The Grit-advocate., 1904-11-18
ALL KNOW THANKSGIVING DAY.
Spirit Of Festival Quickly Caught by
lmmurants.

Spirit Of Festival Quickly Caught by
/ Immigrants.
Go into the foreign quarter OF any
American city and ask an Italian or
! Slav. or any other immigrant wheth-
I err he celebrates the Fourth of July,
and he is likely to shrug his shoulders
as he processes ignorance of the day,
or answers:
mo; it's nothing to me-"
Ask him if he grows enthusiastic
over Memorial day and you will find
that it leaves him cold. But just
mention Thanksgiving day and his
face will light up at once.
"Yes," he will tell you, I'VE eat our
Thanksgiving diIler like any other
Americans, and go to church and give
thanks and have a good time with
the youngsters in the evening.
Thanksgiving day means a lot to us,
for we have much to be thankful for"
The immigrants catch the spirit of
Thanksgiving day more quickly than
that of any other American institu-
ton. The new Americans show this
story of an immigrant who caught
the spirit the first day he landed is
typical, even if in the majority of
cases it is not impaired so quickly.
On bleak November morning an
old Roumanian Hebrew landed in
New York from Ellis island with his
wife and three children. The harbor
was wrapped in mantle of fog,
which hid from their eyes the prom
ise of the Statue of Liberty.
1t was depressing scene. The old
mans spirits sank and the hustle and
hustle of the Americans frightened
him after his quiet life in Rouman-
ian village. But his eldest son, who
had preceded his father to America
and who had sent the money to bring
the family over, met him at the pier
with warm welcome.
Come right along, father he
cried I'VE shall have to hurry to
get home in time for dinner"
And he rushed the old man and
the children into trolley car and
took them over to the East Side with
all possible speed.
When they entered the house, cold,
tired, wet and hungry, an inspiring
scene met their eyes. A roaring fire
blazed in the CRATE, the American
flag was draped above the mantel, and
a good, old fashioned Thanksgiving
feast was spread out upon the table.
The turkey was there in all it's
glory, Drowned to a turn and stuffed
to the bursting point with chestnut
favored dressing. Big glass dishes
full of cranberry sauce and celery
hanked it at each corner, and two
bottles of claret stood sentinel at
either end of the table.
Vegetable dishes. cakes. sauces and
gravy bowls filled up the vacant
spaces on the board. while on side
table the pumpkin pie held sway, sur
rounded by court Of jellies, blanc
manges and tarts.
The old man stared in amaZement.
All his life long, in his Roumanian
village, he had been used to black
bread, potatoes and turnips, with
meat as rare treat three or four
times year. Here was a feast that
might have been spread by the lord
in his castle.
What was the meaning of it? What
had happened to his son that he
feasted thus? It was no feast day of
his faith.
The son laughed at his fathers
surprise.
"Sit down, father" he said. You
must be hungry, and this is a day
when nobody is supposed to go hun
cry in America. 1t is Thanksgiving
day.
Every man who. by the sweat of
his brow. has earned a Thanksgiving
dinner for himself and his family is
in duty bound to eat and drink and
be merry and give thanks for the
blessings he enjoys in this rich land /,
of freedom"
Verify" responded the old man,
"you have much to be thankful for |
when you can spread such a feast as
this, which is only enjoyed by the
richest of the people in the land of |
our birth"
And ho and all his family feasted
and made merry and rejoiced that
they had come to land where such
things vara possible New York
SMn.