Free press., 1901-11-30

The annual festival Of Thanksgiving
Day has such tender and beautiful as
sociations in the entire history of our
republic that it is not likely to lose
it's strong hold upon our affections,
nor to wear cut the welcome which
the successive generations of our fore
fathers have given it. The roots OF
this Thanksgiving custom are sunk
so deeply in the home life Of every
large section of the country that its
vitality is almost inexhaustible. In
the eastern states we find the earliest
record of an American Thanksgiving
Day. In the autumn of 1921 the good
governor, William Bradfofd, pro
claimed a day Of special Thanksgiving
to God for the crown of g5odn5ss He
had placed upon tAat first year of the
white mans life in the nsw world
Though these pioneers had laid many
of their comrades to rest on the bar
rem hill near by, they were nSt soured.
nor refused to recognize the wisdom
and goodness of God. In the following
year, after abundant haTYests, another
day of rejoicing and gratitude was
set apart. In fact, this festival con-
tinued three days, and among them
Massasoit, chief of the friendly tribe,
and his council of braves, were pres
ent by special invitation, making
merry and glad. The first public Off
cial Thanksgiving day did not come,
however, until the year 1881. 1t had
been proclaimed as a day Of fasting
and prayer for relief" because the
colonists were in sore distress; the
perils of famine were imminent; a
vessel laden with provisions for them.
and long at sea had not reached the
port. But just befo the appO -ntei
day arrived the ship land ed safe and
sound with plenty; so by ofic al au-
thority the nature of the services on
that day were charged from sorrow
and fasting to feasting and thanks
giving. This seems to have been the
first great Thank giving day with
the American people. Occasionally
afterward days of special gratitude
were observed more or less generally,
but in 1914 Governor Kieft, of New
Netherland colony, officially proclaim
ed "a day of general thanksgiving for
their then recent victory over the In
dians; and again, at the conclusion of
peace, the following year another
Thanksgiving day was proclaimed. The
Continental Congress set apart num-
ber of Thanksgiving days at various
times for special purposes, among
them July 20, 1775; May II and De-
cember IL, 1875; April %, 1778; May 6.
1879; April 6, 1880; May 8, 1871, and
April %, 1882. The congress suggest
ed these days to the governors OF the
several states, who usually issued
proclamation setting forth the special
reason for gratitude and calling upon
the people to render thanks to God.
Besides these DAYS General Washing
ton issued orders to the Colonial army
directing that December 1S. 1777, and
May z, 1778, be observed as general
Thanksgiving day obsel we'd by the free
American people came on Thursday,
November 26, 1889, and the honor of
the suggestion belongs to Representa-
tive Elias Boudinot, who asked the
house to request the p esidsnt to rec
ommend "a day of thanksgiving and
prayer to be observed by the people
of the United States, and so keen:l
conscious were some of the represen-
tatives of the bitter bondage from
which the country had so recently
freed herself that the measure was op-
posed on the ound that such a day
might lead to the imitation of frivoIi-
ties and pomps of Kingdoms, and to
other hurtful things. The house
passed the measure, however, and the
day was app opriately observed
The custom has been observed an
nually in the east for more than a
century and has extended TO other
states one by one until now there are
but three sections in which Thanks
giving day is not officially recognized
These states are Alabama, Louisiana
and MiasissiDDi. That the custom is