The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-24
ORIGIN OF THANKSGIVING
Rv MRS. JOSEPH A. BROWN.

Most of us if asked the onISni %
TbanEseiving would almost surrey an :
swer ut originated Nv ~ We &c CONSIDER its
d. I b ~ ,.tt in the United states
oso 'Ia. 4i,is would be correct But as we
oIlly ~ suhiect we find it is OF great
STUDY 49, some believing it to nave
i,ciooted with the Hebrews ana 10
Ga%a been a part OF the mosaic 70" :
| Nc know that the Hebrews VIZ ~, a.
W,'es+nnned to celebrate plenteouS mar
4 Ter nublic festivals and praise
W. rIac called 1.-THE Feast OF the
. n,1 and we find in Elk. 22, "Ihou
zee &C. not delay to offer the first or thy
| ia,,ors and farther on III chdpte5
arantv-three they were coihlldi &c u
To keep the feast OF the harVeSl, lne
6rst fruits of thy labors, Which ehou
hast sown in the field, and the Ieass
ne Gathering which is in the enu
of tho wear. when thou hast gathered
- Inv labors out of the field. Al
lost we see that the season OF thelr
| Thanksgiving feast corresponds TO our
own " in the end of the year:
We are accustomed to beleVe llal
all New England customs came from
| old England. Let us see II TINS Is 'lu9
| n regard to Thanksgiving.
The discovery of Guy FaWkes Gun
| oourdar plot was observed by IhankS-
49, se,vices in most English towns,
5a,.tieuIarlv in London. A grotesaue
igure. stuffed with straw represeillllls
Fawkes is carried through the stIeel %
on the 5th of November ana aIIeI oe-
ling duly reviled is burned aHllu Ae"0'
ing and Thanksgiving.
| The "Gunpowder Plot was al
,greement entered into by about seven
Catholics, to blow up the KING ms
ministers and both houses OF ParIla-
ment on the opening day OF thdL ds-
samhlv Nov. 5th, 1905. The govern
ment of James l had exercised grea1
| severity against the CalnollcS, oehS mo
them religious liberation ana COINS
| ,.ating their property. John Catespy
vas the originator of the plot, put
| ,3uv FaWkes was the one appointed 10
/ Are the mine 1t was discovered
| through the zeal of one of their num-
her in irving to prevent his Drother-
In-laW from attending Farlldlhell1
| that day. A hogshead and thlfty-sl5
| barrels of gunpoWder We're uISCo ,s'l,e,
underneath the Houses OF Parliament
Fawkes was caught with the matcn IN
his hand. was tried, tortured. ana n
nalIv confessed and was hanged, ana
bic name has gone down as. one or the
most detested in English history.
| Hence the Thanksgiving Festival ,Ior
| this deliverance held unul' recent u''0
IN England since 1919
J Rut ante-dating this event we tnd
TbapI,seiving services held in Holland
! since oct. 8, 1873, celebrating the de-
Iivarance of Leyden from the Spanish
| fhrourh one of the most terrible slegeS
| ,f history the heroic citizens of Ley
| len had borne famine ana anguish,
aad suffered and conquered ana heIo
| FAST to the faith. For seven Weeks
I they had no bread to eat and mulu-
| cd determined
romaster even offered his own BODY
| cor food to some who advised MN TO
"a nituIate. But deliverance came or
| he night of oct. 8. 1873. when VII
lliam. Of Orange, arrived. ana the
| ;panish were routed suddenly lroin 1
their forts. History tells us tnat q ~ tf'..
| of I,evden. venturing out TO one OIL tie
| forts early next morning. found II
amntv and a dish of Spanish HODGE
| podge, on the fire. left behind by the
! soldiers in their hurry. Ana ever
since this year the citizens OF Leyoen
nave kept Oct Bird as IhahksslVllliiS
dav. making it both patrlolic
nd religious festival After SOL
ann church services in the morning.
| they go home to eat the hlstofic
"Hodge- Podge" followed by a great
| Thanksgiving dinner.
| In 1909, five years after the Gun
| nowder Plot, a company or Fig Inns
| exiled from England for their Ialth'
] came to live at Leyden. Here Tor ten
wears they beheld and doubtless pas
| ticinated i'm this annual festival OF the
| Reformed faith, and so became at
| tached to it's observance. so 1t Is
probable that the idea, at least or
| orr Thanksgiving Day, came. from TINS
custom of the Dutch with Whom tne
| Pilgrim company lived SO long In
| 1920 this little company OF Pilgrims
crossed the Atlantic and took up their
residence at Plymouth. For two years
their sufferings and privations were
very great, but after the bountitul
| harvest of 1923, Governor Bradford
| appointed a day of Thanksgiving an q
prayer. Great preparation, was MAIZE
| for the feast. Four gunnerS Were sent
out into the woods for wild turkeys
! and Plymouth must have been lnueeo
a happy hunting ground" at thai
/ time for we are told that they four
/ killed as much fowl as with little
help besides served the company foi
/ a week. We can better estimate the
(! amount of turkeys brought in from
| that hunt when we notice that Cover
nor Bradford had invited the Indian
chief Massasoit and ninety of his
braves to this big Thanksgiving feast
And they all came. There were thirty
men in the colony, SO that made one
| hundred and twenty guests not count
ing the children. And now the mos
astonishing part of the story comes
After the two disastrous winters only
four adult women were left to prepare
this feast, with the aid of SeVera
young girls, and how they were able
for so many days to prepare food fol
SO many people is a question whose
answer gives us new respect for the
Pilgrim mothers. They not only haC
turkey for this feast but after three
days of feasting Massasolt and his mel
went out and killed five deer which
they brought in and presented to the
governor. From different accounts o.
this first Thanksgiving holiday, we
learn that after the arrival of the In
dian guests, the beat of the drum an
nOunced the hour of prayer, then fol
lowed feasting and recreation. The
usual duties were suspended, The
young men INDUCED in athletic sport:
and games in friendly rivalry with the
Indians, one of their favorite amuse
ments being the target match" ThI
famous old general Miles Standisl
would then have his little army o
| -.