Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1901-11-28
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The annual festival Of Thank giving
Day has such tender and beautiful as
soclatiOns in the entire history OF our
republic that it is not likely to lose
its strong hold upon our affections.
nor to wear out the WELDON" which
the successive generations OF our fore
fathers have given il. The roots or
this thank SEiving Cu.t1m are sunk
so deeply in the homa life OF every
large section of the country that its
vitality is almost ilevhaustihie. In
the eastern states We find the earliest
record of an American Thank igiVing
Day. In the autumn Of 1921 the good
governor. William Bradford. pro
claimed a day Of special Thanksgiving
to God for the Gown Of gJodn - He
had placed upon that first year Of tn"
white mans life in the new world
Though these pioneers had laid many
of their comrades to rest on the bar
zen hill near by, they were not SOHred.
nor refused to recognize the wisdom
and goodness of God. In M following
year. after abundant ha.ycats, another
day of rejoicing and gratitude was
set apart. IN fact, This festival con-
tinuCd three DAYS. and among th"m
MaSsasOit. chief of the friendly tribe.
and his council of braves. were pres
eut by special invitation. making
merry and glad. The first public OIL
cial Thanksgiving day did not come.
however, until The year 1851 1t had
been proclaimed as 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 before the appointed
day arrived the ship landed safe and
sound with plenty; so by Official au-
thogity the nature of the services on
that day We're changed from sorrow
end fasting TO feastng and thanks
giving This seems to have been the
first goat Thank giving day with
the American people. Occasionally
aftcrvard days of special gratitude
were observed more o. less generally.
but in 1914 Governor Kieft, of New
Nothegland 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
Thank oSiying day was proclaimed. The
Continental Congress set apart num-
Der OF Thanksgiving days at various
times for special purposes among
them July 20, l775; May II and De-
ccmber II, l77G; April %, 1913; May s,
1879 April 6. 1880; May 3. 1881. and
ApIil %, 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 Is, III, and
May :. l77S, he observed as general
Thanksgiving days. The first national
Thanksgiving day observed by the free
American people came on Thursday,
November %, 1889. and the honor of
inc SuGBSnllNn DtlDnsS W htpifS'utd-
tive Elias Boudinot. who asked the
house to request the president to rec
omm nd "a day of Thanksgiving and
PRAYER tD be observed by the people
e TIE Unitod States, and so keenly
con, yious We're some OF the rrpreSen-
tutv of the b.t'er bondage from
which the country had so recently
freed herself that the measure was OPP
posed on the ound that such IA day
might lead to the imitation OF frivoli
ties and pomTs of Kingdoms, and 10
other hurtful things. The house
passed the measure, however, and the
day was appropriately 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 Miss. sslppi. That the custom is