Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-11-19
THANKSGIVING DAY.
Thoughts Suggested by. the Annual
Harvest Festival.

7 AAseAAhNcsAf nus itEn " uO 1llGdHS
peculiar to this country or even to
modern ages. Indeed the Hebrews
had their harvest festivals. the princi-
pal one being the autumn feast of in
gathering feast Of the taberfaacles) a
thanksgiving for the whole produce Of
the wine press, of the fruit orchards
and the cornfields, Similarly, too. the
Greeks and Romans had festival sea-
sons 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 Thanks
giving day has a noble descent in his
tory, and the Puritans of Massaehli-
sets not only showed their piety. but
their scholarship, in some of the old
sermons still extant. A discourse of
the celebrated Dr. Cotton Mather on,
Thanksgiving is curious in its learn
ing concerning the prototypes 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.
1SNtNCA luS udy HIS DSCUIue SuOlD
OF its religious quality in the minds OF
the masses, who sacreGly enjoy the
Thanksgiving turkey, it's connection
with worship is always earnestly EN-
joined by state and federal proclama-
tons. 1t is indeed the sole religious
festival observed in the United States
by virtue of civil authority. The an
nit
colonial times was initiated after
awhile by the Dutch and English gov
elnors of New York, and the ccati-
mental congress proclaimed the festi-
val annually during the great war
struggle. 1t remained afterward,
however, a purely state affair till, in
1868, President Lincoln began the prac-
tice Of 2rcclaiming an autumnal
Thanksgiving annually.
In the earlier time Tl,anksgiying
Gay was the most important of Amer
lean festivals, for Christmas was
locked on with more or less suspicion
ly the rigid Puritans. Aside from
churchgoing shooting with the rifle at
turkeys was the mos widespread habit
of the day. This is still practiced to
, some extent in the purely rural COM
nunities. Nowadays, however, the
oyershadowlng feature of the holiday
, in the way OF amusements is the prev
J alence OF the great football and other
games selected for that date. Our uni
yersities make it the occasion Of their
i most brilliant athletic contests. Out
, IF
of these friendly battles would natur-
. ally occur local games are arranged
: which perhaps evoke as much interest
J among the spectators. 1t is curious
to observe that among all the strong
and servle nations this tendency to
connect national festivals with athletic
; contests has been all but universal
Among the Americans, Englishmen
, and Germans of today, the eognate
branches of the Teuton family, this is
specially noticeable.
The religious exercises OF Thanks
giving nearly always look i'm some way
toward matters of national gratitude
rather than those of individual thanks
So we expect the church addresses to
bN A1l 5SAg VI a l'OllIiNAil NudA dNLtl >
dealing with topics of public morals.
Our ministers naturally avail them
selves Of this escape valve to dis
charge views of political questions
once year, and many a good stump
speech, as we'll as some poor ones,
have been thus shot from the battery
of the pulpit. Not a few of the most
! ft1l oil ~
Henry Ward Beecher, Rev DR.. StorTs,
DR.. Hall, Dr. E. II. Chaplin and other
preaching celebrities have owed them
selves to this occasion. A sermon de-
liyered by the Rev. DR.. Palmer of
New Orleans ON Thanksgiving day,
49,, is said to have aroused and
erystallized secession sentiment
scarcely less than Mirabeau's oratory
did the revolutionary sentiment at the
eonvocation of the French states gem
eral in 1888. So, while most of the
Thanksgiving pulpit talking may lack
pith and fire, it sometimes becomes q
projectile of monstrous force and eff
feet.
But, after all is said, one must con-
fess 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 erlshrined
the Lares and Penates Of the old home
There is something Of this feeling, too.
at Christmas but 1t chiefly touches
the individuals of each family branch
Thanksgiving seeks the gathering OF
the clan and becomes in many cases
perhaps the most beautiful and delight
full occasion of the year, full OF the
purest JOY and sweetness, yeritable
fountain Of refreshment. The spec
tacle Of three or four generations Of
family assembled together from dis
tant dwelling places under the ancient
family rooftree is charged with the
hearts truest poetry. The significance
Ii not that 1t surfeits the belly with
toothsome and succulent dainties, but
tta4 en- 4bn eg,,,1 ~ lfkyn