Evening star., 1912-11-24
=

their first crop and had lileu tue Stoie
house with Indian corn. turnlps. parieS'
-four. pumpkins and wild grapes. Ihe
steady aim of the old matchlocks hao
brought down such wild game as par
tridges ducks. geese and turkeys, to say
nothing of the bounteous quantities or
venison which the hunters had brought
in from the forests. The patient fisher
men about Plymouth had drawn in their
nets so heavy with clans, fish and lob
sters that there was not only enough
fish for the present, but quantities had
been dried and salted for winters use
With such harvest could the Pilgrims
have helped being happy and thankful
for the blessings which had rewarded
their days of hardship and peril?
Were they not at such peace with the
natives that the Chief Massasoit and
ninety of his men were coming to spend
three days with them in feasting? NO
wonder the few housewives who had sur
vived the sickness and famine OF the frst
winter were busy boiling, baking and
stewing. If the good women could have
but known that they were preparing
meal of such historical importance as
that Thanksgiving dinner proved to be no
doubt they would have left Thanksg1v-
ing cook book as an authority for all fu-
ture Thanksgiving feasts. AS they did not
know the Importance Of the custom they
were establishing, they left but little to
posterity as tradition of that day.
Amid the happiness 1t is probable that
there was not single Pilsrim who did
not feel sadness when he missed some
relative or friend who had sailed with
him on the Mayflower. Every family ex-
cept two had lost one or more Of it's
he
less than a year before. Four families
were completely gone and of the eight
cen PILGRIM mothers who had started
from Ems land only four remained. Even
Gov Carver. their leader, had answered
the Grim Reaper's call. There was much
which might have marred the gladness Of
the day. but as the Pilgrims were people
of strength, they counted their blessings
instead of their sorrows and so de-
term'ned to give unstinted thanks for
their own preservation and for the sue
cess of their little colony.
In imagination one may see those hi~h-
hated, hearded settlers IN their walks
about Plymouth. They were dressed In
woolen jacket-like coats. full knee
trousers and long STOCKINGS which his
the exception of the allant Miles Stand
ish. who owned a fiintlock rifle, the rest
Of the men carried matchlocks that had to
be li"hted by matches, and woe unto
without light to apply to such piece
of firearms.
The neatly dressed women who wore
such finery as dainty caps, white ker-
chiefs and cuffs with their heavy dark
dresses were as particular as tie Hol-
landers about'the cleanliness of their lit
tie village. Such were the PEOPLE who
made the first Thanksgiving feast. The
tables, consisting of boards cut from the
trees of the forests nearby and put on
'restles, We're strictly Of American man
Lfacture. The white tablecloth and nap
kins were very plentiful. having been
brought from Europe for there, as n the
colonies, napkins were OF even greater
necessity to a meal than they are today.
II Is likely thai no Pilgrim ever saw
table fork fer 1t was the custom OF the
time to hold the meat on one plate with
the left hand. and, using the other hand,
cut IL with knife. which also conveyed
the food to the mouth. provided the fin
gers were not used for that purpose.
AS neither tea nor coffee was In use at
the table at at time. there s no mental
picture of Pilgrim mother seated be-
Tore cups and saucers asking How many
lumps| This feast was before the i'm
portation of china or earthenware into
the country, but the stout wooden plates.
called "trenchers." were doubly secured
for the occasion, and the silver-like shine
Of the old pewter gave the tables an ap-
pearance of elegance. Surely such a
show as this must have impressed the
host of Indian warriors clad in cir best
furs and beads and decked wth hideous
combinations OF bright raint in bands
down their faces or across their backs
II after the service of Thanksgiving
there was any such thing as speech
making, Gov. Bradford was the man first
honored. for he who had been e ected TO
ill the place of Gov. Carver stood high
y I'm the esteem of the colony. In his po-
fition as chief executive of Plymouth his
Duties demanded that he be chief justice,
minister on foreign affairs speaker of the
general cohrt and auditor for the treas
ury. DESPITE the honor and numerous
obligations of his office, he was neither too
exalted TO bear his share In the manual
labor of the settlement nor too busy to
give serious atten ion TO study and TO the
writing of his history of Plymouth, which
is a work of authority.
Bradford. only about thirty years OF
age when he came to the new world, was
man who had read deeply and
had gained reputation for fine letter
writing. AS linguist he was as well
acquainted with Dutch as with his ma
tive English. Cotton Mather said that
he managed French while he mastered
Latin and Greek. but of all studies he
preferred the reading of Hebrew. for in
that he imagined he heard the voices of
the old patriarchs The young govern
n