The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-11-07
HISTORY OF GREAT
NATIONAL HOLIDAY

show title. but il IS time TO remark
in all kindeness that they must not
claim everything in sight" as the
republican party did in 1876. More
over, when the Southern governor of
a Southern state gives any OF them
credit for what properly belong. to
the whole nation if not a Southern
man, it is duty to vindicate the
facts of history and stand by them.
Here is the latest example from Gov.
Trammell's Thanksgiving proclama-
ton:
One of he most helpful and in
spring customs handed down to US
by the Pilgrim fathers is the annual
festival of Thanksgiving to Him who
rules over the destinies of nations
for the mercies of the closing year.
Did the Pilgrim fathers hand down
TO US any annual festival?" They
would have considered such a charge
libelous-their Puritan brethren not
less so-either would have repudiat-
ed such an institution in America as
both had condemned the harvest fes-
rivals and the church festival in
England. Life to them was solemn
and precious charge, wherein they
must war against all joy and laugh
ter as things permitted whereby the
devil set traps for our immortal
souls.
If our Thanksgiving be expression
of gratitude for the bounty of the
earth under the blessing of God.
then it is as old as civilization; the
Egyptians and the Jews and the
Greeks and the Romans had their
Harvest Homes-the Danes offered
sacrifices of horses as the Celts had
sacrificed men in attestation of graf
itude Our Seminoles have this.
If it be an expression of thanks
for some special mercy, then the Pa
gans and Christians of all ages are
to be credited instead of the Pill
grims of Plymouth Rock. In graft
tude for the victory Of the Black
L l
took speedy order by Simon, the
arch bishop of Canterbury for a
Thanksgiving service in all the
churches; there was another prOcla-
nation for thanks for the battle of
Agincourt in 1415; Queen Elizabeth
in 1859 issued a Thanksgiving proc
lamation for the defeat Of the Span
ish Armada There are many such
instances in English history and
French history and the history Of
every people with the least title tC
culture-the Pilgrims did not origi-
nate this.
If we limit Thanksgiving to a pub
lie proclamation Of a settled day for
some annual celebration, then Eng
land, by special law, had her festival
in gratitude for deliverance from
the Gun Powder Plot, which was
marked by feasting and games as
we'll as by sermons and song and
PRAYERS: this endured as a national
institution for more than two hum
dred years, but led to excuses and
disorder and was abolished by act
of parliament in 1888. Here is, per-
haps, the model for our Thanksgiv-
ing if any model be needed to graft
fy such fit expression Of popular
desire. The day was Nov. 10.
AS to the Pilgrims; they gathered
in n
after hard winter, and Governor
Bradford proclaimed the first
| Thanksgiving kept by protestant
Christians in America by order OF
the civil authority. but was not this
harvest festival? Is ours a har-
vest festival? Winslow says of the
Pilgrim celebration: Our harvest
being gotten in, our governor sent
four men on fowling that so We
might after special manner rejoice
together after We had gathered
the fruits of our labors.'
But there was no annual event
it was still special expression for a
particular blessing, and it was five
years before there was another, and
then an interval of fifty years, dur
ing which we cannot suppose these
devout Pilgrims were ungrateful or
neglected God. In 1864 Dominic
Brown asked that the festival be
made annual. but his request was
denied.
During the Revolution congress
acquired the habit Of proclaiming
days of Thanksgiving for blessings
and mercies. but there was no more
after peace came from this source
Then on October >. 1889, President
George Washington issued a procla
nation asking for the observance OF
Thursday, November 26. as the day
OF a national Thanksgiving for the
manifold mercies and the continu