The Washington herald., 1906-11-29
THANKSGIVING DAY.
THEN AND NOW.

l1EA AND NOms
There is Just one particular in which
the life Of the modern child falls short OF
the childhood Of his parents; and that is
In regard to Thanksgiving time. Washing
ton is a little too far South ever 20 have
been the scene Of a typical old-fashiOned
Thanksgiving Day. Memory goes back 10
New England in the late SOS and early
COS to paint a faithful picture Of Thanks
giving as it Is recalled by many men and
women who as children, looked forward
TO the celebration Of this great day as an
event second only to Christmas.
Grandparents used 10 be absolutely
necessary 20 Thanksgiving. Now football
games. afternoon teas and the theater
arc the primal requisites. Grandparents
used to mean reunions and rollicking fam
ly parties in a big old country house.
Modern young people would not exchange
the town gayeties Of late November for
any charms a country farm might offer.
In the first place. Thanksgiving weather
has gone back on us in the last quarter OF
a century. snow furries and Jack Frost
are necessary to a perfect enjoyment o.
the day. The kind Of a house where
Eunice Bright told THE Tanglewood
Tales" is the proper setting for Thanks
giving with plenty Of cousins and aunt5
and uncles. both young and old. plenty Of
big dogs stretched before blazing log
fires. plenty Of room for an old-fashioned
game OF hide and seek IN the evening,
plenty Of good cheer and laughter and
love Not many such houses. presided
over by a gentle old lady with snowy ear
puffs and lace cap. and a hearty old gen
tleman with russet skin and white locks.
are left to-day, but many a one still
stands in the memory Of us all, a dear
monument OF childhood.
Half or quarter Of a century ago chill
dren did not understand what it meant
20 go 70 grandmOther's for a Thanks
giving dinner party. They went for a
day. and the sooner the start after break
fast. the better Gay loads went. either
in sleighs or carriages. always three on
a seat, and a couple more on little foot
stools down between the feet Of the
grown-ups. Plenty Of furs and mufiers
to keep ears warm, and a labyrinth Of
robes and paper parcels. the wonder WAS
that space could be found for all that
had 10 go.
The drive was bound 10 be interesting;
over frozen ground. through rabbit run
ways. skirting ponds and streams that
labored against their first coating Of Ice:
across hills that seldom failed TO show
skirmishing fox on Thanksgiving Day.
and then a plunge into the evergreen
woods where winter-green leaves grew
thick in summer, but whose winter inter
est lay in the balsam and pine to be sac
rifced at Christmas.
Ten. fifteen. perhaps twenty miles into
the country and then grandfathers
house, A great. rambling white structure,
set we'll back from the road and tucked
in between two slopes TO protect 1t from
the biting winter winds. A house with
smoking chimneys. and dazzling window
panes. and broad verandas. It stands
distinctly in sight, now that the orchard
trees are bare and the tall line of poplars
are denuded Of their leaves The brook
and little waterfall seem mammoth Is it
possible that is the shady spot where we
sailed our boats last summer, and that
that great skeleton frame is the play
house Of late August. where the grapes
hung thick?
The very manner Of approaching the
house is thrilungly unaccustomed. Part
of the fence has been removed for winter.
and. instead of getting out at the front
gate and walking the long path to the
front door-always such a cool front door
in summer, and leading into n great dim
central haII-we go straight across the
croquet ground and up to the side en-
trance-famiuarly called the East
stoop"-and from there directly into the
big living-room of grandfather's spacious
house No preliminary of hall. no ser
wants at the door. or ringing of door
bellsl There are grandfather and grand
mother and uncles and aUnts and cousins
galore, all crOwding out TO meet the
latest arrivals!
The house looks its best and smells its
best on Thanksgiving Day. There is IN
OdOT of turkey and mince meat, and
holiday appearance. from grandmOther's
new cap to the cats pink ribbon
basket Of pine cones tempts some one
every now and then to throw fresh frag-
rance on the fire. 1t isn't near dinner
time, but you are always hungry the
moment you arrive at grandmother
house. Il is a demand created to do Jus
tice to the supply, that is unfailing in
the Thanksgiving larder
Thanksgiving is a real visiting time
There is so much to talk over. delight
ful family affairs that never can be dis
cussed by everyone interested except at
Thanksgiving. when all the family
branches and twigs come back to the
home tree and settle down to a fair dis
cussiOn Of children, finance, clothes,
stocks. crops, and the general prosperity
of the nation. Such a confabi such
pow-pow! into which men, women and
children enter indiscriminately 1t would
drive any one wild to be in the midst of
the babble of tongues every day in the
year but on Thanksgiving Day It ~is
simply delicious, and the 'littlest baby"