The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-11-25
THANKSGIVING DAY
Its Origin, Development and Final
Adoption Throughout the
County.

BEFORE we tDlnk anu pfdl III ohC
Thanksgiving of today, let us look
back a few centuries and find out its
origin, it's popularity and how it
finally became a day of universal joy
and public Thanksgiving.
The first Thanksgiving day held in
America is believed to have occurred in
February. 1851. at which date a vessel
laden with supplies arrived to succor
the starving colony at Charlestown.
During the following years frequent
days of thanks we're appointed in the
New England colonies. AT first these
appointments were at different sea-
Tsons of the year sometimes twice in
one year-and for special reasons.
Thanksgiving day was a national in
stitution during the Revolution and
was annually recommended by cong
ress, but after a general Thanksgiving
for peace in 1884 there was no national
appointment till 1889, when Presi-
dent Washington recommended a
THANKSGIVING for the adoption OF
the constitution. In 1896 Washington
appointed another national thanks
giving on account of the suppression
of the i~nsurrection of that year. In
1916 a day of thanksgiving for the
restoration of peace was recommended
hy President Madison. but during the
early part of the century thanksgiv-
ing remained an institution peculiar
to New England, but was not always
held either on the same day or in the
same month. The Protestant Episco-
pal PRAYER book adopted in 1888 rec
ommendedifor a day of thanksgiving
the first Thursday in November, and
this day was observed by the church
generally in states where there was
no official thanksgiving appointed
The first official appointment OF a
Thanksgiving day in the state OF New
York was made in 1917. but the
governors Of western and southern
states did not generally follow the
custom until after 1850. Proclama-
tions recommending special thanks
giving for victory were issued by
| President Lincoln in 1862 and 1868,
and in 1858 and 1864 he appointed the
annual THANKSGIVING day by national
proclamation. Since that time annual
thanksgiving proclainations have been
| issued by the presidents, the COVER
nors of the several states and the
mayors of the principal cities. The
last Thursday of November is cele-
brated as Thanksgiving day through
out the country.
And now to come down to our
Thanksgiving Of today. Too many
| in the holiday forget the object for
which it is laid aside. 1t seems, there
fore. that the day should begin with
a sincere thanksgiving. an acknow-
Judgement of what is ours, and the
good things and cheer which the
family reunion and festive board will
bring us later in the day. Then too
the enjoyment to come will be made
SO much sweeter if recollections OF
some kind deed done to less fortunate
ones brighten it. Give within your
means-every little helps. The idea
Of carrying fruit and vegetables to
the churches and distributing them
seems most appropriate. Holidays
mean a great deal of work to some
one. Share and tighten it. II you
find that you must keep your help at
home all day. arrange to make it up
to them before the holiday spirit dies
out, And now for the dinner.
THE THANKSGIVING SOUP.
ConS0mlnne a la R0yale is a favorite
soup with which to preface it. 1t re-
uuires a quart OF good beef soup, a
teaspoonful of beef extract, a pint of
milk, and salt and cayenne to taste.
Beat light the yolks OF two eggs, add
half q gill of broth, and a seasoning
of nutmeg and white pepper. Pour
into a small, creased pan, and place
| this in another tin of hot water. Bake
in a moderate oven until firm like
custard. Cut into small squares, put
into the consomme and serve at once.
THE TIME HONORED TURKEY.
The turkey claims first honors. In
this country only is his highness
found in a wild state. 1t is very fit
ting, therefore, than in the dinner for
THANKSGIVING it should be the princi-
pal dish. 1t must be wisely chosen,
well cooked and properly served. 1t
| should be short and plump, the meat
white, with some fat, the legs black
and smooth; and if there be spurs
they should be short. The end of the
b~reastbone should be flexible, more
like gristle than bone. A turkey that
is long in proportion to its size, and
has dark or BLUSH flesh may be ten
der, but certainly will not be finely
favored and juicy. A dry picked tur-
KEY will be found to have a much
better flavor than q .scalded one. All
poultry that is dry picked costs a few
cents a pound more than the scalded,
but is we'll worth the extra price. A
pound of link sausages skewered
over the breast an hour before the
cooking is finished adds flavor to the
turkey. Basic freely with the gravy
that flows from them.
THANKSGIVING PLUM PUDDING.
Next in Importance, though not in
course, is the plum pudding. This re-
quires three pints of milk, eight eggs,
a ten cent loaf Of bakers bread, one
cupful of sugar, n pound of ~raisins,
teaspoonful of salt, n teaspoonful
of vanilla extract and a half cupful OF
butter. Remove the seeds from the
raisins. Place the milk and raisins in
IA double boiler and make them boil
ing hot. Beat the eggs slightly, add
the sugar. then the boiling milk, the
salt and vanilla. Slice the bread and
spread it with the softened but
ter; then put the slices in
the hot custard. Butter well a
deep brown pudding pam Put q
layer of the soaked bread in the pan
and scatter raisins over it; then more
bread and more raisins until all are
used, having last layer of bread. Bake
in a slow over for two hours. When
ready for serving, turn it from the pan
into q nnddinu dish. and use with it a