The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-11-19

ton fairly over, we can even now see the
grim features of the elders relax into win
try smiles as they zealously pay the defer
red debt owing to the inner man.
The founders of the American Thanks
giving seemed to have had spite against
Christmas. 1t smacked rankly of popery,
and, what was even more monstrous to the
settlers of Massachusetts bay, of that Eng
lish prelacy the prosecutions of which had
been the motive of their own departure to
a new world. So down to the Revolution
airy war, indeed the Christmas festival,
with all its glorious traditions, had but
little foothold in New England, while
Thanksgiving was scarcely recognized out
of its limits. With the formation of the
new republic and the closer intimacy of
the peoples of the states thus federated,
their tastes and customs, once narrow and
exclusive, began to blend. Christmas be-
came as much an institution among the
descendants of the Puritan settlers at last
as in New York or New Orleans, and
Thanksgiving mounted the hippogriff and
scurried to every section of the land where
yellow pumpkins shone in the cornfelds
and fat turkeys gobbled in the woods and
barnyards. Long prior to Mr.. Lincoln's
setting the precedent of a proclamation of
an autumnal Thanksgiving from the
White House itself, the separate states had
fallen into the habit of celebrating the
same day in common. So that it had be-
come the peculiar national festival before
the great war president recommended to
the country at large to thank God for the
fruits Of that terrible harvest which had
been won not with pillow and hoe and
sickle, but with cannon and rifle and saber.
on the same day which had been conse-
Grated to the more peaceful conquests of
the teeming earth.
The fact that Thanksgiving day even In
New England becomes increasingly less
and less Of the religious institution, which
is to be expressed in religious rite and
church service, is significant. Clergymen
commonly speak to sparsely peopled pews
on that day and the giving of thanks takes
form best expressed in the homely saw.
"The proof of the pudding is in the eating
Of It," Religion once taught that austeri-
ty and self sacrifice, even in the way of in
nocent pleasure, unlocked the gates of par
adise. 1t permits us now to believe That
love and kindness and hearty enjoyment
Of the goods bestowed by the Almighty
Benefactor in moderation are fully as close
to the golden keys. The essential flavor
of our modern Thanksgiving goes far be-
yOnu Une turkey sUulHnS, because there
may be question there as to truffies or
oysters or Spanish chestnuts, but as to it's
being the day picked of all others for the
festival Of the family group in the larger
sense, just as Christmas is the festival of
the family In the special and narrow sense,
there can be no question. This is the So
cial gist Of 1t. This, too, makes the day
to the majority of Americans, who break
up and disintegrate in their family CO.
hesion more than any people in the world,
peculiarly touching and sacred. 1t tends
to renew the delights of family ties and
knit afresh half parted strands of kin
ship. This has been the evolution of
Thanksgiving day, and 1t makes it par ex-
cellence an occasion to be cherished,
while certainly for this year i'm special If
we choose to return to the primitive
thought of its institution, we have mag
nificent reason for returning thanks
Bounty of crops, high prices, rowling
business and the boom of hope should give
the finest possible smack to turkey and
pumpkin pie. G. Il. FERRIS