Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-10


trated mild sort of
plagiarism the ancients of the earth
when the counted their blessings, and find
ing five grains Of corn to the head, con-
cluded to praise God for his manifold
mercies." There Is something in the sturdy
pluck OF those Puritan pioneers that stirs
the blood and warns the heart each time
we read about them. On that dreary Oc-
tober night, 273 years ago-and only those
who have endured an October night on the
bleak New England coast, with the east
wind driving the rain in sheets over the
shore, can have any conception Of the aw-
ful gloom surrounding 1.-THE handful of pill
grims met to consider the situation -Four
Of the more than five score of US who dis
embarked from the Mayfiower last Decem-
ber," said one Of the men present at the
little house where they met, do not half
now sleep on Coles hill, and once more on
the verge of what we know by dire expert
ence to be bitter new world winter our
crops are Scant-" but he never got any
further. A woman stopped him. woman.
widowed by an Indian arrow, and deprived
of son and then a daughter. sacrifices to
the inclement climate which left her child
less, had it yet left in her hungry heart to
say, Thy will be done, and she said II
out loud. 1t had been suggested that a day
of fasting and penance be proclaimed, as an
expiation for the seeming visitation of
heavenly wrath. But the widowed and
childless woman could not see things in
that light.
Are we not now permitted to worship
Him in spirit and in truth, such as has not
been our privilege for many a day before?
Have we not homes? And though the
harvest be scant. yet have we not faith that
the Lord will maintain His promise and
provide for His own. even He hath al
ready done in guiding US hither? So, in
view of these many graces, day of thanks
n m y a
of penance."
The Famous Pumpkin Pie.
So it was Thanksgiving instead Of a day
of penance that came down to US from the
Puritans, and all because of the CHEEKY OPP
timism of q gentle Christian woman. In
spired by her utterances, Governor Brad
ford arose. and, in the gallant language of
the day, complimented her on her brave
heart, and said that 1t would not do for
them to be shamed by a woman, and the
young men must go out into the forests
that abounded and hunt game and wild tur-
keys to grace the Thank sgiving feast. And
that is how we came to have Thanksgiving
and turkey together. Pumpkin pie is also
one Oh the concorlitants of a well-ordered
Thanksgiving dinner. but concocted In
Puritan kitchens, 1t couldn't have been a
very desirable article of diet.
Listen to this: Take about halle Pound
of Pumpion for the Pye and slice 1t; a
handful of Tyne. little Rosemary, Pars-
ley, and sweet Marjoram slipped off the
Stallkes, and chop them small and beat
them, then mix them and Beat them alto
gether, and put in as much Sugar as You
think fit, then Frye them like froiz. After
it is fryed, let 1t stand til it be cold, then
I'LL your Pye. Take sliced Apples, thinne
rounde-ways, and lay row of the Froiz
and a layer Of Apples, with Currans be-
twixt the layers while your Pye Is fitted and
put In a coed deal Of sweet Butter before
you close it. When the Pye is baked take
sixteen yelks Of Eggs some White Wine or
Vergis, and make a Caudle of this. but not
too Thicke, cut up the Lidd and put 1t in,
stir wei together whilst the Eggs and Pump
ions be hot perceived, and so serve 1t up"
The Puritans had few vegetables, and re-
garded potatoes as bad for the morals.
When one Of the preachers-Jonathan Hub
bard-raised twenty bushels one year they
nearly white-capped him. but on his promis-
ing to never so err again they forgave him
and permitted him to remain. If the tooth
some early rose" was served up now as its
p-ogenitors were In Puritan times one could
more easily understand the present outcry
against eating the tuter. Here Is one of the
n.esses that certainly must have had its eff
feet on the morals of the eater, 1t ought to
incite him to suicide: Take Of Potatoes as
many as do suit your purpose, and Boile
them, when proceed to Blanch. Season,
then, with so much Of nutmeg, Cinnamon,
Pepper, and SALT that have Been previously
mixed with eringo roots. Dates, lemon and
whole Mace pleases your Taste. Cover
with butter and sprinkle with Sugher and
bake til done. Then poCre over 1t some
Grape verjuice and Rosewater that has
been alsoe Sughered"
The First Thanksgiving.
At the first Thanksgiving held under those
depressing circumstances the ninety In
dams of Massasoit's band were invited to
Participate ard 1t seems quite fitting that
the aborigines should have had hand in
the feasting That there was any other
method of returning thanks does not ap
pear In history, and they kept up the
festival for week, the Indians taking hand
In furnishing deer meat and wild turkey.
Two years later, in July, when long con-
tinued drouth had scorched the corn and
burned up the beans, starvation began to
stare them in the face, and the clergy or
dered day of fasting and prayer
Nine hours the elect wrestled even as
Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord,
and their prayers were copiously answered
by the dripping clouds even before they got
away from their house of worship. HI
lariously happy, they Immediately decided
to have another Thanksgiving, and they had
1t right off, in July, thinking that it would
be basest 'ingratitude If they smothered up
their revived feelings" One would almost
as soon think of wearing straw hat at
Christmas as observing Thanksgiving In
this age before the frost Is on the pump
kim" but IN that second new world Thanks
giving was marred by no such scruples.
The Harvest Home.
The festival Of thanks was never regular
ly observed until within the last half a GEN.
tury 1t was q movable feast, celebrated
only on great occasions, and not always
was 1t made the medium of a tribute to
divine Interference in behalf Of the COL
onists. Days Of thanks were set In graft
tude for and observance Of great political
and military events, for victories over the
Indians, for the accessions Of kings. for the
prospect Of royal heirs to the throne, for
the discovery Of conspiracy, for the dis
| sipation Of pirates, for the abatement Of
diseases, for the safe arrival Of persons Of
| special use and quality, as well as In graft
| tude for plentiful harvests. These thanks
giving bees were held in every month Of
| the year during the first century and q
| half Of the country's history. but finally,
because Of the harvest observance of such
| day. 1t came to be held, as a general
| thing, In the fall.
| There are some funny stories told Of those
| early Thanksgivings; at least they seem
| funny now. but at the time they were prob
ably fraught with deadly purpose to those
who were making history. Once, when the
| governor Of one Of the colonies ordered a
| certain day for giving thanks, the denizens
Of Colchester deferred their observance Of
| such day for a whole week. until the ship
| from New York arrived with the belated
provisions that were to help set forth the
Il