The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-12-02
THANKSGIVING IN LONDON.
THREE HUNDRED AMERICANS AND
FEW ENGLIsHMEN CELE-
DRAFTED THE DAY.
AMBASSADOR HAYS HAPPY TALK
Euiogized the Turkey Highly, and
Agreed That 1t should he substi-
tuted for the Eagle as
National Emblem.

London. Nov. 25.-Three hundred
American men and women and few
English persons celebrated THANKSGIVING
day by dinner at the Hotel Cecil To-
night. The party included John Hay,
the United States ambassador, and his
wife and daughter and Henry White,
secretary of the United States embassy.
The menu. which was specially designed
for the occasion, was Ornamentcd with
American and British flags and over the
seat Oh Inc chairman was an enormous
eagle. The list of toasts was long. The
health of Queen Victoria was proposed
ny the chairman. who read letter lated
Windsor castle from Sir Arthur John
Blgge, private secretary TO her majesty,
saying:
THE queen desires me to beg that the
American ambassador will be so good
as TO convey to the members of the Amer.
lean society in London the expression Of
her mnJesty's sincere thanks for the
beautifully illustrated address Of con-
graduation she received from that body.
! have further to assure your excellency
now deeply the queen was touched by
the sentiments of sympathy with the on
thuslusm of her own subjects on the
slXtieth anniversary of her accession 10
the throne which was contained in This
address from citizens of the United
States"
Hon. Sir John Gare!l Barnes. Justice
of the high court of justice, proposed the
health of Ambassador Hay. dwelling
upon the great fricndliness that he be-
lieved exists between England and the
Urited States. and saying:
IF the two countries will only put
their backs together they can rule The
destinies of the world"
Ambassador Hay responded with n
bright speech. He sketched the origin
of the day, which began, he said "in that
pathetic thank Offering Of our forcfathers
when the were keeping alight the spark
OF freedom which was destined to kindlc
into such n beacon blaze. enlightcning
aud admonishing the world"
Some of our peculiar institutions"
continued Mr.. Hay. thank heaven, we
have lost. The worst passed away in
the tempest of war il caused. but this,
the most unquestionably peculiar Of all,
we can trust will abide with us forever.
This is one of the few things we can
dc that offends nobody, threatens no one
and completes with no one. There can
never be too much gratitude in the world
Seventy millions of voices praising
God together would not justify the hddi-
tor of one iron clad to any navy ON
enltn. Tonight we can hardly be said
to be in a foreign land. a French states.
man said the other day. Where there
is one Frenchman there is France. 30 we
have 300 good reasons here to believe we
arc in America tonight and may be par
doned for speaking of some little things
that we care about"
Mr.. Hay paid an eloquent tribute 10
the unknown. namcless artist who. in
the days of early New England. first
brought to perfection the pumpkin pic.
He endorsed Benjamin Franklin's sug-
gestion that the turkey should be the
national emblem instead Of the eagle.
with aristocratic profile. loud voice and
predatory disposition. the eagA hardly
| conmends himself ns the emblem of mod
est, Industrious and conscientious dem0c-
rncy. while the turkey, like true
nltruist, exists only for the good of others
and perisbcs by. thousands yearly for the
public welfare"
Mr.. Hay, in closing. said:
"The great body of the people Of the
two countries are friends. we are the
fortunate heirs TO English laX and lh-
eriy. which both nations respect"
Lord Strath of Canada. responding 10
"Om Next Door Neighbour" said that
Canada. while loyal to the queen and TO
Great Britain. had the fullest feeling
Of friendship for the United States, and
he was satisfied that If either country
should get into difficulty the other would
help its neighbor."