The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-01-31
THANKSGIVING.
A Day Peculiarly Belonging to the
Home and to Women.

Thanksgiving day is one of the two
festivals in which, more than in any
other, it seems to us, women have a
peculiar right and part Other festi-
walls, with the single exception of that of
the Nativity, belong to men, to individu-
ais, to nations, to events; but Thanks
giving alone belongs only to the home,
and is celebrated there in remarka-
bly, primitive and uniform manner
when one considers how universal lis
the practice of the celebration.
Sons come home to their mothers on
this day; grandmothers throw wide
their doors to already visible posterity;
husbands and wives are surrounded by
their dear ones; long-parted brothers
and sisters are united, with all the
phantoms of childhood and youth about
them; and it is a home to which they
have come, home of which some one
woman is the central being, and the
doors close, and families are by them
selves, and it is there where mothers
and sisters and wives have their hour
of authority, and for the nonce are
recognized supreme.
1t appears, then, as natural conse-
quence, that the habit of keeping
Thanksgiving day, and keeping it with
good deal of the ancient ceremonies,
is one that, as a class, and for their
own sakes, women should never allow
to degenerate, its observance being
both to their interest and honor. They
should not, in this light, be content
with simply varying the customary
dinner of the week with one of turkey
and cranberry sauce and mince pie;
they should not allow themselves, with
any disinclination they may feel for ex-
ertion, to fall back on the general
statement that these recurring ami
versaries only serve to make one sad,
and are best when slipped over easily;
or that, with so many of the family
widely scattered, it does not seem
worth while to make much ado
over the day for the few remain
ing together; or that, with death so re-
Gently in the household, there really
does not seem to be much propriety in
making merry with gala day. II
better becomes them to keep the day,
if they have to keep it wholly by them
selves; to keep it in company with all
the youth belonging within the walls
by any forced construction of family
ties; to keep it as if for the making Of
anniversaries that the generation tc
come may have to remember; to keeL
1t, however widely scattered the be.
loved may be, that all may know the
Others are doing the same thing, with
loving. thoughts of those that are MOI
with them; to keep it, thankful at least
that deathahas brought surcease of suf
fering to the departed, if death it be
that has brought the shadow to the
house, and remembering the duty O.
making life cheerful as possible tt
those that are remaining; to keep it
moreover, and indeed principally, be
cause the liberty of giving thanks is il
itself something for which it is wortf
while to offer thanks.
tits true that our grandparents made
most elaborate matter of the eating
and drinking pertaining to the day; bu
the origin of that had its excuse in thu
newness of the plenty that they founC
surrounding them in the new land, ant
that they would fain acknowledge BY
this sort of saeriiicial abundance anC
profusion on their tables-the breakfas
board loaded with vastly too much TO
dinner of any sother day, the dime
table grooming with its boiled fowl anC
oyster sauce, its roast turkey and glib
let sauce, its roast ducks and its brown
goose its chicken-pie, its cold tongue
its immense ham, its shaking mould
of ruby jellies, its various pickles, it
jar of celery, its uncounted vegetables
its mince-pies, and squash-pies, ant
apple-pies and cranberry-tarts, an,
plum-pudding, and nuts and raisins
and figs and apples, and the grea
winter pears that had been wrap