The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1907-11-23
APPOINTING THE DAY OF THANKSGIVING
PROCLAMATION FROM THE WHITE HOUSE IS ONE OF lHt
MOST SERIOUS DUTIES THAT DEV0lVE
UPON THE PRESIDENT.

The only piece Of really pure litera-
ture ever officially issued from the
White house is the proclamation ap-
pointing a day of thanksgiving. All
other papers written by the president
are business documents, the phraseol'
ogy of which is technical; but this an
nual message to the people is always
a painstakingly worded and grateful
composition. A fairly illustrative ex-
ample will be found in Mr.. Roosevelt's
proclamation setting aside the last
Thursday of the present month for the
Thanksgiving of 1906.
1t Is the duty of Mr.. Loeb (who run
the machinery OF the presidents busl-
ness, all his engagements
for him) to call Mr.. Roosevelt's atten-
ton TO he fact that Thanksgiving ap-
proaches. and to remind him that a
proclamation must be written. or
course, it requires considerable time
to do this, and SO busy a man as the
chief executive of the nation might be
e~xcusable if he handed over the task
to some subordinate, contenting him
self with afixing his signature. But
custom demands hat the work shall
be performed by the president himself.
Accordingly, when the proclamation
has to be prepared, the president de-
votes some time to thinking out a new
shape in which to put the more or less
stereotyped ideas which are to be ex-
messed. and, as he does so, jots down
a few memoranda in pencil on a paper
mad. Then. touching a buzz-buttOn, he
summons one of the dozen stenograph-
ers who are always in attendance, n
dictates to him carefully the wording
of the document. 1t is short-not more
than 400 or 500 wordS-but daintily
and tersely phrased. This, however, Is
only a rough draft. 1t Is copied In
typescript by the stenographer, Win
lines twice the ordinary distance apart.
so as to be convenient for corrections
and interlineations, and in this shape
is handed back to Mr.. Roosevelt. he
alters it a bit, modifying a sentence
here and changing a word there, Until
II suits him-whereupon a fair copy
ia made. again submitted Tor correc'
tion. and finally sent over to tne oe-
partment of state.
At the department Of state the proc
,amation is beautifully engrossed on
q great sheet Of fine parchment Dy d
clerk highly skilled in this kind OF pen
manship. 1t is a considerable task, ano
~occupies some days, at the end OF
which the document is sent BACK To
tho white House to receive the presl-
cents signature, and is thereupon re-
turned to the department to be signed
nv the secretary of state and sealed
with the great seal of the United
States.
This seal, by the way, is a sort OF
federal fetch. 1t is the most sacred
~ all things that belongs to the gov
ornment: and no print of it is ever al
lowed to be given away or sold
though. of course, 1t is attached to al
military and naval commissions, anc
r. various other executive documents
n was made by a New York jeweler a
q cost of $4,000. and is kept in &
heautiful rosewood tox at the STATE
0enartment. In order that 1t may bs
used for stamping the Thanksgiving
PROCLAMATION, a printed order to tha
effect must be signed by Mr.. Roose
Welt.
The department of state is the per
manent depository of executive procla
nations. All the Thanksgiving proc
lamations ever issued by the presi
dents of the United States are hle'
away in its archives-back even t
1875. when Gec.se Washington Sc
aside the 18th day 81 February. in tina
vaar as a date On which the peopl
should thank God for exemption fror
foreign war and from insurrectlon
consequently, tho engraved proclams