The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1905-11-24

Thanksgiving day, coming with the
regularity of a movable feast, is pc
culiar to the United States. Other
countries now and again, as in Great
Britain upon the occasion of the jul
bilee of the late Queen, have a day
OF thanksgiving, but here, by an I'M
written law, almost by the general
will of the people, and certainly by
the power of custom, Thanksgiving
day comes each year as regularly as
Christmas.
| Although Thanksgiving day must be
proclaimed by the president or gov
ernor, and usually by both, and the
time of year and the date itself are
left to their judgment, so strong is
the custom that the calendars for
next year have denoted the day far
ahead of any proclamation. On the
last Thursday in November the fig
ures are printed in red. The banks
know it will be that day, although
there is nothing but precedent to es-
tablish it; business men know it will
be day of thanksgiving, and never
stop to reason why. The schoolboy,
the football enthusiast, the farmer.
the poulterer, all know Thanksgiving
day IS the Last Thursday In Novem-
ber-
AS generally observed national
holiday, Thanksgiving day is only
forty-one years old this year. yet its
history is in measure of much
greater antiquity Like many anoth-
err custom, we owe this to those stern
Puritans who separated" and came
to Massachusetts bay to make last
ing impression upon the social life of
the New World. The history of the
first Thanksgiving day in the Mas
sachusetts plantation has been vari-
ously given. In 1921, it is said, day
of thanksgiving was observed in &C.
acknowledgement of the Pilgrims first
harvest in America
Those were trying days for the
colonists. The winter was one of
great severity and scarcity The peo-
pie, we are quantity told, were ne
mussels and ground-nuts and acorns,
and these got with much difficulty in
the winter time. People were very
much tired and discouraged, especial
ly with the last batch OF bread in the
oven." Winthrop had early in the
preceding July sent the ship Lion to
England for cargo of provisions, but
after an interval of many months the
ship was not forthcoming. On the 5th
of February, 1881, while the governor
was giving "the last handful of meal
in the barrel unto poor man dis
tressed by the wolf at the door, at
that instant they espied ship arrived
at the harbor's mouth laden with pro-
visions for them ALL
A general fast day had been pre-
viously appointed, but the arrival of
the Lion, bearing this sorely needed
| relief, changed their mourning into
joy, and, as Winthrop records in his
journal, day of thanksgiving was
held in "all the plantations.
Franklin has left an interesting ac-
count of the origin Of Thanksgiving in
America, which is not without his hi.
morous touch, and which, like most OF
| his similar writings, is perhaps not as
veracious as 1t might have been.
There is a tradition" he wrote, that
in the plantations Of New England
the first settlers met with many diff
fculties and hardships, as is generally
the case when civilized people at
tempt establishing themselves in a
I wilderness country. y + I'll ss37s
\ Being piousIy disposed, they
| sought relief from Heaven by laying