The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1898-12-02
EVOLUTION OF HOLIDAYS.

different parts of the country to the
Fourth of July, Thanksgiving day
and Christmas is an interesting sub
ject in social and political evolution.
II is apparent that the celebration of
Thanksgiving day this year was more
general than it ever was before in all
the country's history. 1t was OBJ
served in the South as we'll as the
North, in the West as we'll as the
East. In the beginning, of course,
this was an exclusively New Eng
land festival. For many years. IN
deed, after Gov. Bradford's time, it
was confined to Massachusetts. Then
the observance began to extend over
the rest of the New England colonies,
and even the Dutch governors. of
New Netherland occasionally took
notice of the day. Gradually it ex-
tended to the middle colonies, but it
gained no foothold in the Southern
states until about the close of the
second half of this century, and even
then it was observed IL only few of
those states, and not in a general or
hearty way in any of them. Ever
since 1889, in the first century of the
government, when Washington rec
commended day of thanksgiving for
the adoption of the constitution,
presidents have from time to time
urged the observance of the day, and
ever since Llncoln's proclamation of
1868 the presidential recommends
tion has been made annually, sup
Plemented by proclamations by some
of the governors of the states, as now.
Only in recent years, however, has it
been recognized in all of the states,
and not until 1898 was it observed in
all of them in any general or ardent
way.
AS social festival there was also
an element of sectionalism about
Christmas for many years in the
United States. The observance of
Christmas was comparatively un-
known in New England outside of
the Catholic and Episcopal churches
until comparatively recent time.
Christmas was as slow in getting
recognition in the New England
states as Thanksgiving was in the
South. The opposition to it in New
England was stronger than was that
to Thanksgiving day in sthe South,
for 1t had to overcome deep.seated
and persistent Puritan prejudice. 1t
triumphed eventually, however, as
the Fourth of July has done in the
South in the past few years. The
observance of Independence day was
never quite so general in the South
as 1T was in the North, and FOR a good
many years after the war of secession
the day virtually passed out of recog-
milton in the Southern states. The
reason for this was the same as was
that for the non recognition of
Thanksgiving in the Cos aud 70s in
the old confederate states. Each,
for the time, assumed the aspect of a
purely Northern holiday. The OBJ
servance of each, particularly that of
the Fourth of July, was general in
the Northern states; and consequent
1y neither commended Itself to the
majority of the people below Mason
and Dixon's line. But the fact that
the South had as great share as the
North in the events which placed
July 4th out of the roll of common
days gradually regaincd 1t recogni-
tion in the former section, though not
until 1898 was it's observance in that
locality spontaneous and extended.
The extension in the observance of
these holidays is an expression of the
growth of the United States in politI
cal and social unity. At the present
day for the first time in all its history
II