The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-11-30
THANKSGIVING.

plous custom may be traced back TO
Pilgrim Fathers in the second year of
their landing and occupancy of Ameri
can soil. 1t is religious and social
festival observed annually in the
United States, while on extraordinary
occasions only is such day appointed
other countries.
Its first observance in this country
was soon after the first harvest gather
ed by the Pilgrims or the Plymouth
colony In 1921. 1t was Governor
Bradford who first looked after the
Thanksgiving turkey. This toothsome
bird has filled the all sufficient order
SO far as fowl Is concerned on the
Thanksgiving table from that day to
the present. There would seem to
be something missing and wrong with
a Thanksgiving dinner in New England
without the inevitable turkey and
pumpkin pie. In Governor Bradford's
day it was no trick at all to find wild
turkeys, and accordingly he sent hunt
ers out after them for the first feast;
and being hunters who generally bag
ged their game, they came back with
a lot Of wild turkeys and few hun
dred quail and phcasants they got in
the way Of their fint-lock guns.
But turkey was what they started
out for under orders from the Cover
nor, and history shows they got them
all right and according to order. AS
to how plump and fat they we're his
tory is silent but though there weren't
as many buckwheat fields cleared then
as we have to day the chances are
that If they discovered any sick look
ing birds among them they were left
behind, for the reason that there was
more game and Indians than anything
else in this country at the particular
time referred to.
The feast partaking of social and
religious nature, was no doubt well
ordered from first to last, and hearty
thanks were expressed for temporal
and spiritual blessings bestowed upon
the Pilgrims who knew too we'll what
their past oppression had been, and
also the invigorating influence Of the
air OF religious freedom. The turkey
now too often primary was with the
fathers of secondary importance for
the turkeys were plenty and freedom
was scarce in those days.
The fathers expressed thanks from
time to time, not only for religious
freedom and turkey, but also for rain
sent them after the severe drouth of
1923, and also for supplies of sorely
needed food which they received by
the ship load in 1922. In fact not a
year passed but what they could find
something 10 be thankful for and with
out hunting much either. So, gentle
reader Of the COLUMBIAN, it is with
you and l to-day. Without attempt
ing to enumerate all the blessings we
have received, let us at least try and
be thankful for few of them. And
if turkey is somewhat scarcer than it
used to be in our neighborhood, land
wild turkey entirely out of sight) pork,
beans and buckwheat cakes are still
reserved to us and within easy reach
of the most ungrateful vagabond alive
as we'll as those who are not so much
so.
1t was in 1850 when the first colon
ial proclamation about Thanksgiving
was issued. But commendable as the
custom was, it had its interruptions
like other good things, though it was
recommended annually by Congress
during the revolution.
In 1880 President Washington ap-
pointed a day for Thanksgiving for
the adoption of the Federal Constitu-
ton, and subsequently various days
were now and then recommended for
thanks to the Supreme Being by diff,
ferent Presidents and Governors until
in the third year of the civil war, Mr..
Lincoln President, the regular obser-
vance of a national Thanksgiving day
began. And now the annual procla-
nations of our Presidents are supple.
mented by the State Governors
throughout the nation, and the last
Thursday of November is accordingly
a national holiday which we think it
quite we'll for all to observe in some
way that is expressive of heartfelt
thanks.