St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-26

every intelligent schoolboy can tell, On
Monday, Dec. q, 1920 The first ceie
bration of the Kind in modern times was
in October. 1915, at Levden, where
there was Thanksgiving celebration of
the first anniversary of the city's deiiv-
GRANGE from siege. Forty-siX years later,
in the fall of 1921, Governor Bradford,
after the first harvest of the Plymouth
colony in New England, proclaimed
day of thanksgiving and sent out four
men in search OF game TO enable them
to observe 1t better.
These Puritan fathers. whose suffer
ingS bad impaired to their devotion
certain degree of SternnesS. were very
thankful for a bountiful harvest after
period of sore distress, and looked upon
the first fruits of their toll in their new
home as symbol of blessings TO come.
The four SportSmen came back Stagger-
ing under a burden of turkeys and
Olher wild fowl enough to provision the
colony for a week. The commencement
OF the festival was announced by the
roar of one of the great guns on the
hill top. and the day was Thursday. Oct
"a, rather less than one year after their
arrival in Cape Cod bay.
There was a solemn procession first to
the meeting house, the men marching
three abreast, with the sergeant in CON-
mand and Gov. Bradford following be-
hind, while Elder Brewster, in his
preachers cloak, walked alongside bear
ing the Bible and looking as grave as
the occasion demanded. Miles StaDdlSh,
the warlike military chief, was there,
and clad in the dress of the times would
cut a strange figure if present among us
now. No doubt that THANKSGIVING din
ner was enjoyed keeniy and was the
biggest thing in the Way2of family
party that has occurred since. Most OF
the game was cooked in the open air.
and the thrifty Puritan housewives con-
cocted dishes that were tempting and
ingenious. The dinner was followed by
the singing of psalms aud of favorite
songs that they had often sung around
English firesIdes.
In the midst of their rejoiciDgS an In
dian shout was heard, causing momen-
tary panic. and every man graSped his
weapon, but it was only a hundred
friendly sayages, led by Chief MaSsasoit,
who had come to thank the white man
for assistance rendered and tosShare i'll
the festivities. They brought a contri-
button 20 the feast in the way OF yeRiSon
and while it was being prepared gave
all exhibition of their war dances. eauS-
ing demure Puritan maidens to scream
and their lovers TO look gallant and fear
less as they treasured them. Capt.
StandiSh in turn gave the Indians
start by putting his troops through a
military drill, the Sayages being alarmed
by the rafting of the mnSketry and the
roar of the ordnance. The feast con-
tinued three days amid prayers, psalm
singing, Indian dances and WarwhOops
and roaring artillery, after which the
Indians were escorted a short distance
FROM the settlement by Capt. Standish
and.his troops, who gave them parting
salute.
Days of thanksgiving were officially
appointed in the Massachusetts Bay
colony for several years prior 10 1859.
The New Netherlands Dutch rulers also
set apart regular days of thanksgiving
between the years 1914 and 1865. and 100
years later OH the English governors OF
New York followed their example.
The proclamation of the New Neither
lands council, sitting at Fort Amster-
dam in l645, was as follows:
Whereas. it has pleased Almighty
God in his unbounded~ clemency and
mercy, in addition to many previous
blessings, to suffer US to reach the long
looked-for peace with the Indians,
Therefore, 1t is deemed necessary TO
proclaim the fact to all those of New
England, to the end that i'll all places
in the aforesaid country where Dutch
and English churches are established
God Almighty may be specially thanked,
praised and blessed on next Wednesday
forenoon, being the 9th of September,
the text to be appropriate and the ser
mon to be applicable thereto.
Your reverence will please announce
this matter to the congregation next
Sunday, so that they may have notice.
On which we rely.
Throughout the revolution the an
nuaI observance of Thanksgiving day
was duly recognized by congress. After
peace, however, it was thought to be no
longer necessary till 1889, when the
adoption of the constitution was made a
| national thanksgiving by the appoint
ment of President Washington. Like
rejoicings took place in celebration of
| the suppression of Instruction i'll 1875,
and the restoration OF peace in 1915.
| The first Thursday in November was
recommended as day OF national
| thanksgiving by the prayer book OF the
| Protestant Episcopal church in 1889,
| since when other denominations have
made similar provisions. The governor
of New York seventy years ago ap-
| pointed a regular day, and the other
| Northern states quickly followed, the
Southern states Joining in after the
war.
The staid and chastened rejoicing
with which the honest but austere Pill
! grim fathers observed the day may be
learned from the proclamation III 1861
| OF PetruS StuyveSant, or rather OF the
council of the New Netherlands, in
which he enjoins thanktulness. but for
| bids certain worldly pleasures in the
following words:
"In order that these services may be
observed with the greatest harmony
the director general and council forbid
during the exercises on the said day OF
Thanksgiving all such pleasures as
playing tennis or ball, hunting, fishing,