The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-30


tabernacles seven days after thai thou has,
gathered in thy corn and thou shalt re-
Jolce III thy feast, thou and thy son and
thy daughter and thy man servant and
thy maid servant and the Levite and the
stranger and the fatherless and the widow
that are within thy gates"
Among Anglo-Saxons in the early times
a Thanksgiving day was often held for
some special reason, and observance was
obligatory. Queen Elizabeth issued proc
lamation for the observance of a day OF
thanksgiving which required special reli-
gious observances, saying:
ON Thanksgiving day no servile labor
may be performed, and thanks should be
offered for the increase and abundance
Of His fruits upon the face of the. earth"
A national thanksgiving was observed in
England on the defeat of th1 Spanish ar
mada. Oliver Cromwell gave directions
for Thanksgiving days during his protec-
torate. On the discovery of the "gunpow-
der plot" in 1908, day of thanksgiving
was observed. George Ills recovery from
temporary insanity was celebrated with
thanksgiving services throughout the
realm. similar observance was held so
recently as 1872, when the Prince of Wales
had recovered from a severe illness
That of 1861 in Massachusetts, was for
stopping the bottles of heaven" and re-
stralnlng the excessive rajgns.''
NiESN III NOrIn America
The first thanksgiving service held in
North America was observed by religious
ceremonies conducted by priest of the
Church of England, named Wolfau in
loiS, on the shores of Newfoundland He
accompanied the expedition under Fro
bisher, which brought the first English
colony TO settle on these shores The re-
cord of the days observances is thus pre-
served on the ships log:
On, AToy1 arrr
board the Ayde, we received all the com
munion by the minister of Gravesend and
prepared as good Christians toward God
and resolute men for all fortunes and to-
ward night we departed toward Tilberrv
Hope Here we highly prayed God and
altogether upon our knees gave Him due
humble and hearty thanks, and Master
Wolfall, learned man appointed bv her
MaJesty's council to be our minister, made
unto us Godlye sermon exorting all
especially to be thankful to God for His
strange and miraculous deliverance in
those dangerous places"
me earliest recorded observance of q
similar service within the present territory
of the United States was held bv the pom
ham 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
morninge the most part of our hole COM
pany of both our ships landed on this
island, the which we called st. Georges
Island where the cross standeth ana thear
we heard a sermon delyvred unto us nv
our preacher, giving God thanks for our
happy meetinge and safe aryval into the
country and so returned aboard again."
First by Governor.
But these were mere THANKSGIVING eerv-
ices. The real origin Of Thanksgiving as a
day specially set apart for prayer and re-
Jolcing Is attributed to Gov. Bradford. the
first Governor of Massachusetts colony
who, in gratitude for the bountifli harry
est of 1921, gave direction for the observ-
ance of day Of thanksgiving to be held
on Dec. 81 of that year.
Here are Gov. Bradford's words to
show what they had to be grateful for:
They BECAME now to gather in We small
harvest they had and to fitte up their
houses and dwellings against winter, be-
ing all we'll recovered in health and
strength, and had all things in good plen-
ty; for as some were thus employed in af-
fairs abroad, others were exercised in
fishing about codd and bass and other
fish, of which We took good store, of which
every family had their portion All We
same, there was no waste. And now be-
gan to come in store of foule, as winter
approached, of which this place did abound
when they came first (but afterward de-
foule there was great store of wild Tur-
lSes, of which they took many, besides
venison, etc. Besides, they had about a
peck of meal weeSe to a person, or now
since harvest, Indian corn to we proper
ton"
George WashinGton's First.
During the Revolution Thanksgiving be-
came national, Congress annually recon-
mending a day to be set apart for this pur-
bnt aff ha lxco III u ~
for peace in 1884 the custom was omitted
until the adoption Of the Federal Consti-
Nation In 1889, when President Washing
ton appointed Thursday, Nov. 26, for a
national observance. This was given at
New York on Oct. 3, and may be taken as
the pioneer of Presidential Thanksgiving
proclamations. Here is an extract from
1t;
Whereas, 1t is the duty of all nations
to acknowledge the providence of AL
mighty God, to obey His WILL to be CRATE
full for His benefits and humbly to implore
His protection and favor Now,
therefore I do recommend and assign
Thursday, the 18th day of November next.
to he devoted by the people of these states
to the service Of that great and glorious
Being, who Is the Benehcent Author of
all the good that was that is, or that will
be- that we may then all unite in render
ing to Him our sincere and humble
tndnkS Ills KIM care anu pTOteCtlOn
Of the people of this country previous to
their becoming a nation, for the signal and
manifold mereies and the favorable inter-
position of His providence in the course
and conclusion of the late war, for the
great degree Of tranquility, union aud
plenty which we have since enjoyed, for
the peaceable and rational manner in
which we have been enabled to establish
constitutions of government for our safety
and happiness, and particularly the ma
tional one now lately instituted; for the
civil and religious liberty with which we
are blessed and the means we have of ac-
curing and diffusing useful knowledge;
and in general for all the great and vari-
Gus favors which He has been pleased to
confer upon us"
First i'm the south.
BY this time the festival had attained
official recognition throughout New Eng
land and the Governors of the different
states sent out their proclamations regu-
larry. The West, being largely settled
from the East, readily fell into line, but
| Thanksgiving day did not obtain official
In