Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-11-26
THANKsCIvINGs OF THE PRESIDENTS
wasnon First Proclamation People to Give Thanks
Rational Consttuion-President johnson Fixed
the Feast N November.
By &c. HEMPH1LL

| THIS is Thanksgiving Day by proclams-
! i tion Of the President and OF the Governors
! OF the several States OF the Union. il will be
observed generally by all the people through
out the country and In our islands in the sea-
It is not generally known that there s no
national holiday In the United States, not
even the Fourth Of July" though Thanks
giving Day the Fourth Of July, Christmas
in all the states are observed as such. Sun
days and fast days are observed ms legal
holidays in all the States which designate
them such. In a number of States and In
the District of Columbia there are special
legal holidays, and, in the States generally,
election days are legal holidays. In Colonial
times there were special occasions of thanks
giving among the people, and occasional OBJ
servances OF days set apart by the authorl-
ties for fasting, humiliation and prayer. That
was long before the introduction Of the
tango as the test of intellectual and spiritual
grace, and when men thought more of their
souls than of their socks; when men fell
upon their knees before falling upon the
Aborlgines, an old Joke which has been
worked Off on many a New England dinner
on Forefathers Day for the last hundred
years or so. In the beginning Thanksgiving
Day was observed as a strictly religious feast
or celebrations; but in the progressive times
which have followed the Purltans 1t has been
made over along with Decoration Day and
Christmas to suit the tastes of a forgetful
and irreverent people,
GEORGE wASHINGTON'S first proclama-
VI tion was a Thanksgiving proclamation
1t was issued at New York, October 3, 17Se
and set apart Thursday the 26th day Of No
vember, as the day when all the people OF all
the States should give thanks to God for His
care and protection of the people of this
country previous to their becoming a nation"
and for the peaceable and rational manner
in which we have been enabled to establish
constitutions Of government for our safety
and happiness" and when the people might
offer their prayers and suppcations to the
great Lord and Ruler OF Nations' ito render
our National Government a blessing to all
the people by constantly being a Government
of wise, just and constitutional laws" That
was before the adoption of the primary sys
tenn of elections and before the initiative,
referendum and recall had been recommended
as the surest and best means OF destroying
representative government. General Wash
ington further recommended that prayer be
offered ito protect and guide all sovereigns
and nations especially such as have shown
kindness to us), and to bless them with good |
governments, peace and concord There is |
a fine human touch in the Especially paren-
thesis which the godly people of the times |
doubtless kept clearly in mind in making |
their supplications Six years later General
Washington issued another proclamation
from the seat Of government in Philadelphia |
calling all the people to meet together on |
Thursday, February 10, 1896, to give thanks
to God for the general peace and prosperity |
of the country, and particularly for "the
suppression OF an lnsurreotion which so wan
tony threatened II" in western Pennsyl-
vania.