The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-11-27

4 and we must look olSeV aere IOT i
The dea Of Thanksgiving day goes back to
4 remote antiquity. 1t Is a part of natural religion.
4 and i,probably as old as the human race. In
4 write records we have ample evidence that the
\ festfM was celebrated in connection with "the
fruitsof the earth" by the ancient Egyptians, the
1 Jewsthe Greeks, and the Romans. Long before
4 Lutbr's revolt from Rome in the sixteenth CEN
\ tury.t had been observed by the Christians; and
afte the reformation, thanksgiving days were
4 In .equent use by the Professionals, especially
thos of England.
l. old Egypt, when the harvest had been gath
4 cred, 1t was the custom to observe a day OF
Testing, and to lay offerings upon the affairs Of
4 Isl, the goddess of agriculture. The Jewish fes-
tal was the 'ingathering," or the feast Of the
taernacle' mentioned in Exodus and other parts
4 Of the Old Testament. This was more particu-
aiy a thanksgiving for the fruit harvest, and as
81 came at the close of the entire harvest, 1t prob
sly was intended also as a general thanksg1v-
hg '"for the bounty Of nature" in the year that
lad passed. g..
This festival appears early In Jewish history,
and, as it was connected with the land and its
possession, may have had a Canaanitish proto-
TYPE. Its celebration was annual and each festi-
val continued through seven days. At the begin
ming two vessels of silver were carried. in a
8ceremonious manner to the temple, one full of
water, the other of wine, which were poured at
the foot Of the altar Of burnt offerings, always on
the seventh day of the festival" .
Plutarch describes this ceremonial which he
believed was a feast to Bacchus. He says: THE
Jews celebrated two feasts to Bacchus. In the
midst of the vintage they spread tables, spread
with all manner Of fruits, and live in tabernacles
made especially Of palms and ivy wreaths to-
gether. A few days later they kept an
other festival which was openly dedicated to
Bacchus, for they, carried boughs of palms in
their hands, with which they went into the tenn
pie, the Levites going before with instruments Of
music"
Analogous to the Jewish festival and possibly
borrowed from 1t was that Of the old Greeks, the
Thesmorphia. This was a feast to Demeter, the
goddess of the harvest. 1t lasted nine days and
consisted of sacrifices Of the products of the soil
with oblations of wine, milk and honey" Theo-
critus refers to it in the Seventh Idyl, where ST.
nicholas says: Now, this is our way to the
Thalysia, for our friends, in sooth. are making a
feast to Demeter Of the beautiful robe, offering
the first fruits Of their abundance, since for them
in bounteous manner the goddess has piled the
thrashing floor with barley"
The goddess of the Roman harvest was Ceres.
Her festival was celebrated annually and was
called Ceralia. 1t was a day for worship and
rustic sports. Men and women formed process
siens and went to the fields with music. Virgil
refers to this festival. He mentions the sacri-
fees that were offered In the temples and alludes
to the joyousness Of the occasion.
In one way or another, Thanksgiving day had
been observed in Christian Europe for centuries
before its celebration in New England. On the
continent, and for a time in England, 1t occurred
at M~artinmas. which was a day of feasting and
drinking. Occasionally, too, civil authorities
recommended the observance Of some fixed day.
To celebrate the victory of King Henry V. Of Eng
land at Agincourt, Oct. 20, 1415, a public thanks
giving was held on Sunday, the feast Of st. Ed
ward, the king and confessor. Such a day, too,
was observed in Leyden. Holland. Oct. 8, 1875, the
first anniversary of that city from the siege by
the Spaniards.
Many instances Of thanksgiving days can be
pointed out in England during the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. In 1859, the second year of
Elizabeth's reign, Thanksgiving day entered Roga-
ton day. Then it was ordered that thanks should
be given to Almighty God "for the increase and
abundance Of his fruits upon the earth" In this
reign, too, there was { great national thanksg1v-
ing day that is worthy Of note. This occurred on
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1888, and was In commemora-
ton Of the great victory over the "invincible
armada" It had been described by Nicol in his
Progress of Queen Elizabeth" by Stowe, and by
some other contemporary writers. We are told
that "the day was kept holy throughout the
realm, with sermons, singing OF psalms. bontires,
ETC., for joy and thanksgiving unto God for the
overthrow of the Spaniards, our enemies, on the
sea; and the citizens Of London in their liveries
that day had a sermon at st. PauPs cross tending
to that end"
One legal and annual thanksgiving day be-
cause of the long time 1t was such deserves spe-
cial mention. After the traitors in the gunpowder