Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-11-21
THANKSGIVING DAv

our present custom of setting apart
one day in each year as day of
public national thanksgiving to Goo
for his mercy and benefcence to us
as nation originated with the
purltans of New England. When
those colonies were first planted the
settlers endured many privations and
difficulties. Being piously disposed.
they laid their distresses before Coo
in frequent days of fasting and prayer.
After the first harvest in 1921 William
Bradford, the second governor of
Plymouth colony, made provision fol
the colonists rejoicing specially to-
gether with praise and prayer. In
1923 day of fasting and prayer in
the midst of drought was changed into
thanksgiving by the coming of rain
during the prayers. A plain, common
sense old colOnist rose in the meeting
! and remarked that he thought they had
brooded long enough over their mis-
fortunes and that it seemed high time
that they should consider some of
their mercies; that the colony was
growing strong-the fields increasing
in harvests, the rivers full of fish, and
the woods of game, the air sweet, the
climate salubrious, their wives
obedient, their children dutiful: aboA
all, that they possessed what they
came for, full civil and religious lib
erty. And therefore, on the whole. he
would amend their resolution for
fast and propose in it's stead "a day
OF Thanksgiving" His advice was
taken, and from that day to this, what
ever may have been the disastrous ex.
perience of New England, the old
stock of the puritans have ever found
enough good in their cup to warrant
them in appointing this great annuaI
festival.
During the revolution a day of
national thanksgiving was annually
recommended by congress. Washing.
ton recommended such day after the
adoption Of the constitution, and his
example was occasionally initiated by
subsequent presidents. During the
civil war, President Lincoln frequent
ly recommended the observance OF
such day after victories and made
proclamation for national OBJ
servance in 1863. Since that
time such proclamation has
been annually issued, and custom has
fixed on the last Thursday in Novem,
Der as the time Long confined to
New England, where the governors of
the different states each appointed a
Thanksgiving day, the Custom has of
late years been adopted by other
governors of states throughout the
country.
AT first members of what may be
termed the Puritan denominations
Congregationalists, Baptists, Presby-
teriars, and turned out
in full force for public worship in
their respective churches on this day,
Catholics and Episcopalians only
giving it quasi-religious observance.
But lately the order seems to be re-
versing, for the latter are more re-
ligiously observing the day, while the
former seem to find it difficult often
to get sufficient number of people
together to hold service, and so for
some years past union services have
been the vogue, while in some places
even that evidently has failed, for
opera-houses and halls are now being
engaged where the few pious people
from each church may gather to-
gether downtown, and so make re
spectacle showing, while interfering
as little as possible with business.
Secular observance of the day by
means of social gatherings, games and
other amusements is increasing.
This change in the character of the
day is to be deplored.