The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-12-01
THANKSGIVING DAY.

Two prevalent impressions concerning
the origin of the New England Thanks
giving Day are undoubtedly erroneous.
One of these is the idea that the day was
distinctively New England festival and
of Puritan origin. AS amltterof fact. rs
is shown by Mrs. Alice Morse Earle in
her interesting account of customs and
fashions in old New England, Thanksgiv-
ing Days were an established institution
of the Chur of England long before Il e
Maytiower sailed; and the first Thanks
giving observed on New England shores
was not kept by Pilgrim or Puritan, but
by the Popham ColOnists at Monhegan,
with the service of the Church of Eng
land.
The o,her mistaken impression is that
the early Thanksgiving Day was more
distinctly religious occasion than the
day as we now keep it, and that it is a
part of modern degeneracy that the pres
ent methods of observance are so largely
of social and gustatory kind. But the
first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, which
was kept in December, 1921, was cele-
brated with due regard for the joys of
the palate, and was described in the fol-
lowing enthusiastic manner by Edward
WinslOw, in a letter to an English
friend:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our
governor sent four men on fowling, so
that we might after special manner re-
joice together after we had gathered the
fruits of our labors. They four killed as
much fowl as with little help beside
served the company about week. At
which times among other recreatioDs we
exercised our arms, many of the Indians
n "a
their greatest king. Massasoyt, with
some ninety men, whom for three days
we entertained and feasted, and they
went out and killed five deer, which they
brought and bestowed on our governor
and upon the captain and others"
That certainly presents jovial picture.
and as Governor Bradford is on record
that same autumn as extolIing the num-.
ber of wild turkies" which the colon
lists enjoyed, the connection of that
noble bird with Thanksgiving appears to
be historic. There appear to have been
no religious observance whatever in con-
nection with this first Plymouth Tha ks
giving. For many years the Day was rob.
served irregularly, If at all, ON no fixed
day IN the week, and at no special season
of the year. 1t was simply proclaimed
and kept from time to time as circum-
stances suggested. Ever as far down as
1899, it WAS not recognized as a fixed
holiday, for Ward, writing in that year
of New Englanders, says: ELECTION,
Commencement and Training Days are
their only holy days" 1t was at some
time in the last century thar it became
established rs an annual occasion; COM
memoration of Gods goodness as shown
in the harvests caused it to be fixed in
the autumn; and the fact that Thursday
was Lecture Day" determined its ap-
po ntnent on that day. al
The modern Thanksgiving is pre-emi-
nently a home day. 1t is a day for
family re- unions and the reknittipg of
old ties. 1t ought, also, if the thought
implied in its destination is carried OFT,
to be day of special thankfulness to
God for His mercies. And it is we'll
that its appointment has come to be an
annual feature not only Of New England,
but of the National life, for if it were ap-
pointed only on special occasions to
commemorate some signal tokens of the
Divine Goodness it would not serve the
same purpose that it does now. AS it is
easy to seek divine help in times of great
extremity, so it is natural thing to feel
gratitude in time of special mercy. But
what we need is to be reminded of the
regularly recurring tokens of the Divine
Goodness, and to recognize the common
every day mercies. Especially in times
like the present, which bear heavily upon
many. it is profitable to be reminded
that, in spite of all cares and harass-
ments, life is full of blessings and the
future full of hope.-Boston Sunday
Journal.