Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-11-25


or New York made no regular annual
recommendation previous to 1917.
1t is probable that the struggle of
the colony for independence united
the hearts of the people in prayer and
thanksgiving as nothing else could
have done for We find from this time
the beginning of a geneia al observ-
ance. The same Congress which pre-
pared the articles of consideration to
be adopted by the cOlonies-the Con-
gress OF l777--also adopted a re. olu-
ton setting apart the 18th day OF De-
ctmber, 1771, to be observed as a day
OF solemn thanksgiving and praise
throughout the United States.
Washington during his frs; admin
-stratiOn issued two thanksgiving
proclanations, one in 1883 aud the
other in 1895 just afte. tie. SUI pres
sion of the whisky rebellion, which
Lad threatened TO be serious men
ace 10 the peace of the country and
President Madison issued one in 1915
upon the declaration Of peace The
colonial custom, however, was fol-
lowed in the early years OF the nation
and the proclamations were made by
the governors. The same RUE was
later observed in the weste.n IL states,
the population of which was largely
people from New England or New
York, aha! gradually the governors of
tLOse states and also the southern
states followed the initiative taken by
the governor of New York in 1917,
and issued annual prOclamations,
Gov. Johnson Of Virginia adopting it
in 1855 and In 1853 a Thankss wing
day was proclaimed in eight of the
southern states.
The day had naturally grown to be
almost universally observed as a ma
tional institution when President Lin
coin, during the civil war, issued his
first proclamation in 1862, on account
of the first important victory OF The
national arms. A second proclama-
ton was issued by him in 1863, and
that year marked tLR, beginning of
the presidential proclamation of the
annual Thanksgiving in November,
his proclamation Of 1864 designating
the last Thursday In November, as
the day to be observed Since that
time the annual proclamation for
national thanksgiving has been made
by the president, the governors of the
states following tile example and Of
ticiaily recognizing the day named by
the chief executive the president.
II {c nnfnrfIn
the ears have brought decline in
the real spirit of the original Thanks
giving The annual proclamation now
does not, to the majority Of people,
mean so much a day set apart for
prayer and praise and ttanS giving
as it does a time for feasting and
martin. While the churches are an
nually opened on that day and the
causes for thanksgiving annually re-
hearsed by the ministers of the COS
pei, the diminishing cong. egations
proclaim silently what Is none the
less fact. that the minds OF the peo-
pie on Thanksgiving day are more
occupied with the thoughts of the tur-
key and plum pudding than they are
in the return of thanks to the Giyer
OF every good gift. An even cursory
review Of the thanksgiving of oul
own and other countries will show
that the present lax observance and
the failure to keep the real spirit or
thanksgiving augurs i'll rather than
good for the coming generations, for,
centuries ago, when the people were
told that ut Is a good thing to give
thanks unto the Lord" they weie
taught truth which is a. vital today
as it ever was, namely, that ingrati-
tude Is sim It may be that the ma
ton needs to learn anew what is the
real spirit of Thanksgiving.