Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-11-24
THE PURITAN FESTIVAL.
The Origin of Thanksgiving---A Day
of Rejoicing Over Earthly
Things

|
Tomorrow the good old Puritan festi
val of thanksgiving and praise occurs.
This is one of the most genial and kindly
of all our festivals. The name itself,
Thanksgiving. "betrays the religious inn
pulses of its origin, an origin unmxed
with any prior tradition. The great
christian festival of Christmas sketches
backward to yule logs and mistletoes, to
Scandinavian and Briton heatherry; nor
does it lose by the graceful, happy assO-
citation But Thanksgiving is purely
Puritan. 1t is the good, warm heart
conquering the tough head and ascetic
manner of the old pilgrims.
A New England history claims that in
1928, after the harvest, Governor Brad
street sent out company TO shoot game
to furnish a dainty feast of rejoicing al
ter the labors of the colony. Having
| followed the directions of the governor,
and the principle of the excellent Mrs,
Glass. they cooked their game and invited
MassasOit and some ninety other savages,
and all fell to and devoured the feast,
thanking God for the good world and the
good things in it.
While Thanksgiving was originally a
strictly pious feast, time has made it one
more of practical rejoicing. in the good
things of the world, and there may even
be people whose mouths are fuller of
turkey than their hearts of thanks. Bat
every wear the area of the feast enlargGs.
Every year there are more people who sit
down to "groaning boards" and with the
end of their MONDAY or afternoon meal.
end all thought of the day A religious
journal remarks:
"As the time appointed for public
Thanksgiving is near, and the attention
of all will be directed to the duty OF
praisiug God for the harvests and bless
ing of the past year. it is well for all to
remember than aims giving is even pore
| acceptable to God than thanksgiving
Some one has declared that one deed OF
mercy is worth g thousand years of pray,
era striking way of stating the import
ant truth uttered by st. James, that faith
without works is dead. While. there
fore. we offer thanks to God for the msn-
fold blessings he has conferred upon us
the past year, let us prove our gratitude
of deeds aud gifts of charity to the poor
the sorrowiHg. the neglected and suffer.
ing ones of earth. who are as deserving
of divine favor as We are. but who are in
attiiction and distress. I'BIessed is he thai
considereth the poor 1t may not be
generally agreed that one gift to the needy
is worth thousand years of prayer,
especially by the extreme believers in
prayer; but it certainly would not be
lamiss for each christian home ia the city
TO resolve on the coming Thanksgiving
to try the experiment of looking up some
desolate, poverty stricken place-some
poor, helpless fsmiiy-and pour into it &
ray of Gods material blessing. Half +,
ton of coal or bag of -four would dis
count great many ong prayers"
| There can be no more fitting way OF
celebrating tomorrow than by remem Der
ing the poor Charity should be tne
first thought, and then the Puritan festi.
val will be appropriately remembered
Long may the pure Thanksgiving festiva
stand, and the spirit which first prompteC
/
ing in the poor and the weary. the blind
and the lame. just as the old Puritan.
called in MasSasoit and ninety other saw
ages. Rich in blessings and reverend il
years, may good old Thanksgiving las
with the continent, knitting closer the
ties of family and friendship; it's cheer
fulness beaming like the smile OF pstri
arch; its charity burning like centra
fire, warming all the year aud lighting u[
every dark day of care and sorrow,
Principal kirkpatrick and the teachers
and school children of Building No. e, il
response to OvGrseer of the Poor Koch :,
appeal, have sent to that gentIemsn's of
ice large quantity of turkeys, chickens
and vegetables for distribution anon!
the poor tomorrow as he NAV think
proper. and for which Mr. Koch Is desir
Gus of expressing his thanks.
There will be Thanksgiving day ser
vices in Trinity church at $50 a m. witt
sermon and celebration. At 7'30 p. m
Choral service with sermon. All offering
of fruit and vegetables will be sent to St
Lukes hospital.
| Union services will be held at th
Central Presbyterian church tomorrow
morning at 1870. with sermon by DR.
| Brown of the United Presbyterian church
| Collection will be taken up foT the bene-
fit of the poor. Preaching in the even
ing at the Baptist church.