Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-12-01
PAST THANKSGIVINGS.
Which Mark Events
in the History of Our
Nation.

Thanksgiving proclamations have come
to be almost routine documents in these
days and yet some of them possess an
interest which will never wholly fade
away, because of the stirring events in
American history which led to their pro-
mitigation. Others are of interest be-
cause Of their oddity. Such a one is that
issued last year by Coy. George w. At
kinSon Of West Virginia. 1t consists of
six lines of proclamation proper. and is
padded out to a portentous length by
the addition of twenty-five texts of Scrip
ture, all bearing upon the subject of Civ
ing thanks. West Nirginians unfamiliar
with the Bible might be led to believe,
by looking upon this array, that their
governor must have read the Scriptures
with great zeal and diligence from his
youth up to be able to call to mind so
many appropriate texts just when he
wanted them; but reference to the useful
pages of concordance will show all the
texts which the governor has quoted
printed thcr" i'll neat column. with
many others convenient to his hand.
Here is one of the governors chosen
texts: Romans xiv. G-"He that regard
eth the day regardcth it unto the Lord,
and he that regardeth not the day to the
Lord he doth not regard ii. He that
eatcth. eateth to the Lord, for he giveth
God thanks
First One of Them All.
Gov. AtkinsOn's idea is all right. how
ever. when one considers that to the Bi-
bic he must go for the first thanksgiving
proclamation of all. Americans cannot
claim originality for this institution, be-
cause the Hebrew people under divine di-
rectlon kept Il feast of thanksgiving with
great rejoicing and religious ceremonies
This was established by Jehovah under
directions given to Moses, as recorded in
Deuteronomy xvi, 13, II and IL:
Thou shalt observe the feast of the taber-
nacleS seven days after that thou has gath
cred in thy corn: and thou shalt rejoice in
thy feast, thou and thy son and thy daugh-
ter ana thy man servant ami thy maid serv-
ant and the Levitc and the stranger and
the fatheress ana the widow that are
within thy gates.
Among Anglo-Saxons in the early
times Thanksgiving day was often
held for some special reason. and observ-
ahce was obligatory. Queen Elizabeth
ISSUED proclamation for the observance
of a day Of thanksgiving which required
special religious 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.
\ national thanksgiving was observed
III England On the defeat of the Spanish
Armada. Oliver Cromwell gave direc-
tiuhS for thanksgiving during his pro-
fectoratc. On the discovery Of the gun
powder plot. in 1908, 4 day of thanks
covery from temporary insanity was eel
ehrated with thanksgiving services
throughout the realm. \ similar ObServ-
ance was held 50 recently as 1872, when
the Prince. of Wales had recovered from
Il severe illness.
That of 1891 Ia, MosSo.I,,.o.,..
stopping the bottles of heaven and re.
Straining the excessive raignS''
First in North America.
The first thanksgiving service held in
North America was observed by religious
ceremonies conducted by priest of the
Church of England named Wolfau i'm
l5IS on :he shores of Newfoundland.
He accompanied the expedition under
froblSher which brought the first Eng
llSh colony to settle on these shores. The
record of the days obseryances are thus
preserved on the ships log:
On Monday morning, May % 1878. on
board the Ayde. we received all the COM
munion by the minister of GraveSend and
prepared as good Christians toward God
and rcsolute men for all fortunes and
toward night departed toward TiIhcrrv
Hope. Here we highly praysed God ana
altogether upon our knees gave him due
humble ana hearty thanks and Master VOL
fall. learned man appointed by her males
~ : couutit t' ne our minister. made unto
US godlye sermon. oxorting all especially to
Ice thankful 10 God Tor His strange and
miraculous deiiyerance in those dangerous
places.
The earliest recorded observance of
similar service within The present terri
tory of the United States was held by
the Popham colony. who settled Mt Sa-
gadahoc. on the coast of Maine. in An
gust, 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 Is
land. the which We called St Georges is
land, where the cross Standeth and thear
we heard sermon delyyred unto us by
our preacher. giving God thanks for our