The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-24
TODAY IN HISTORY
Thanksgiving Day-November "a.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER. "a. 1910.


Thanksgiving day. as a day set aside
for returning thanks TO the Creator for
the bountful blessings that He has be-
slowed upon His people in. this country.
dates back In its observance to the puri
tan or pilgrim days. The first observ-
ance OF such day AS noted in New Eng.
land history seems to have occurred in
1921. The pilgrims had been in tho new
country for almost year The original
100 had dwindlcd. from one cause or an
other. to lifty-hve souls, but they were
thankful. There was no specified dare for
such a Thanksgiving day, but II was
usually ordered by some one in au
thority.
that the New iGnglanders made any at
tempt to make an annual day OF thanks
giving. That year the harvest had been
| so abundant that an order from the gen
eral court Of the colony In MaSsachu-
setts bay named October lG as day Of
| thanksgiving.
The pilgrims began TO enjoy so many
good harvests that they finally became
| careless In the observance OF a day OF
thanks. and for sixteen years seem To
have forgotten ii entirely. In 1880, how
ever, ~ was recommended ths, II De
annual feast. and it probably has not
been forgotten a single year in New Eng
land since that year
But at that time there was no Thanks
giving in any other part OF the Sparsely
settled country, but during the revolu-
ton congress annually appointed a day
OF Thanksgiving. and this continued until
after the war
Washington was the first president to
appoint Thanksgiving day but on this
occasion the Thanksgiving was ordered
by congress for the adoption OF the con-
stitution. consequently il was more ~ a
political than harvest festival The
day named by the president was Thurs
day, November 26. and this. perhaps.
suggested the last Thursday in Novem-
Der Of each year for the annual national
Thank kSgiVing day
Thanksgiving day. as q national in
Stilution, with an annual observation
10 tho editress OF a Philadelphia maga-
zine, Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale. Just when
she began her agitation for tho national
observance annually cannot be ascer-
II through the editorial columns Of
Godey's Lady's Book soon after she be-
came It's editor IN 1897
Mrs. Hale was originally Boston
woman and IL was through her efforts
that the funds necessary for the com
pletion OF the Bunker Hill monument
were raised; largely through fair which
she organized and suggested 10 the
women Of New England. Aside from
writing and advocating yearly Thanks
giving day in her magazine she also
various states. For twenty years she
carried on this campaign, and by degrees
she saw her agitation bearing fruit. First
one governor after another proclaimed
practically every state and territory in
The union had Thanksgiving day on the
last Thursday in November
Yet there were states in which the day
was unobserved in Delaware and Mary
land, for instance. the governors had not
been brought into line by the energetic
editorl Then came the period of the
civil war, and the coDntrv was engrosSed
in other topics and she made little head
way for q time In 1853. however. sue
cess crowned her long and untirng eff
forts, for President Lincoln proclaimed
the last Thursday in November as a day
Of Thanksgiving. This day was Novem-
Der 26. and the newspapers on the fol-
lowing day contained accounts of the
first national Thanksgiving
In Godey's Lady's Book for November,
1864. Mrs. Hale rejoiced over the estab-
'ishment of the national Thanksgiving
% month S recurs 1" the dayothe he last % Thmrsday day
In November which is now becoming
firmly established as one of the three
national festivals OF America
Since 1863 the day has been yearly
observed and now has become firmly os-
tabishcd, although I'm many respects
each year Its original significance is for
gotten, except by the church
On November "A. 1857. New Haven was
purchased from the Indians: Napier
Tandy was arrested by the British in
lT9S General Walker landed his fli
clustering expedition in Nicaragua In
1851 and Patti. the great singer. made
her firse appearance in America in New
York In 1853 Today is the birthday of
Samuel A. Otis tho Massachusetts
statesman GAO; the great Russian gem
eral Alexander Suwaroff nT29); Law
renee Sterne: the author IIl3); Charles
Kcmblc, the actor 1I15): Joel Parker
attorney general of the United States
dSi6): Coates Kinney. the American
poet GS26), and Frances Hodgson Bur
nett author GS4o). 1t is the date Of the
death OF John Knox Scottish reformer
D5T2); Dr. Robert Henry, historian
G790): William Lamb English states
man 0SiS), and Rev. Or. George Croly.
poet ard romance writer tlSb0).