Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-12-03

who declare they have nothing to
be thankful for; that Thanksgiving
was made for the rich, not for the
poor. An assertion we will not dis
pute; but. the possession of dollars
does not constitute riches, nor the
want of them poverty. There is many
q man, rich indeed liz all the wealth
the world can bring him, who gets
very little out of his dollars, unless ii
be anxiety and misery, and these are
not exactly the kind of riches for
which he feels like being Thankful
No. The truly rich, indeed, are the
ones for whom Thanksgiving was in
tended and made, and of these he is
richest who is contented with the
least. Men AID myriads of them
have found and could tell the world
the solemn difference that lies be
tween true and false riches-could
they come from the grave to do so.
But Gus philosophy is running away
with us and make US forget very
important adjunct to Thanksgiving, =
or rather something moro than an
adjunct, for it has become, we may
say, part and parcel Of TIE day itself
namely, the turkey. Custom now
mixes feasting and mirth with most
of our celebrations, though the events
they commemorate be sacred, Or their
origin religious ia its character. And,
in this, custom is wise. There can be
nothing very wrong in the njoyment
of those things which have been given
us for the purpose; indeed, to refrain,
would be as Milton says, an evidence
of ingratitude to the Oliver. A free
and cheerful mind, too, especially at
hours of meat, is one of the soundest
sureties for long life. Hope may be
the anchor, but mirth is the cable
whose unrUsted links hold our craft
from dashing on the rocks.
But to retUrn to our turkey. How
or when this delicious bird first be-
came such an important feature at the
Thanksgiving feast we are not prepar-
ed to say. That it is worthy of its
phase at any table is the opiaion of no
less an authority than Brillat- Savarin
who says:
''The turkey is, assuredly, one of
the noblest gifts of the New World
has given to the Old. It is the larg-
est, and, if not the most delicate, is at
least the most savory of our domestic
fowls. It also has the exclusive ad-
vantage of assembling around it all
growers and farmers give a feast on a
long winters night, what do we be-
hold farming on the spit before hot
fire?-a turkey. When the useful
manufacturer, the hard working arti-
san wishes to give a treat to his
friends, the ObZigdtO dish is turkey
stuffed with CHESTNUT and sausages.
And In our high gastronomic circles,
ia those select reunions where politics
are Obliged to give way to disserta-
ton on taste = which is expected?
What is brought up at the second
course-a truf19d turkey"
This general gastronomic fitness
is quite as fully appreciated in the
new as in the old world, and from
Thanksgiving up into the month of
February, or even later, the turkey
has little respite from its martyrdom
/ TO the greed of man, and continues to
grace with It's juicy presence the tables
of all classes that feel pecuniariIy
able to pay for it. Indeed, where de
all the turkeys come from?' is quite
as often asked as that other problem
attic one, which has been puzzling the
brains of all humanity, regarding the
destiny of the pin. We trust, howev-
er, that no dearth in the supply will
ever be serious enough to cause US any
gastronomic inconvenience, and that
the nation, as she meets tbs day upon
the rim of the revolving years, will
be ever ready with the prayer upon
her lips: Heaven bless Thanksgiv-
ing and the turkeyr