The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1912-11-21

England. Edward Winslow has given us a brief
account of the festivities. This letter bears the
date of Dec IL, 1921, and in it Winslow wrote:
Our harvest beinge gotten in, our governor sent
four men on fowling that we might after spe-
ctal manner rejoice together after we had gath
cred the fruits of our labors. They four killed
as much fowl with little help beside served
the company about week At which times,
among other recreations, exercised our arms,
many of the Indians coming amongst u.s. and
among the rest their greatest king, Massasoyt,
with some ninety men, whom for three days we
entertained and feasted and they went out and
killed five deer which they brought and be-
slowed on our governor and upon the captains
and Others"
From other sources know that there we've
athletic contests besides the exercises of arms
which Winslow mentioned. No doubt they play
ed at "stooball," an old form Of croquet and
pitch ye bar" which Bradford mentions in his
Journal. There were special religious services
at least there is no evidence of any The pill
grms had their daily prayers before breakfast.
In this service and in the joyous spirit that
seems to have dominated the occasion as WELL
there was no doubt devout thanksgiving to
God for all the blessings he had vouchsafed them.
1t has been repeatedly asserted that this
Thanksgiving festival was suggested to the pill
grims by the Jewish feast of ingathering" This
is not probable, as the differences between them
are more striking than the lkenesses. They were
Of the same duration, each lasting a week; and
in common with all other harvest festivals they
had the. same intent. But in the Jewish festival
sacrifice and worship were the prevailing char.
acteristics, while in that Of the pilgrims they
were entirely wanting
If the Plymouth festival has immediate kinship
with similar events in the past, 1t has analogiea
with the harvest home of England which may
relate them. The pilgrims were familiar with the
English celebration and many of them, no doubt,
had participated in it. The dominant mark Of
each was the Joy over the ingathering harvest
In some districts in England, too the festival had
continued week. Richard Carew in his Sur
vey Of Cornwell," in speaking of the English fes-
tival, says: Neither doth good cheere wholly
expire Though 1t somewhat decrease) but with
the end Of the weeke"
The chief difference between the two was the
want of ceremony at Plymouth that characterized
the English festival In some parts of England
the merry making around the "nodding
sheaf, or kern baby" and in many places the
last load of the harvest was drawn to the barn
In wagon called the "hoch cart" In front went
pipe and tabor, and around it gathered the reap
ers male and female singing joyously as they
proceeded. At Plymouth there was no ceremony
The last shock of corn was not brought in "ar-
rayed in brilliant fnery." Neither was there any
blessing of the cart" or kissing of the sheaves /"
There was no harvest song so familiar in tho
fatherland:
Here's health to the barley NOV:
Here's health to the man
Who very we'll can
Both harrow and plow and sow