The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-11-19
His Thanksgiving Proclama-
tion Came Ahead of Those
in the States.
HOLIDAY IS PECULIARLY
An AMERICAN FESTIVAL
History Of Thanksgiving. How the
Custom First Came to be Observed
in America-H0w President Roose.
velt and His Family viii Celebrate
Will Have Customary Big Turkey.
(By e. c. snyder.)

(DS cis Ns S0y0efs)
Washington. D. c., Nov. 19.-Pres-
ident Roosevelt "scooped" the govern
ors of the various states when he an
nounced the date for Thanksgiving day,
and yet everyone in the country, who
pays any attention to legal holidays
knew long ago that Thursday the 29th
day of November would certainly be
designated as the day for national
thanksgiving and prayer. In fact the
almanac and calendar makers called
the turn on the date more than a year
ago.
President Nncoln was the first chief
magistrate to annually name a day for
seneral Thanksgiving and for about
forty years now the last Thursday In
November has been the day selected.
This holiday is peculiarly an Amer
ican festival. for while all Christian
nations. or nations In which the Chris
ttan religion. predominates among the
people. celebrate the, natal day, Of the
Saviour on the 25th Of December, no
other sets apart annually O day for
general feastdng and thanks for bless
ings received.
Thanksgiving in the abstract is an
annual religious festival suggested BY
the Hebrew feast of tabernacles, or
feast of ingathering at the end of the
year. The occasional observance of a
day fer thanksgiving formerly recon-
mended by the civil authorities was
not unusual in Europe. Such a day
was observed in Leyden, Holland, on
Oct. 8, 1876, the first anniversary of
the deliverance of that city from
siege.
In 1908 the Pilgrim church, exiled
from England, went to ROLAND, and
remained there till 1920, when it set
off the Mayfower colony to New Eng
land. After the first harvest of the
eolonists at Plymouth in 1921, Gov
ernor Bradford set out four men. with
fowling pieces that they might after
a more special manner rejoice to-
gether."
In July, 1923, day of fasting and
prayer, was appointed on account Of
drouth. Rain came abundantly while
they were praying, and the governor
appointed day of thanksgiving, which
was observed with religious services.
The Charlestown records sho wa SIM
liar change OF fast day into thanks
giving in 1881 on account of the ar
rival of supplies from Ireland.
In June, 1882, Governor Winthrop of
Massachusetts Bay colony. recon-
mended a day of thanksgiving for the
action of the British Privy council fa-
vorable to the colonies, and invited the
governor OF Plymouth to unite with
him There is record Of the official
appointment of days of thanksgiving
in Massachusetts Bay in 1882, 1884,
1857, 1888 and 1888. Sometimes
thanksgiving was held more than one
day In the year. In Plymouth such
days were held In 1851, 1868 and 1880.
II was also held in the years 1859 and
1890, when the form of the recon-
mendation indicates that it had be-
come an annual custom.
Occasional thanksgiving days were
New Netherland in 1914, 1645, 1866 and
of New York in 1855 and 1760.
During the revolution Thanksgiving
day was a national institution, being
annually recommended by congress.
After the general thanksgiving for
peace in 1854, there was no national
appointment until 1889, when Presi-
dent Washington, by request of con-
gress, advised a day of thanksgiving
for the adoption of the constitution.
Washington issued second thanks
giving proclamation in 1895 on ac-
count Of the suppression of the insur-
rection.
President Madison, by request of
congress, recommended thanksgiving
for peace in April 1915. The official
Recommendation of Thanksgiving day
was mainly confined to New England.
where regular annual proclamations
were issued by the governors of the
states. The day was observed almost
generally with religious services, and
was the principal social and home fes-
tival of the year.
The prayer book of the Protestant
Episcopal church, ratified in 1888. rec
ommends for day of thanksgiving
the first Thursday in November. un-
less another day be appointed BY the
civil authorities. There were occa-
sional recommendations by other reli-
pious bodies, and various local GUS
toms prevailed in different parts of the
country. However. the day was not
regularly recommended by the gov
arnor of New York until 1917, and Its
,doption in the southern states was
much later. w.
In 1855 Governor Johnson. OF Vir-
p;nin. recommended a day OF thanks