Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-01-31
THE PROCLAMATION.
WORKING UP SENTIMENTS APPRo-
PIRATE TO THANKSGIVING.


F1sks Up Additions In Inks of All Col
Srs-FinaIly Engrossed on Cream Col
ored. ont Edged Paper and signed.
The conooction of that time hoRored
document the Thanksgiving proclama-
tion, which sails forth annually as the
impromptu expression Of the national
executives religious gratitude, is the
terror Of the state department Every
year it is called upon to produce some
thing new in that line, and its efforts to
ray the same thing in different way,
to avoid II possible verbatim copying
Of last years letter, is one of the vsner-
able jokes Of the diplomatic greenroom.
About the first or second week of No
vember, everybody knowing that the
day falls on the last Thursday of that
month, the chief clerk or some assist
ant secretary suggests that it is time to
think about the proclamation.
The chief clerk accordingly runs
down the list Of drafting clerks, asoer-
tains which Of Uncle Sans servants is
ut the time basking in innocuous desue-
tude and dispatches to the delinquent
by messenger an order to get up draft
for the proclamation.
This rouses the clerk from his lethar-
gy. He rises to the situation with alac-
rity. His first inspiration is to turn out
a paper different from its predecessors.
Tho second arrests the divine af1atus.
What ON earth can he say that has not
been saidi
He writes the word whereas" and
pauses. In despair, at length, he turns
for help to the classics-that is, he con-
suits what Van Buren, Tyler and Fill
more have said in past years and makes
that groundwork for draft. This
embryo proclamation is then sent,
through the chief clerk, to the assistant
secretaries.
The first touch up the document re-
ceives is the insertion of a lot of capital
HIS for deification, which the clerk has
forgotten in the throes of composition.
Then an assistant secretary, finding it
remiss in pious fervor, proceeds to in
sert piety with red ink marginal notes
Thus the word prayer is followed by
"songs Of praise" and tribute of graf
itude" is bracketed after worship. So
long, so faithfully has this servant Of
the people discharged this self appoint
ed task that he is known in Office par
lance as the "divine invocator. "
Thus revised the draft proceeds to
some other grand mogul of the diplo-
matic greenroom, who finds that now
that the Deity has been duly attended
to something complimentary is due the
nation at large. So carets, in blue PEN
Gil, insert "our prosperity and great
ness," the ''labors of our people" OF
sour marts of trade and traffic.
This tricolor draft is now handed
around again and encounters an official
in new vein. His lunch did not agree
with him. He is in penitent mood.
Seizing a pencil, he adds "that we have
not been visited with swift punishment
for our shortcomings
Another handles the document and
finds that it is too general, fails to iden'
tify the year, so he brings in few
master strokes in purple indelible pot
hooks alluding to tho ''deadly march oi
pestilence," "af1ictive dispensation'
and ''fury of the elements. +"
The document now seems to meet the
requirements. 1t is sent to an engross-
ing clerk, who proceeds to ''fecit secun.
dunn artem," like drug clerk making
up prescription. There are rules to be
observed, rules as inviolable as those
governing the Bank of England. A GER
tain cream colored gilt edged paper is
used. An elaborately ornamental title
is flourished half way down the page il
old German capital script announcing
"a Proclamation by the President of the
United States" The original wherea:
has met with many vicissitudes during
the travels of the draft.
Restored to its proper dignity, the
chief difficulty now is to disentangle the
many colored insertions which craw
like caterpillars all over the sheet. By
standing on his head, squirting on the
bias or humping his guessing bump t.
its utmost the engrossing clerk at las
turns out highly respectable and dec
orous looking document.
He submits it to the chief clerk
Meanwhile he waits in nervous sus
pense lest it be returned with reques
for another copy or be disfgured by thu
insertion of more colored caterpillars.
If the engrossed copy is approved, j
is taken to the White House. The exec
utive may or may not read it. It's pret
ty safe to say he does not, but he neve
fails to sign it. With the president
signature it returns to the state depart
ment.
A lithograph copy is struck off ant
sent abroad to our ministers and con
suls.
The original is fled in the "Book Q
Credence," somber, venerable volum
exhaling an old time aroma from it
yellow time stained. pages, which pre-
serves from the foundation of our glori
GUS republic the proclamations Of al
our executives in exquisite script, fo
the typewriter, that cruel electrocuto
of the epistolary art, has yet to desc
crate the precious flies Of the state al
chives.
Before seeking its mausoleum, howey
er, typewritten copy Of the Thanks
giving proclamation is given out to th
press, and the millions of readers thin
: what a very pious, God fearing man
the president. New York World.
3 Economical.
r The Boston Transcript has heard {