The Red Cloud chief., 1884-11-28
$
Origin and History OF This Ne
tional Holiday.
.:orn on New England Soil. in the Days of
the Pilgrim Fafhcrs-How and When
II Became National La Its
Character.

Character.
From Eastport, way down in Maine,
TO the waters of the Golden Gate. from
the lakes TO the CALF. all over the Ma
ton. Thanksgiving is now observed as
la National holiday 1t is a peculiarly
American. emphatically New England.
institution. 1t had its birth in our
trouble and distress. when a bare hand
ful of men had passed n Jew months on
the rock-bound coast Of New England.
and when. indeed. there was little 10 be
thankful for: and nOw in our prosperity.
when the Nation spans a 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 "A few bushels of beans. Oh.
no, the idea of thanksgiving is as old "a
history itself. The Feast of the Tabcr-
nacles was a feast Of thanksgiving. The
Feast of Demcter, called the
Eleusinian Mysteries Of the Greeks.
was closely allied TO our day.
The legend Is a pretty one. Dcmetcr
WAS the goddess of corn-iields and har-
vests. One day Proserpine. her pretty
daughter. was ont in the garden gather
Ing flowers. when horrid old Pluto. the
God of He'll. spied her, and .'smi,tcn"
with her beauty and grace. he lost no
time in carrying her oil. OF course, her
sighed and cried. and asked
every one she met for her daughter.
None had seen her. But Proscrpine
was having a good time enough; that is.
she went al nee to eating, and when a
woman's happy she'll eat. The way to
the heart is through the mouth. She
ate a pomegrante seed in Pluto's king
dom. 50 that she could only spend six
nonthS with her mother. This made
the old lady mad. and she refused 10
live longer in Olympus with the gods.
but took up her abode on earth and con
ferrcd blessings on all who paid her
court. She taught ScleuS. King OF
Eleu>is. the principles of agriculture
10 pillow. SOW and reap; how 10 make
bread and rear fruit-trees. Before this
men had lived on nuts and acornS. She
became patron saint of Eleusis. and in
itT nDiitBT Nfit t>lstDliNllfh tHt INV -
ierieS which were celebrated i'm the fall.
The Romans celebrated n harvest feS-
tival in honor of Ceres. and in England
the old Harvest Home was the an,
tumn holiday of our English forefathers.
THE PILGRIMS.
Ten months had passed since the little
band of sturdy pioneers and martyrs
from the decks of the Mayflower in cold
December had spied the sand-hills o.
Cape Cod and the rocks of Plymouth.
Death had wasted them way one-hali
their number slept the sleep that knows
no waking. and the fifty survivors living
in low-postcd log huts. such as 4 West
prn cowboy would not corral a buffalo
calf in TODAY. had raised twenty acres
of corn and six of barley and peas.
Yet these men CAV thanks. God be
praised,' wrote one of them. I'VE had
a good Increase of Indian corn. and ouI
barley indifferent good. but IL peas not
worth the gathering Edward Wins,
low tells the story in such simple Ian.
guage that il is worthy of reproduction
Our harvest being gotten in. on
Governor sent -four men out fowllng sc
that we might after a special manner
rejoice together after we had gathered
the fruit of our laborS. They four il
one dav killed rs much fowl As with I
little help beside served the company
about a week. At which time amongst
other r~ecreations we exercised Il arms,
many of the Indians coming among>i
us. and among the rest the creates
King MasSasoyt with some ninety mer
whom for three days we entertained and
Toasted. and they (the lndians) 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. AMI al
though it be not always so plentiful a:
ii was At this time with us, Yet by the
goodness of God We are ss far from
want that we often wish YOU partakel
of our plenty"
The first New England Thanksgiving
was. therefore. in the fall of 1921
Though no public record fixes the eXac
time. vet it was probably in October
since il appears TO have been largel,
an outdoor festival. and lasted a week
Perhaps the Pilgrim forefathers had in
mind the Jewish Feast OF the Taber
nacles. but it IS more probable that III,
Harvest Home of Merrie Old England
that they had left cam wildly before
them. and they desired to reproduce
this best of all the Old World customs
The second wear after this celebration
was 4 much more solemn and impress
i've one. for the colony had been deliv
cred from 4 threatened famine. Th,
spring and summer of 1923 had beer
dry and sultry. From the middle o
NAV 10 the middle OF July no rain fell
Drought parched the ground. the corn
was fired and the barley ceased K
grow. \ day of fasting and prayer
was appointed. 1t Vas on the 18th o
july. and the people prayed nine hours
Toward evening clouds collected. /:
sharp breeze arose IN the east. and whci
morning davned rain poured in tor
rents. This rain lasted fourteen days
and was the salvation of the harvest
Governor Bradford ordered n day o
thanksgiving. and the second was keep
in a grave and formal hammer. |
lacked the hilarity and license of tn,
Harvest Home. the jocund laughter ant
merry frolicking of the men and maid
ems. and the pranks of the Lord of Mis-
rule. and perhaps they would have beer
out of place among those sturdy pio
neers. on a foreign and hostile shore
surrounded b. savages and wild beasts
a,.d hardly having the e of living
from, yaar IN year