Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1912-11-27
HISTORY OF The DAY
Thanksgiving Feast Is Peculiar
to United States.


er countries now and again.
as In Great Britain upon
the occasion of the jubilee OF the late
queen, have day of thanksgiving.
but here, by an unwritten law. almost
by the general will OF the people. and
certainly by the power of custom.
Thanksgiving day comes each year as
regularly as Christmas.
Although Thanksgiving day must be
proclaimed by the president or gov
ernor. and usually by both, and the
time of year and the date itself are
left to their Judgment, SO strong is
the custom that the calendars for
next year have denoted the day far
ahead OF any proclamation. On the
last Thursday In November the fig
ures are printed in red. The banks
know it will be that day. although
there is nothing but precedent to es-
tablish 1t; business men know it
will be a day of thanksgiving and
never stop to reason why. The school
boy, the football enthusiast, the farm
er, the poulterer, all know Thanks
giving day is the last Thursday in
November
AS a generally observed national
holiday Thanksgiving day is only a
little over 40 years old, yet it's history
Is In a measure Of much greater an
tiquity. Like many another custom,
we owe this TO those stern Puritans
who separated" and came to Massa-
chusetts bay to make a lasting i'm
preston upon the social life of the
New World. The history of the first
Thanksgiving day in the Massachu-
sets plantation has been variously
given. In 1921, it is said, a day of
Thanksgiving was observed in ac-
acknowledgement OF the Pilgrims first
harvest in America.
Those were trying days for the colo
nists. The winter was one of great
severity and scarcity. The people, we
are quantity told, were necessitated
to live upon clans and mussels and
ground nuts and acorns. and these got
with much difficulty In the winter
time. People were very much tired
and discouraged. especially with the
last batch of bread in the oven"
Winthrop had early in the preceding
July sent the ship Lion to England for
a cargo of provisions. but after an in
terval OF many months the ship was
not Forthcoming. On the 9th OF
February, 1851, while the governor
was giving the last handful OF meal
in the barrel unto a poor man dis
tressed by wolf at the door. at that
instant they espied a ship arrived at
the harbor's mouth. laden with provi-
sions for them ell"
: general fast day had been previ-
ously appointed, but the arrival of the
Lion, bearing their sorely needed re-
lief. changed their mourning into joy,
and, as Winthrop records in his jour
nal, a day of thanksgiving was held
in ''all the plantations"
Franklin has left an interesting ac-
count of the origin OF Thanksgiving
in America, which is not without his
humorous touch, and which, like most
OF his similar writings, is perhaps not
as veracious as it might have been.
There is tradition" he wrote, that
in the plantations of New England
the first settlers met with many diff
culties and hardships. as is generally
the case when civilized people at
tempt establishing themselves in a
wilderness country.
Being piously disposed. they sought
relief from heaven by laying their
wants and distresses before the Lord
in frequent set days of fasting and
prayer. Constant meditation and dis
course on these subjects kept their
minds gloomy and disconnected; and.
like the children of Israel, there were
many disposed to return to that Egypt
which persecution had induced them
to abandon.
"At length. when it was proposed in
the assembly to proclaim another fast
a farmer of plain sense rose and re-
marked that the inconvenience they
suffered, and concerning which they
had so often wearied heaven with
their complaints, were not so great as
! they might have expected, and were
diminishing every day as the colony
strengthened; that the earth began
to reward their labor and to furnish
literally for their substance; that the
seas and rivers were found full Of
fish, the air sweet. the climate healthy
and, above all, that they were there
in the full enjoyment of liberty. civil
and religious; he therefore thought
that rejecting and conversing or
these subjects would be more com
Portable, as tending more to make
them contented with their situation
and that it would be more becoming
the gratitude they owed the Divine
Being II, instead of fast, they shoul(
proclaim q thanksgiving.
His advice was taken, and from