Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1886-11-20
THE TURKEY.
Thanksgiving n Day that Gives Special
Zest to the Life of the Weary.

Ihahksgiving Day that Gives Specia
Zest to the Life of the Weary.
That we should have a season O
Thanksgiving in which to express oul
gratitude TO Him, the Giver of all good
is duty doub!y binding upon us. No
only has He given MS all that is needed
for existence, but He has added thereto
manifold things with the sole end ant
intent of making that existence pleas
urablc. If man, in his obstinacy OF
obtuseness, sometimes fails in the fnl
enjoyment Of them, the fault is his
Desire, capacity and reason have beer
given him that he may the better APP
preciate the blessings bestowed; and il
he makes bad use of three such attrib-
utes, the conclusion is plain that he
would not make good use of dozen
oilers ii he had them.
There are some discontcntcd mortals
in the world-and, perhaps, it would
not be a world without them-who de-
clare they have nothing to be thankful
for; that Thanksgiving was made for
the rich, not for Tire poor. An asser-
tion we will not dispute; but, the
possession of dollars does not consti-
tute riches, nor the want of them pov-
| orty. There is many man, rich in
deed in all the wealth the world can
bring him, who gets very little out of
his dollars. unless it be anxiety and
misery, and these are not exactly the
kind pf riches for which he feels like
being thankful. No. The truly rich,
| indeed, are the ones for whom Thanks
,,,. t,Nt, J.,I "A Ia ,I ~
| these he is richest who is contented
with the least. Men and myriads OF
them-hayc found and could tell the
world the solemn difference that lies
between true and false riches could
they come from the grave TO do so.
But our philosophy is running away
with us and making MS forget very
important adjunct to Thanksgiving, -
or rather something more than an adj
unct, for it has become, we may say,
part and parcel of the day itself;
namely, the turkey. Custom now
mixes fcasting and mirth with most OF
our celebrations, though the events
they commemorate be sacred, or their
origin religious in its character. And,
in this, custom is wise. There can be
nothing very wrong in the enjoyment
of those things which have been given
MS for the purpose; indeed. to refrain,
would be as Milton says, an evidence
of ingratitudc to the Giyer A free
aud cheerful mind, too, especially at
hours of meat, is one of the soundest
sureies for long life. Hope may be
the anchor, but mirtb is the cable
whose unrustcd links hold our craft
from dashing on the rocks.
Nor is there any thing incongruous
in the mixture of checrfuncss with
matters of sacred character. Long
faced religion must stand, if it stands
at all, upon other doctrines than that
taught by Him, the Master; and its
followers are not following Him when
they practice it.
But to return to our turkey. How or
when this delicious bird first became
such an important feature at the
Thanksgiving feast we are not pre-
pared to say. That it is worthy of its
place ut any fable is the opinion of no
less an authority than Brillat-Savarin,
who enthusiastically says:
"Thc turkey is, assuredly, one of the |
noblest gifts the New World has given
to the Old. 1t is the largest
and, if not the most delicate, is at least |
the most savory of our domestic fowls. |
1t also has the exclusive advantage OF
assembling around it all classes OF So
cicty. When our vine-growers and
farmers give feast on long winters |
night, what do we behold turning on
the spit before n hot fire? turkey. |
When the useful manufactures, the
hard working artisan, wishes TO give a
treat to his friends the 0bi{gato dish is
turkey stuffed with chestnuts and
sausagcs. And in our high gastronomic
circles, in those select reunions where
politics are Obliged to give way to
dissertation on taste-what is ex-
pectcd? What is brought up at the
second course "a trufiled turkey"
This general gastronomic fitness is
quite as fully appreciated in the New
us well as 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 its juicy presence the tables
Of all classes that feel pecuniarily able
to pay for it, Indeed, "Where do all
the turkeys come from?' is quite as
often asked as that other problcmatic
one, which has been puzzling the
brains of all humanity, regarding the
destiny of the pin. We trust, however,
that no dearth in the supply will ever
be serious enough to cause us any
gastronomic inconvenience, and that
the Nation, as she meets the day upon
the rim of the revolving years, will be
ever ready with the prayer upon her
lips: "Heaven bless Thanksgiving and
the turkeyr'-We Caterer.
I'll am afraid, Bobby" said his
''that when tell your papa
II. Lnt .nn11orht. hnNr ntnIl I've hean "a. |