Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-21
Thousands Of Turkeys Will Be Eaten
Here Next Thursday.
T II E NATIONAL BIRD
Its Origin and It's Value to the Table-When
the Thanksgiving Custom Was First Insti-
tuted-A National Institution Only Since
1S62-PoOr Fellows Who Have No Home.
Written for The Eyenine Star.

the 26th, but they will be the exceptions b It
prove the rule that everybody should feast off
OF turkey. The minds eye can see them, all
brown and bursting with juice, stuffed them
selves and soon to be the cause Of at least
10000 people in the city of Washington stuffing
themselves. just think of $4,000 drumstic ks
sticking up in the air on $4,000 different
tables about o'clock next Thursday. Just
think of 500 900 children wrestling with the 80 600
drumsticks, being assured by 80. 900 parents or
guardians that they are eating the ''bes. part Of
the turkey" and just think of the $4,000 youth
full reflections: "Why on earth are we SO highly
favored all of a SUDDEN The drumstick, as
turkey in reality but when the parent or guar
dian loves drumstick you NAV be sure the chill
dren don't get it. The self-denia of the master
of the house in giving the children ''the best
part of the turkey" would be very commend
able if it were not that he really prefers some
other part himself.
WHERE THE TURKEY ORIGINATED.
Now, the institution of national Thanksgiving
is not old, but the turkey is as old as America
herself, but no older. Never did the epicures
of Europe taste turkey, or know that such
bird existed, until after the glorious state of
Virginia had been discovered All those GRAND
feasts of ancient Rome we're really barren
events, for they had no turkey. They had pea
cocks and fine fish and game, but they had
never heard OF a turkey, and when Alexandria
not Alexandria, Virginia, but Alexandria,
Egypt-was in the height of her splendor and
the feasting carried on to a great extent
there Che same trouble. Then after Rome
had fallen and those jolly monks had such fine
cooks and ate such fine dinners in the mon
Enthusiastically, one cannot but pity them.
Few people will be as unfortunate on Thurs
day, 1891, as they were until about the year
1851, for 1t was then that the turkey was first
introduced to the European world.
Christopher Columbus, as the people Of Chi
cago now stoutly declare discovered America
In 1882 but he was down in the more tropical
parts and he never got anywhere near WASH
ington, although he did get nearer to Washing
ton than to Chicago. But nearly one hundred
years after Columbus had come there arrived
a number OF hardy adventurers down on the
Atlantic coast. 1t was the year 1884 and they
dropped anchor off Axacan. Here is fine de-
scrlption OF the scene that met their eyes:
FIRST MENTION OF THE BIRD.
1.-THE voyagers were amazed at the beauty Of
the country. The time was midsummer and
before them was a long island fringed with YER
dure. Above the underground rose the high
est and reddest cedars of the world the wild
vines were SO full of grape punches that the
very surf overfowed them, and deer, turkeys
and snow-white cranes were in Undesirable
e.
date region was Wingandacoa, which seems to
have signifed The Good Land and the En-
glishmen found it most beautiful sweet whole
some and fruitful of all other At last the
western paradise so long dreamed of seemed to
have been discovered, and when the ships went
back to England at the approach of winter the
commanders gave such glowing accounts of
what they had seen that Elizabeth called the
country Virginia, the virgin land"
Yes, turkeys for the first time were seen in
what is now North Carolina, but what was for
many years part of the Old Dominion But
they were not carried over to Europe until a
century later. There they were hailed with
delight and to this day are considered as 'the
most beautiful present made by the new world
to the old" In the face Of these facts it is
strange that DIR. Samuel johnson in his diction-
airy should define the turkey as ''a large do
mestick fowl supposed to be brought from
Turkey" There must have been some strange
mistake surrounding the bird in the beginning
and 1t got confounded with some inferior orr
entail fowl. The name is all that remains of
this error; the American origin of the turkey
has been admitted for many years.
Therefore it is that we in Washington can
boldly declare that the essential feature of
American Thanksgiving, the great and glorious
turkey-"a fine bird, handsome, golden, done
to a turn and seeming the room enough to
tempt saint" as the great French epicure.
Brlllat-Savarin, describes it-therefore Wash
ingtonians can congratulate themselves because
the turkey was discovered in this part of the
world.
THE PURITAN CUSTOMS.
But the Thanksgiving day in America was
started in New England. 1t is Puritan GUS
tom, it is true, but the first Thanksgiving day
was celebrated by men of the Church of Eng
land. Can the readers of THE STAR carry them
selves in imagination up to the frigid land of
Maine in winter and throw the hands OF time
back to the year 1907? Can they imagine a
poor chaplain newly arrived from England
''gyving God thanks for our happy metinge
and safe aryval into the country? The place
was Monhegan, near kennebec, and the chap
lain was one Seymour, and this was the
first Thanksgiving day that there is any
record Of Afterward the day became quite a
regular annual observance, butt was celebrated
at different times, in different places.
1t included a tremendously long SER
mon listened to In a church that was
unheated; then walk back to the house; then
eating, eating. Who can wonder at the New
England appetite in those days after the long
hours in the frosty church? Let us see what
they used to eat. They had, as an important
feature Of the feast, huge chicken pie and as
a little relish few roast chickens be-
sides; there were enormous roasts of
beef, and, of course, turkeys; they had
a number of smaller dishes that are
too numerous to be mentioned; then, as
a desert, although everything was on the table
at the same time. there We're pumpkin pies,
mince pies and apple pies, to say nothing of
puddings. fruits and nuts If they had cider
that was all they drank besides water The
imagination of the poor weak American of the
present day stands aghast at tie contemplation
of one of these old-time New England feasts.
Dyspepsia, gastritis, to say nothing ofexcruciat-
ing cramps, wOuld.surely be the lot of the man
who played such internal gymnastics with him
self nowadays.
THE DAY IN 1851
There is a record of an early Puritan thanks
giving in Plymouth colony in 1861, when the
governor ''sent four men on fowling, that so
We might after special manner, rejoice to-
gether." What they got is not recorded, but
game was plentiful in those days and New Eng
land Puritans were good shots. This thanks
giving was for three days and beside what the
-four men on fowling" brought back there was
a contribution from King Massasoit of ''tive
deer, which they brought to the plantation and
bestowed on our governor and upon the cap
tain (Myles Standsh) ami others" Massasoit
and ninety friendly Indians participated in the
feasting.
New York has claimed the honor Of inauy-
urating the custom of holding Thanksgiving in
the tall Of the year. After the revolution John
Jay, then governor Of the state. in 1894, APP
pointed November II as day for thank sgiv-
ing. The day was celebrated, but Gov. Jay
was accused of interfering with the church
Then later the mayors of New York city used
to issue thanksgiving proclamations every
gun, Gov. Clinton appointed each year some
day late in the fall. He, like jay, got into
trouble in the beginning, for he selected day
that clashed with the lay that for a lono tima