The National tribune., 1904-06-16
Washington. D. c.

lated on Memorial Day. The special act is
as follows: BE it enacted, etc, That
the Both day of May in each year, usually
called Decoration Day. shall be, and
hereby is, made holiday within the Dis
as are the days mentioned as holidays in
section 993 of the Revised Statutes of the
District of Columbia"
This section 993 is the Act of Jan. 81,
1879. referred to above.
This action of Congress is the one which
is commonly accepted as making Memorial
Day National holiday
The bill was introduced by Henderson.
of Iowa, in the House, and by Senator
y. X. Wilson, of Maryland, in the Senate,
June 4, 1883.
1t is not a little singular that. so far
as the records of Congress show, Gen. Hen
derson. of Iowa, who introduced the bill
to make Memorial Day a holiday in the
District of Columbia. is the only member,
who as Speaker held the House i'm ses-
sion on Memorial Day.
The Senate adjourned on Memorial Day.
ance was so small that the Speaker ad-
journed the House about 80.
While Memorial Day ought to be Ma
tional holiday, it is plain as the nose on q
mans face that about ID of the Southern
States would fight before they would ac-
copL AS have never Deeu
able to agree on any one date for Confed-
crate Memorial Day, but each State has its
own, it is improbable that they would con-
sent to accept the Yankee" substitute.
The holidays of the United States. legal
in the States that have legislated to that
effect, are as follows:
Memorial Day is legal holiday in all
the Northern States, as follows: Arizona,
California. Colorado, Connecticut. Della
ware, Iowa. Illinois. Indiana, Kansas,
Maine. Maryland. Massachusetts, Michi-
gan. Minnesota, Montana. Nebraska, Ne
York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ore
gon. Pennsylvania. Rhode Island, Tennes-
see, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, Washing
ton, Wyoming and the District of Colum-
bia. The popular belief that Memorial
Day was made National holiday grew out
of the fact that Congress passed a resolu-
ton making it legal holiday in the Dis
trict of Columbia.
Election day in the various States is
legal holiday.
Feb. 22, washington's Birthday. is a
legal holiday in all the States except Iowa,
Mississippi and Arkansas.
The first Monday of September, Labor
Day. is legal holiday in California,
Colorado. Connecticut. Delaware, Florida,
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana. Iowa, Kansas,
Maine, Massachusetts. Michigan. Montana,
Nebraska. New Hampshire. New Jersey.
New York: Ohio. Oregon. South Carolina.
South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas. West
Virginia, Utah. Virginia and Washington.
Every Saturday afternoon is a legal holi-
day in New York, New Jersey. Pennsyl
vania and Maryland Also in the city of
New Orleans. and from June 1 TO Sept. 80
in New Castle County. Del.
Arbor Day. April %. is a legal holiday
in Nebraska. Kansas. North Dakota, Rhode
Island and Wyoming Colorado observes
the third Friday in April. Montana the
third Tuesday in April. Utah first Saturday
in April and Idaho first Friday after May
1st.
The birthday of President Lincoln, Feb
r. is a legal holiday in Illinois. New York
and Maine. That of Jefferson Davis June
3. is legal holiday in Florida. Jan. 10,
Gen. Lees birthday, is legal holiday in
Georgia. North Carolina and Virginia.
The Southern States observe Memorial
Day as follows: April 26, Alabama and
Georgia. May 10, North Carolina. Virginia,
May 26.
New Year Day is legal holiday in all
the States except Massachusetts, New
Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Special days in States are legal holidays,
as follows: JAN 8. anniversary of the bat
tye of New Orleans, in Louisiana; March
2. anniversary of Texan independence,
Texas; March 4. Fireman's anniversary,
New Orleans; April 10. Patriots Day.
Massachusetts: April p, anniversary of
anniversary of the Mecklinburg Declara-
ton of Independence. North Carolina July
"a. Pioneers Day, Utah: Sept. o. Admis-
sion Day, California; Oct. 81, Admission
Day, Nevada.
Good Friday is legal holiday in Ala
and Tennessee. All the foregoing days,
except those personal to the individual
States are holidays in the District of Co
lumba.
Nearly all festivals and holidays had their
origin in some kind of religious worship.
is simply the survival of a pagan custom
civilized. At the beginning of the nine
teenth century, there were so many church
festivals and holidays in Rome that it was
said that not two days in a week were left
for work
In 1919 the English Church struck nearly
100 holidays from the list that the church
had been observing, retaining only those
that were particularly reverenced by the
people. The fixed Christian feasts are. All
Saints. Nov. |; Candlemas, Feb 3: Christ
mas, mas, Dec; Dec 30; Epiphany, JAN 6; limo
The movable. Christian holidays are:
Easter, Ascension Day. Ash Wednesday,
Good Friday, Palm Sunday, Pentecost.
Sexagesima Sunday, Trinity Sunday, all
depending on the date of Easter.
1t is said that Christmas, Easter, As
cension and Whitsuntide were ordered to
be observed by the whole church all over
the world as early as the close of the first
century. Christmas had many dates be-
fore Pope Julius I. in A. ID. 337-52. set
tied on Dec. %. The days that were form
erly celebrated were Jan. i, JAM G, March
20, the date of the Jewish passover. and
Sept. 20, the date of the Feast of Taber-
nacles.
Z 1t has been stated and is doubtless true
that every day in the year is a holiday
somewhere.