Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-11-20

The first Thanksgiving festival ever observ-
ed in this country was the celebration Of a
thanksgiving day by feeble colony. 1t was
a local incident, characteristic of the time
and the manners. II was an observance by
single small community, who found no other
means of expressing to Almighty God their
gratitude for deliyerance from famine. The
little band of colonists who had settled on a
savage and sterile shore, and who we're threat
ened with determination by starvation and by
violent death, received succour from home
and were blessed with good harvest. Their
slender hold on existence was strengthened
and renewed. We can family imagine the
fervor with which they publicly gave thanks
for their temporal blessings, and the sincerity
with which the families of the colony united
in fitting celebration of the day. The first
national Thanksgiving was for a similar spec
ial deliVerance The local custom had been
widely initiated. 1t first became an annual
festival in the colony of Massachusetts, Bay,
and subsequently in the state of Massachu-
setts The six New England states adopted
thanksgiving, one after another, and other
states eventually followed their example, un-
til, when the rebellion broke out, nearly every
state in the federal Union had it's thanksgiv-
ing day. 1t was the fashion of that time to
observe different dates in different states,
each governor being guided in his choice by
independent considerations. There was no
uniformity of action among the various state
executives each being a law unto himself.
In some of the Northern states, contiguous to
each other and closely bound together by So.
cial ties, it was thought expedient that each
should have different date for thanksgiving
day, as that arrangement enabled the wander
ing sons of the various states to celebrate the
festival in their old home, as well as in the
new. The institution of a national thanks
giving has changed all that. Now each state,
and the whole family of states, observes the
same anniversary.
In July, 1868, after q season of great de-
preston on account of the military disasters
of the nation, q succession of great victories
electrified the people. During the early sum-
meT Of that year the hearts of many patriotic
men grew faint. 1t seemed Rs il the end of
our national existence had come, and that all
our hopes would 60 out in darkness. The
fall of Vioksburg and Port Hudson, the con-
sequent opening of the Mississippi river, and
the defeat of Lees invading army at Gettys-
burg, were like grateful showers upon the
parched earth. Young persons who read the
cold historical account of those stirring events
can never know what thrill of joy ran
through the people. 1t was a far more in,
spiriting occasion than the arrival of food and
clothing TO band of suffering colonists, ever
though those oolonists were the founders of q
state. President Lincoln, July 10, 1868, is
sued proclamation calling upon the people
to observe Thursday, August 6, as q day o
| giving thanks, inasmuch as 1t had ''pleaseC
Almighty God to hearken unto the supplica
tions and prayers Of an afflicted people, ant
10 vouchsafe TO the army and navy of the
United States on the land and on the sea
victories so signal and so effective as TO fur
nish reasonable grounds for augmented con
adence that the union of these states will b.
maintained, their constitution preserved, ant
their peace and prosperity permanently SO
cured" Another special season of thanks
giving was recommended by the President ii
December, 1868, just after the victories Il
East Tennessee had expelled the rebel force
from that region of country, and had limite'
future military operations to a narrow com
pass. But the first national Thanksgiving
for general mercies and blessings was calle
by the President for the last Thursday in Nc
vember, 1868, in his proclamation of Octobe