New-York tribune., 1899-11-26
FAMOUS THANKSGIVINGS.
PRoCLAMATIONS WHICH MARK EVENTS
IN OUR HISTORY.

FIRST ONE IN THIS coUNTRy-FIRsT ONE
BY A GovERNoR-FIRsT ONE BY
PREsIDENT-FIRsT ONE
IN THIS STATE.
THANKSGIVING proclamations have come TO oe
almost routine documents in these days, ana YET
some Of them possess an interest whlch VIII
never wholly fade away, because OF the stnrlhe
events In American history which leo 10 theil
PRONUNCIATION. Others are of interest because VI
their oddity Such q one is that issueo 'ae
month by Governor George w. Atkinson oi
yyest Virginia II consists of six lines Of procla-
nation proper and is padded out TO por'eh-
tous length by the addition of twenty-five texts
of Scripture all bearing upon the suo)ec' Oh
giving thanks West Virginians unfamihar
with the Bible might be led TO believe. by look
ing upon this array. that their Governor must
have read the Scriptures with great zeai anu
diligence from his youth UP to be able 10 can W
mind so many appropriate texts just when "e
wanted them: but reference TO the uselui paeeS
of a concordance will show all the texts "hion
tho Governor he's quoted printed there In neat
column. with many others. convenient 10 "''
hand.
Here is one Of the Governors CHOSEN 'eA'''
Romans xiv. 6-''Fie that regardeth the DAY re-
TX
not the day TO the Lord he doth not regard IT.
,1o that eateth. eateth to the Lord. for he gveth
God thanks"
FIRST ONE OF THEM ALL.
Governor Atkinson's idea is ell right. however
when one considers that TO the Bible ne must eo
for the first thanksgiving proclamation Oh all
Ar,ar,cans cannot claim originality for this In
st,,ution. because the Hebrew people under
divine direction kept a feast OF thanksgiving
with great rejoicing and religious ceremonies
This was established by Jehovah under direc-
tions given TO Moses. as recorded In Deuteron-
omy xvi 49, IA and Is:
Thou shalt observe the feast Of the ta6ernae,es ,
ana thou Shalt rejoice in thy feast thou and
Inv son and thy daughter and thy man seIVahe an
Stranger and the fatherless and the widow that are
within thy gates
Among Anglo-SaxOns in the early times
Thanksgiving Day often held for some
special reason. and observance was obligatory.
Queen Elizabeth issued proclamation for the
observance of a day Of thanksgiving which re-
ouired special religious observances, saying:
On Thanksgiving Day seryle labor may ma be be per- 1
crease and abundance Of His fruits upon 'he lace
OF the earth.
A national Thanksgiving was observed In Eng
land on the defeat OF the Spanish Armada. Oll-
80. Cromwell gave directions for Thanksgiving
days during his protectorate. On the discovery
Of the "gunpowder plot" in 1903. day OF
thanksgiving was observed. George ITS recoV-
erv from temporary insanity was celeprateo
with Thanksgiving services throughout the
realm. A similar observance was held so re-
Gently as 1872. when the Prince OF Wales had
recovered from severe Illness
That OF 1861 in Massachusetts was for stop
ming the bottles Of heaven" and restraining the
excessive rajgns
FIRST IN NORTH AMERICA.
The first thanksgiving service held In North
America was observed by religious ceremonies
conducted by priest OF the Church or Englahu
named Wolfan in 1873 on the shores or New
>oundland He accompanied the expedition un-
der Frobsher which brought the first Enghsh
colony 10 settle on these shores The record OF
The davis observances are thus preserved on the
ships log:
On Monday morning May 81 1913. on board the
Ayde we received all the communion Dy Ihe Ctr,s hI
tians toward God and resolute men ior az ,r ITI
tunes and toward night we Gepar5ea oWa9 oS and
altogether upon our knees gave MN que hiarned
and hearty thanks and Master Woa "a be o1r
minister unto us godlye sermon f %
especially TO be thanBful 10 lOI MS otiuios
and miraculous deverance In those dangerous
places
The earliest recorded observance OF similar
service within the present territory or the
United States was held by the Popham Colony
who settled at Sagadahoc. on the coast OF
Maine. In August. 1907. The quaint record
SAYS:
Sundaye being the 9th OF August in the mornlnge
the most part OF hole company of both our
ships lended on this island the which we called 81
Georges Island. where the cross standeth ana
thear we heard a sermon delyvred unto us by our
preacher giving God thanks for our happy meet
inge and safe aryvall into the country and so re-
turned aboard again.
FIRST BY GOVERNOR.