Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-12-04
Thanksgiving Decisions.

Thanksgiving has as many dlsap-
pointments and shams connected with
it as anything else that is made a
specially. We give it credit for things
that do not belong to it; we pin on to
its coat tail, so to speak, a lot of trash
thatif people were not polite enough
not to notice would make it laughing
stock. Thanksgiving in itself is the
truest American holiday, it is the day
of days when we are thoroughly at
home and comfortable. 1t is the day
when we get good natUred and garru-
lous; it is the day when we are all
friends.
But there are certain addenda which
are inseparably connected with the
occasion that are decisions. For in
stance, there are those Thanksgiving
dinners that are outlined in the maya
zines, the papers and the books on
"How to Support Family of Six on
81 Cents a Month" How they TEEN
with goodiesl How we long to eat
theml But such bills of fare were
never seen outside of a newspaper
column. They bubble over with blue
points and terrapin and champagne;
they are gorgeous, appetizing, mag
nifcent. But they are to be read
about, not eaten. When it comes to
eating we get down to straight old
fashioned turkey and pumpkin pie
with little cider and some hickory
nuts on the. side to end with. The
bills of fare are decisions
and snares though we often long to see
them realized.
Then there are certain Thanksgiving
stories whose heroes are loW-browed
guilty of stealing watermelons
or robbing hens nests in their youth
and so banished from home. With a
discrimination they choose
Thanksgiving day for their return and
come bursting in on the members of
the family just as they are picking
their teeth and the chicken bones.
Everybody thought the graceless son
dead and at rest but he means out
pitiful tale of Oklahoma and sorrow,
and is forgiven and msrries the red
headed girl who helped him to eat the
watermelOns that he stole. Don't take
any stock in that kind of stories. They
are decisions. The son didn't get back
on Thanksgiving day but the week be-
fore and when he did arrive he was
by Marshal Hess, put in Jail
and spent Thanksgiving wishing he
had stayed away from Sheriff Nail's
palatial residence; while the red-head-
ed girl went to to the fremen's bail
with a Solomon City peanut vender.
There is likewise a good deal of
guile about the Thanksgiving procla-
nation. There was time when the
depended on the crops
and the president got out his big quill
pen and laboriouSly traced something
ike yard of manuscript calling atten-
ton to the day. Now the probabilities
are that lie never saw the document
until it appeared in the papers. His
private secretary dictated it to a pretty
typewriter girl who ratified it off and
signed it with arubber stamp, exactly
as if it were a veto of Salinas public
building bill. 1t is all piece of gov
ernmental machinery and the invita-
tons for the Thanksgiving ball on the
last Thursday in November were out
before the proclamation was issued.
People knew it would come no matter
if the Hessian fly took the wheat, the
weevil the corn and the opposition
carried every township i'll the country.
We do not say these things to make
you underValue Thanksgiving. 1t is
not day to be undervalued. Neither
is it day to be taken for what it is
not. 1t is good, wholesome, honest,
old-fashioned day of resting and having
a big dinner.
There is associated with it by nearly
every one reverence for the all Pow
erful Father who brought them through
the year. That is Thanksgiving and
as such day it is success and is sufi-
Gent in itself with out any added
sidsehows or gift enterprises.