the Jewish Feast Of the Tabcr-
nacles, but it IS more probable that the
Harvest Home OF MerIie Old England
that they had left camc wildly before
them, and they desired to reproduce
this best Of all The Old World customs.
The second year after this celebration
was a much more solemn and impress
i've one, for the colony had been deliv-
cred from = threatened famine The
spring and summer of 1923 had been
dry and sultry From the middle Of
| May to the middle OF july no rain fell
Drought parched the ground. the corn
was fired and the barley ceased 20
grow. A day OF fasting and pravr
was appointed II was on The f7lh Of
July. and the people prayed nine hours.
| Toward evening clouds collected n
sharp breeze arose in the east. and when
morning dawned rain poured iu tor
rents This rain lasted fourteen dnvs.
and was the salvation Of the harvest