Las Vegas daily optic., 1906-11-28


association In eonmected with the
term In the minds ns American pol
pc And set the national festival ot
Taanksglying In not 10 very oid. II
ss remember correctly Il vas Pres.
dent IAncoln. who In ls62. ISSUED the
first Thanksgiving proclamation.
But the spirit of the day Is much
older Il II In fact older than the
aaya Ut thu Pilgrim FATHERS i'm New
Engiand. older than the days of the
lhpanish In America II harks back
In tho Indians of Mexico who resery.
ID tho royal bird for their festivals.
Narious tales are told Of the origin
of Thanksgiving among the early
New Engianders. but even the stories
nf Franklin and Adams Of The service
rendered 10 the puritans by the wild
turkey cannot account for the day
we celebrate The THANKSGIVING uf
today Il the product OF the fullness
of our own times and not Of the
scanty. narrow and biguted times of
the Paritans
When Thanksgiving day comes
and families gather around The feast
nf which the turkey relgns as royal
sacrifice. II Is the hour 10 win opin.
ton regarding the American national
bird
Lang has tho eagle SCARED and
screamed and Tapped its wings. but
no day of regard has been put In Its
honor In the calendar.
When II comes to antiquity aud "A
true American lineage the turkey
takes precedence. Patriotic societies
are finding this out. and committees
are considering the advisabliity OF
making a place for the bird among
national emblems, The eagle Is n
cosmopolitan. the bird of Jove, the
turkey-genus maleagris--b belongs to
the western continent.
The sacrifice on the altar of
Thanksgiving is n species distinct
from winged and feathered fowl Of a
distant relationship found In Eu-
rope.
The American turkey was among
the strange birds discovered by the
Spaniards when they invaded Mexi.
CO. Oveido describes II about 1921
A domesticatcd among the christian.
ICED Indians Of New Spain (Mexico).
and being the bird reserved for syl.
vestris-~the wild turkey Of New Eng.
land-as the wonder Of the Pilgrim
Fathers. and from all this data IL
will be seen that the turkey has n
claim TO national tribute.
Virginia and Missouri historians
write OF turkey fowls as peculiar to
their wooded hills but Rhode Island
had laid an official claim to the best
bred stock that goes abroad Little
Rhody bases It's traditions on the Gus
toms Of the Narragansett Indians. a
tribe which once ruled the entire
New England area. but became ex-
tinet during King Philips war.
The Narragansetts treasured the
turkey as a sacred bird after their
days the Niantics took the matter up
both for the cause of religion and for
the comfort of their stomachs and
thus preserved the species from ex~
tinction and brought the Rhode Isl
and fame high on the marts that ca
ter to feasts and festivals.
The Rhode Island turkey lives /!
the hills. feasts on insects and herhs
best calculated 10 make II deiectah(e
tn epicures and has become desired
from the Atlantic to the Pacific
The white turkey comes from the
confines of the state and for some
years the presidential Thanksgiving
dinner has been presided over by ar
immense bird of the New England
stock.
Al the Indian and the native Gus
toms even of Mistress Anne Hutchin
son and Roger Williams are forgot.
ten by latter day Rhode Island sons
and daughters. SO the turkey of that
peculiar breed is passing away Re-
ports from the state agricultural sta
fions give dire statistics OF fatal dis.
ease among the turkeys and the van.
ishing from the land.
In this year, Missouri, Indiana and
Wisconsin are banner turkey states
The uncut timber and rough ground
are good rowing places and the dead
Iy microbe has not found its way 10
slaughter the innocents.
White with iris-tinted feathers
bronze refleetfng the shades Of their
distant relatives. the peafowls, dark
hues with rainbow tints and brilliant
red dew laps and head ornaments
i strolling along the roads In dignified
flocks, perching gracefully on fence
rails and sounding the piercing cali
thus they have been seen In any
country byways before the November
kneH was sounded.