The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-11-29
THE KIMBAIL GRAPHIC
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A hlstory Of festivals would be a
history Of religion. There were
feasts in honor Of every phase of ma
ture, IS for earth, sea, sky; festivals
for every human passion, rs love,
hate, revenge, Out of the thousand
festivals of the nations, two are COM
mon to every religion: the day of
prayer It seed time; the day of praise
at harvest. In cur own country,
once . year, from ocean to ocean,
from lakes to gulf, . great nation
unites in q feast of thanksgiving.
How unlike that little colony between
the wilderness and the sea, on that
first Thanksgiving day in 1921, is the
nation that celebrates the harvest Of
1889.
Pereecuted for their religion, .
party Of English villagers fled to hos
pitable, tolerant Holland. The un-
familiar speech and unwonted Gus
toms and scenes Of that country
were fast effscing the English man
ners of their children. English At
heart, they determined to establish
IN English-speaking colony beyond
he 9 Two deputies were sent to
obtain a charter from hing James.
Ills ministers, especially Lord Bacon,
lid not favor . plan that would bene.
st heretics. The only concession
granted was . promise not to modest
The Puritans in America. Content
With 80 slight q favor, they secured
ship and provisions and started for
the unknown shore. For sxty-three
lays they fought the waves of an
autumn Atlantic. Then anchorage
was found in Cape Cod bay. The
colony organized on board ship,
swore allegiance to England and
elected a governor. A landing could
not be effected until small boat " as
repaired and then Gov. Carver and
fifteen others went ashore. They
found q pile of maize buried under
the snow, a few deserted wigwams
and a burial place of the Indians.
attacked by the natives, they re-
.urncd to the ship. A storm came,
up, the rudder was washed away and
the mast fell, the sail dropped into
the ea. Thus driven by storms they
drifted until a little cove furnished
protection and a landing was made
Dec. IL, 1920. An unacceptable
shore, snow covered, with the SEES on
one side and the forest on the other, a
spot miles upon miles from English
voices-to this they had come. The
sleet came down and froxe as it fell,
transforming their garments into
coats Of mail. Half . foot Of snow
covered the ground. Only branches
sheltered women and children while
the men fell trees and raised rude
log huts. Cold and exposure sowed
the seeds Of disease. Lung fever and
consumption wasted every family.
Allthe colony at one time was cared
tor by the six or seven that were
we'll. Before the first mild days
came half the n hundred and two
who landed were resting under the
snow. The flowers came early that
spring and the sprays Of fragrant
arbutus we're the first promise that
nature would grow lenient. The
little bags of grain SO tearfnlly with
held from starving loved ones all that
cruel winter winter, gave up their
treasure to the! care of mother nature.
Women and children cared for the
tiny gardens, while the men sought
food in the forest OF the sea. Massa.
soft, q powerful chief of a neighbor-
ing tribe, proved friendly, and for .
singular yet, to a savage, an ~all-con-
vincing reason. Some years before,
= French crew had been captured by
,hs Indians and put to death near the
Pilgrims landing place. One Of the
victims had prophesied that the God
of the white man would not suffer his
neople to die unavenged. A plague
followed and depopulated many vii
ages. The white mans prophesv
had come true. The wrath of God
was not to be provoked. Doubtless
this superstition was the means Of
the Puritan's preservation.
At last the time of gathering came
and the sheayes were garnered, the
fields CLEANED and the governor APP
pointed . day Of thanksgiving and
rejoicing over the scanty store that
must last the little colony through an
other rigorous winter.
Thus originated the American
Thanksgiving.
The press Of the state is again agi.
tating q change in the present exemp.