The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-11-20
THANKSGIVING DAY.
THOUGHTS SUGGESTED BY THE AN
NUAL HARVEST FESTIVAL.

It's Origin and Ancient Manner of Observ-
nce-Its Modern Significance = The
Country Feast-A Tempting Banquet.
The Perfect Form of Giving Thanks.
An annual harvest festival OF Thanks
giving has been by no means peculiar to
this country or even to modern ages In
deed the Hebrews had their harvest festi-
walls, the principal one being the autumn
feast of ingathering (feast of the Taberna-
cles), thanksgiving for the whole produce
of the wine press, of the fruit orchards
and the cornfields. Similarly, too, the
Greeks and Romans had festival seasons in
honor of Demeter, or Ceres, the goddess of
agriculture. All these were sanctioned by
religious rite, games and joyous indulgence
in the pleasures Of the table. So our
Thanksgiving day has a noble descent in
history, and the Puritans Of Massachusetts
not only showed their piety, but their
scholarship, In some of the old sermons still
extant. A discourse of the celebrated DIR.
Cotton Mather on Thanksgiving is Curl
GUS in its learning concerning the proto-
types of the Puritan festival among the
nations of the past 1t shows how well
the fathers knew they had linked them
selves with great historic observance.
However the day has become shorn of
its religious quality in the minds of the
Masses who sacredly enjoy the Thanks
giving turkey, it's connection with worship
is always earnestly enjoined by state and
federal proclamations. 1t Is indeed the
sole religious festival observed in the Unit
ed States by virtue of civil authority. The
annual practice in New England during
colonial times was initiated after awhile
by the Dutch and English governors of
New York, and the continental congress
proclaimed the festival annually during
the great war struggle. 1t remained after
ward, however, u purely state affair till,
in 1868, President Lincoln began the prac-
tice of proclaiming an autumnal Thanks
giving annually.
In the earlier time Thanksgiving day
was the most important Of American fes-
rivals, for Christmas was looked on with
moro or less suspicion by the rigid Puri-
tans. Aside from churchgoing, shooting
with the rife at turkeys was the most wide
spread habit of the dav. This is still prac-
tlced to some extent in the purely rural
communities. Nowadays, however, the
overshadowing feature of the holiday in
the way of amusements is the prevalence
of the great football and other games So
lected for that date. Our universities make
1t tho occasion of their most brilliant ath-
letic contests Out of the cities where the
more important of these friendly battles
would naturally occur local games are ar
ranged which perhaps evoke as much in
terest among the spectators. 1t is curious
to observe that among all the strong and
servile nations this tendency to connect
national festivals with athletic contests
has been all but universal. Among the
Americans, Englishmen and Germans of
today, the cognate branches of the Teuton
family, this is specially noticeable.
The religious exercises of Thanksgiving
nearly always look in some way toward
matters of national gratitude rather than
those of individual thanks. So we expect
the church addresses to be largely of po-
litical character, dealing with topics of
public morals Our ministers naturally
avail themselves of this escape valve to dis
charge views of political questions once q
year, and many good stump speech, as
well as some poor ones, have been thus shot
from the battery of the pulpit. Not few
of the most powerful and eloquent adj
dresses of Henry Ward Beecher, Rev. DR..
Storrs, DIR. Hall, DR.. +. III. Chaplin and
other preaching celebrities have owed
themselves to this occasion. A sermon de-
livered by the Rev. DIR. Palmer of New Or
leans on Thanksgiving day, 1860, is said
to have aroused and crystallized secession
sentiment scarcely less than Mirabeaus
oratory did the revolutionary sentiment at
the convocation of the French states gen.
eral in 1889. So, while most of the Thanks
giving pulpit talking may lack pith and
fire, 1t sometimes becomes a projectile of
monstrous force and effect.
But, after all is said, one must confess
that the true modern significance of
Thanksgiving is that of the feast day-the
family feast day. 1t gathers the scattered
branches together from far and wide to
sacrifice at the altar of family love, where
are enshrined the Lares and Penates of
the old home. There is something of this
feeling, too, at Christmas, but it chiefly
touches the individuals of each family
branch. Thanksgiving seeks the gather
ing of the clan and becomes in many cases
perhaps the most beautiful and delightful
occasion Of the year, full of the purest joy
and sweetness, q veritable fountain of re-
freshment. The spectacle of three or four
generations of a family assembled together
from distant dwelling places under the
the hearts truest poetry. The significance
Is not that 1t surfeits the belly with tooth
some and succulent dainties, but that 1t
fills the soul brimful Of love and SYM
pathy, effervescing anew after long alb
sence This is the truest religious sacrifice
of the day, and so the dinner table be-
comes perhaps the most oonsecrated shrine
Of all, though no blood Of the grape Is
poured out in libation there.
1t Is In the country that the finest joys
of Thanksgiving are found. They go with
turkey and pumpkin pie, not with terrapin
and canvasback; with sparkling apple
juice, not with champagne. The crisp,
pure air, the association Of rural life re-
vived again with exhilarating freshness,
the warming of family ties the homely,
appetizing dishes, into whose concocting
the cook has poured the purest love and
joy Of the heart as well as fragrant spices
and sweets, make up something which no
banquet Of Lucullus could equal. Many q
worldworn spirit has found in such an oc-
casion u new sense flaming out of the ashes
of ennui and WEAKNESS, that, after all, life
Is well worth living And so may 1t be
always.
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