The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-11-26

II Was Borrowed From the Dutch But l.
of Hebrew Origin
In an interesting article on Thanks
giving recently published, Mr.. ]. d.
Howell says:
Although the celebration of Thanks
giving in America began with the Pill
grim Fathers i'm New England, the
idea was taken from the Dutch, for
such day was established in Leyden,
Holland. Oct. 8, 1915, the first ami
versary of the deliveranee of that city
from long and terrible siege. In 16Os
the Pilgrim or Puritan church exiled
from England, went to Holland and
remained there till 1920, when it sent
OFF the Mayfiower colony to New Eng
land. During their stay in the land Of
dykes and Dutehmen the exiled Eng
lish dissenters imbibed Ducth ideas,
and embraced many customs OF Hot-
land, the Thanksgiving feast among
the number. Governor Bradford was
the first to Issue the proclamation on
this side of the water, and his success
sors followed his example whenever
circumstances justified the procedure.
Although the Dutch were the first
in Europe to adopt the custom, they
were by no means the originatOrs of
the feast. for it was undoubtedly sug-
gested to Mein Herr Van Stromp by the
Hebrew Feast of Tabernacles, or 1.-The
ingathering at the end of the year."
49, nfrr- ha
root, and the feast became national
holiday when General George Wash
ington recommended TO congress that
a day be set apart each year to give
thanks to God for the triumph of the
Continental Army.
After the revolution the celebration
of the day fell into a state of innocu-
Gus desuetude until 17SS. when Presi-
dent Washington issued special
Thanksgiving proclamation, calling
upon the people to thank God for the
adoption of the federal constitution.
Washington issued the next Thanks
giving proclamation i'm 1875. on account
of the suppression of instruction.
Then we hear no more of the holiday
until April, 1915 when, by request Of
congress, President Madison recon-
mended Thanksgiving for the estab-
Iishment of peace and the victory over
the English in the war Of 1912.
In 1917 the governor OF New YORK
issued q manifesto calling upon the
people to give thanks for Gods bounty
bestowed DUNG the year then clio sing,
and the custom has been maintained
ever since. The DIT sigHa.ion Of the day
as a holiday i'm tie South occurred
much later, for it was not until 1850
that Gov. rnor johnson of Virginia
issued a proclamation. In 1857 Gov
ernor Wise OF Virginia declined to
issue call for thanksgiving, on the
ground that church and state were sep
arate, and that the feast was q reiig-
ious function, solely within the prov
ince of the ecclesiastical authorities.
In 1858 the governors of eight Southern
states united i'm issuing an appeal for
prayers and thanks. and from that
date the observance of Thanksgiving
as holiday became fixture through
out the South. During the civil war
President Lincoln issued p-oclamations
recommending 81 ial Thanksgiving
for victories, in 1852 AID 1883, AMI q
national proc 'anaation Of tie annual
Thanksgiving Dav i'm 1854. Therefore
the railsplitter of Illinois is responsible
for placing Thanksgiving Day i'm the
calendar of permanent, though ma
tional, feasts Since that time such
proclamation has been issued yearly by
the governors OF our states and the
mayors of our principal cities.