Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-26

| WhE@ahh'vsH 1t was Plymouth on
| one dark and rainy
night in the month of October, 1921, when this
| remark was made to representatives of the sur
viving pilgrims gathered at the house Of one Of
their number for the express purpose OF con-
sidering the appointment Of day OF penance
| for the remission Of the sins which had been
| productive of their hard fate.
"Aye, a sorry time in truth" echoed another,
| his white bequeued head rising above the little
audience as the others disappeared in it, ''for
| of the more than five score Of us who disem-
| barked from the Mayhower last December do
not half now sleep yonder on Coles Hill, and
once more on the verge of what we know by
| dire experience to be the bitter new world win
| ter, our crops are scant our"
| Nay! Nay! good SIR" quickly interjected o
| white-haircd, black-robed woman, the lines
| OF whose pure old face only seemed to give it
an additional beauty like chasing on silver
but mayhap it is not seemly that speak
| out, she quickly added with lowered tone
'for hath St. Paul not said"--
| Say on, mistress, say on" encouraged
| male voice, "this Is not the house of God
neither Sunday meeting, only gathering of
! neighbors where all who mind may speak,"
Then would add" she continued; thus en-
| boldened, what l believe to be the gospel
truth-that the Lord, instead Of Christening
hath greatly prospered u.s." Her voice trem-
bled little at these words, vision of the three
| new graves stretching wet and cold under the
| lowering skies OF that autumn night rising in
| voluntarily into her mind. Her hearers too
looked at her in plying wonder, but after q
| little pause she repeated, Hath greatly pros
pered us. For are we not now permitted to
worship Him in spirit and in truth. such as
| hath not been our privilege for many day
| before? Have We not homes? And though the
harvest be scant, vet have We not faith that the
Lord will maintain his promise and provide for
| His own, even as He hath already done in
guiding us hither? So, in view Of these many
graces, day OF thanksgiving seems to me more
meet than day of penance."
She sat down. For several minutes utter
silence reigned in that quaint Puritan living
room. Then Gov. Bradford rose, his silver knee
buckles glistenrg in the candle light, and tip
| toed across the space separating him from the
| brethren who first spoke, when a whispered
Presently their conference ended he walked to
| the fireplace in the far end OF the room and
turning, faced his people.
"This faithful sister hath shamed u.s." quoth
| he, land taught us a lesson OF bravery. With
her good man gone. a stalwart son laid low and
as likely lass ever opened pair of blue
eyes under England's blue skies lying. too, out
there on Coles Hill"-a sob came from a
haxen-haired youth in the back of the room
''she yet sees reasons for thankfulness rather
! than cause for repining. We must not be out
done by her, and instead of sitting in sackcloth
and ashes we will praise God for His manifold
1 mercies to us and feast rather than fast. The
forests abound in game, though our crops be
poor, and thither shall our young men go and
| find materials for the repast. Courage is better
than fear. he concluded. a sentiment which
was greeted with a hearty chorus of AYE,
ayes"
| Thus was Thanksgiving day inaugurated, o
| triumph of womanhood and a triumph Of
optimism, not only indeed triumph Of
optimism, but proof that optimism Is itself a
1 fr- ~, fDry 1ax-o Ii
established how long would it have been OBJ
| served, since every added year seeing the
| steady increase Of good in this land there
| would be less and less reason for waiting and
more aud more arguments In favor Of day OF
| thanks.
Two hundred and thirty-eight years after the
landing of the pilgrims the largest granite
statue OF the world was erected to their mem
DRY. 1t stands on high hill overlooking
plymouth In the center is a colossal figure Of
Faith with a Bible in her upstretched hand.
while around her are clustered a group repre-
senting Morality. Law. Education and Freedom,
in looking at which one instinctively endows
the beautiful faith with the spirit of that Sc
rene old woman who even in adversely looked
with prophetic eyes to the time when in very
truth freedom, morality. education ard law
should result from her sublime belief.
DAY OF FAITH.
With the Fourth of July Memorial dav and
"uoAAustou . Oii tuuhy AuauhhBNlUR Jay Is one
of the four distinctively American festivals. but
though distinctively American the sentiments
that inspire them-Thanksgiving day. faith:
Washington 8 natal day, hero worship; Memorial
day, love. and the Fourth Of July, patriotism
| are common TO all peoples Of the earth, and
| only for excellent reasons OF our own have we
selected the times when we ourselves shall cele.
brate these universal feelings
The Thanksg. wing day sentiment is indeed a
| FAR descended one, it being an inheritance from
| the first races Of mankind of the elation they
| felt over natures yearly largess-the American
Indians and other arbaric tribes having to this
day ceremonies of their own in celebration of
autumn's bounty. As q spirit of religion devel-
oped this feeling grew into . worship of del
| ties that were supposed to preside over the
crops, like the beautiful goddesses Demeter of
| the Greeks, and Ceres of the Romans; and still
later when mythology had been cast of, rem
| nants OF the same idea remained in the ''har-
vest homes" and similar though differently
| named festivals OF all nations when the grain
garnered and the fruit heaped up, merry max
| ings and dances went on beneath the rays Of
the harvest moon. But it remained for that
little band Of Plymouth pilgrims to give a spir-
itual significance to these gala times-to pro-
vide fitting soul for 80 fair body, an act en-
inently In conformity with this religious peo-
| pie; while the American nation at large many
decades later, widened this feeling into one Of
| national import, SO that this week instead Of
ffty-fve people observing it, as was the case in
Plymouth 271 years ago, g., 600, 900 are particle
pants in its good cheer.
| AMovABLE FEAsT
Nor has this result been brought about With
out bi eak and intermission and with complete
unity Of purpose, for though the other colonies
followed the example Of Plymouth in appoint
ing day Of Thanksgiving, it by no means &C.
CURED as q matter Of course that the day set
by them identical with that of Gov,
Bradfords people, or that thanks were offered
| up for the same thing. In fact. THANKSGIVING
TIL es late as 1880, nearly sixty years after it's
idea was first suggested, was eminently q NOV
able feast liable to occur at any time from
| January to December and in any place
| throughout the colonies, wherever the various
Inhabitants felt gratitude to be a becoming
emotion.
| THANKS IN DETAIL.
Instead, too, of a general expression Of
thanks, Is Is now the custom, they rendered up
thanks in detail-on one occasion it would be
in return for much-needed rain, then for tri-
umph over the Indians and again for the safe
landing Of the English supply ships. One time.
indeed, in July 1921, when rain finally came after
prolonged period Of drought and prayer, they
appointed Thanksgiving Of one week in dura-
| ton.
Were such . peripatetic Thanksgiving to
come in vogue again it would be quito a shock
To Of this Uenara NTH our an "A