The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-21

the Puritan colonists of Massachusetts
proclaimed and duly observed a pub
lie thanksgiving, they probably had
little idea of the Importance which that
festival was destined to obtain in the
history of America.
The first Thanksgiving differed very
materially from it's successors, in that
it was proclaimed as a fast and not as
feast. Supplies had run short, the
ships expected from England were de
layed, and extinction threatened the
governor and company Of Massachu-
sets bay in New England" Winthrop
and his counsel decided to hold day
of prayer ard abstinence, so that We
Lorde be propitiated and locke upon
his servants with favor, in that they
have tumbled themselves before him.
Accordingly a crier was sent about the
primitive settlement of CharlestoWn.
and the colonists were each and all in
vited to take part in the fast Their
sacrifice met with speedy reward.
Scarcely had the noon hour of the
allotted day arrived when the long
hoped-for ship made its welcome ap-
pearance in Massachusetts bay, the
cargo was landed and the fast was sue
ceeded by a banquet of a, sort which
must have seemed sumptuous indeed to
the exiles so recently plunged in hun
ger and hardship. On the threshold of
dreaded winter Winthrop and his fol-
lowers found what had been a pros
pect of fear and peril changed into one
of happiness and hope. Such was
Americas first Thanksgiving, as cele-
brated $50 years ago. Thereafter each
succeeding November was marked in
the annals of the colony by a similar
| festival of gratitude.
WITH THE EARLY DUTCH.
But Thanksgiving in the early days
of our history was not confined to the
New England pioneers alone. Just 10
years after Winthrop's proclamation,
j. e., in 1915, Governor Kieft of the
Dutch colony, then known as Nieuw
Amsterdam, but now as New York, or
dered the observance of a day of re-
joicing and thanks, for the rest and
peace which God had been pleased to
bestow upon his servants" Thus we
see that the feast of Thanksgiving is
not, as generally supposed, peculiarly
/ Puritan institution, but is equally de-
rived from the stalWart burghers of
Manhattan island.
The next notable Thanksgiving day
! in history fell in 1853. On that date the
British and colonial army, numbering
/ so eco men, and commanded by General
| Forbes. attacked and captured from
. the French, after g fierce struggle, Fort
/ Duquesne, at the junction Of the Allie
I gheny and Monongahela rivers. The
name of the place was changed to Fort
! Pitt. and was the nucleus of the city
/ of Pittsbrg. Thus in a special sense
/ the history of the great capital of the
coal and iron Industries is connected
with the celebration of Thanksgiving
day.
! At the same time as the British were
conqUering Fort Duquesne, Whitefield,
the famous Methodist preacher, CT cd
upon all his adherents in London to
/ join a service of praise and thanks
! giving for the victories of III M r
arms on land and sea" This British
Thanksgiving was, we are told, wild ly
observed, and awakened intense en-
thusiasm, not only among the Metho-
dists, but throughout all the different
sects. Whitefield's idea was afterWard
on several occasions revived in Eng
land. For instance in 1914 the govern
ment proclaimed q, general IN "
{ ing for the victory of Waterloo Again,
two years later, in 1916. proclamation
was made of popular thanksEviDg
for the restoration of peace. After the
/ Crimean war third jubilation Of this
nature took place.
THE FAST BECAME a FEAST.
But meanwhile, in New England,
what had been begun as an occasional
day of pious rejoicing, had assumed
the proportions of a fixed national
holiday. In Massa chusetts and New
/ Hampshire it was especially popular
There was at first great latitude in re-
gard to the day selected for the feast
/ Governors proclaimed the chosen date
arbitrarily, and no effort was made
In lreen1 ami I-a1-S Of XNiT1thrOr1 :
proclamation. Sometimes Thanksgiv-
ing occurred in July, sometimes in
midwinter. At length, through the eff
forts OF the president and professors Of
Harvard college, it was practically
, fixed upon the last Thursday in
| November.
A CURIOUS CONDITION.
The college faculty were moved tc
interest themselves in the question by
the fact that the uncertainty regard
ing the dale caused considerable dis
order among their pupils. Boys from
different states celebrated on different
days, many OF them returning home tc
eat the Thanksgiving meal under theil
own rooftrees. This very undesirable
state of affairs could only be put a
stop to, said the grave Harvard dons
by the formal establishment of a uni
form date for the feast. The last
| Thursday Of the 18th month suited the
collegers, and, influence being brought
to bear upon the colonial governors OF
New England, proclamaGons were is
sued making that day the regular
Thanksgiving.
IN THE SOUTH.
In the south Thanksgiving, as ar
annual festival, remained practically
unknown until, in 1853, the curiou:
Virginian controversy on the subiec
was precipitated. This controversy
which is not generally known, de
serves a brief notice. The governor o
Virginia at the time was one Johns
a patriotic and broad-minded gentle
man, who had always entertained {
reverence for the Puritan anniversary
which was by no means common be
low Mason and Dixon line. Governo,
Johns. in a letter to the state legisla
ture, urgently recommended the recog
milton of Thanksgiving in Virginia
and offered, in case his recommends
ton proved satisfactory, to at once is
sue a proclamation.
But the legislature of Washington
state did not look upon the New Eng
land holiday with favor. Governo
Johns was advised not to make tn
Thanksgiving proclamation; and, a
} he did not do SO, the matter was al