Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-03-07
THE PROCLAMATION,
WORKING UP SENTIMENTS APPRO-
PIRATE TO THANKSGIVING.


ors-Fina1ly Engrossed on Cream Col
ored, Gilt Edged Paper and Signed.
The connection of that time honored
document, the Thanksgiving proclama-
ton, 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 i'll that line, and its efforts to
say the same thing in different way,
to avoid if possible verbatim copying
of last years letter, is one of the vener-
able jokes of the diplomatic greenroom.
About the first or second week of No
venber, everybody knowing that the
lay 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 ascer-
tains which of Uncle Sans servants is
at the time basking in innocuous desue-
tude and dispatches to the delinquent
by messenger an order to get up a 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
paper different from its predecessors.
The second arrests the divine afflatus
What OH earth can he say that has not
been said?
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 i'll 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 lot of capital
HIS for deitication, which the clerk has
forgotten i'll the throes of composition.
Then an assistant secretary, finding it
reniss il pious fervor, proceeds to in
sert piety with red ink marginal notes.
Thus the word prayer is followed by
Songs of praise, and "tributo of graf
itude" is bracllcted 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 tho ''divine invocator. -
Thus revised the draft proceeds to
some other grand mogul of the diplo-
matte grcenroom, who finds that now
that the Deity has been duly attended
to something supplementary is due the
nation at large. So carrots, i'll blue PEN
Gil, insert ''our prosperity and great
ness" the ''labors of our people, or
"our marts of trade and traffic -
This tricolor draft is now handed
around again and encounters an official
i'll q new VEIN His lunch did not agree
with him. He is in penitent mood.
Selling 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 a few
master strokes i'll purple indelible pot
hooks alluding to the "deadly march of
pestilence," ''atflictive dispensation'
iiItl Jury VI tllo GIGuicillS.
The document now seems to meet tho
requirements. 1t is sent to an engross-
ing clerk. who proceeds to ''fecit secun-
dunn artem," like a drug clerk making
up prescription. There are rules to DO
observed, rules as inviOlable as those
governing the Bank Of England. A GER
tain cream cO}ored gilt edged paper is
used. An deliberately ornamental title
is fiourished half way down the page i'll
old German capital script announcing
"A Proclamation by the President of tho
United States. The original whereas
has met with many vicissitudes during
the travels of the draft.
Restored to its proper dignity, the
chief difficulty roW is to disentanglo the
many colorcd ortions which crawl
like caterpillars al over the sheet. By
standing on his head, squirting on tho
bias or humping his guessing bump to
its utmost the engrossing clerk at last
turns out a highly respectable and dec
orous looking document.
He submits it to the chief clerk.
Meanwhile he waits III nervous sus-
pCiiSC jCnI II DS ittutIlcVl Win u IGtl uSSU
for another copy or be disfignred by the
insertion of more colored caterpillars.
If the engrossed copy is approved, it
is taken to the White House The exec
utive may OF may not read it. It's pref
ty safe to say he does not, but he never
fails to sign it, With the presidents
signature it returns to the state depart
ment.
a Autograph copy is struck off and
sent abroad to our ministers and con-
suls.
The original is filed in the "Book of
Credence, IL sombcr, venerable volume
eXhaling al old time aroma from its
yellow time stained pages, which pre-
serves from the foundation of our glori-
Gus republic the proclamations of all
our executives iii exquisite script, for
the typewriter, that cruel electrocutor
of the epistolary art, has yet to desc
crate the precious flies of the state ar
chives.
Before seeking its mausoloum, howev-
er, typewriter copy of tho Thanks
giving proclamation is given out to the
press, and the millions of readers think
what a very pious, God fearing man is
the president New York World
Economical.