The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-11-24

IN an orphans home. began To lear
the real purport of IN. day and Ia
look forward with pleasure 10 lis com
ing IN future years.
IL Is an imposing sight TO sit in \
olning room IN THANKSGIVING Day
Win more than a hundred young peo- !
pie hlled with an exuberance OF m!rth |
mere Is, too. occasion for that ahuua-
ance or mlrth. for Thanksgiving Day
IN an orphans home. as we'll a. IN
most private homes. Is one Of the days
OF rare festiyities-the material evi
dence OF the existence offs uch a DAY
II Is a real thanksgiving day with the
orphan, for school is suspended. to-
gether with the work hours. and in
general the machinery tfor. indeed. an
orphans home IS one big machine, is
at a ~stands,ill. This suspension of
duties. together with the big spread
or daintieS, is enough to cheer the
physical inwardness of any one.
Clearly Is recalled the dinner hour
on this first THANKSGIVING Day. Not
Tor the sole reason the twenty big la
bles loaded with good things 10 eat
was the most imposing sight / had
ever seen. but there were other inn
pr~eSsions which filed a void that food
could not satisfy. There was a long
service just preceding the serving Of
dinner. The service was conducted
- NHiS GIN IL III
there was something exceedingly i'm
pressive in it--impressiye more, pos
Slbly. because OF the personally i'm
piled impreSSiveneSS OF the genial old
gentleman. As he stood and talked
before the big family, of boys and
girls, their matronS and teachers. 10
me was painted an imposing picture.
After he had read his selection from
the Great Book. we remember in his
he talked of the things for
which We all should be thankful. He
spoke Of the great institution in which
We were living. and the many friends
n by their support. had made the
institution possible. Sickness had had
no serious effect IN the home dur
ing the year, and at no time had there
been a necessary want, but that had
been supplied. He enumerated the
many destructive obstacles that had
been removed from, or had been pre-
vented from entering, the home. and
he emphasized the thankful attitude
that everyone should possess on that
particular day of Thanksgiving. Doubt
less everyone. young and old, went
from the la that day to the bis
dining hall and sat at the tables
spread with bountiful remembrance:
of friends with a more gratuitious ap.
probation Of those remembrances.
Second Thanksgiving Anniversary.
The days and weeks and month
passed. and my second Thanksgiving
: Day came after much gleeful anticipa
ton, for | had then learned TO y
, ciate an orphans home Thanksgiv
: ing. | thought Of the holiday and o
the good things which would he en-
joyed in the big dining hall. The pc
riOd between this and the otheI
g THANKSGIVING Day had been filled Will
S innumerable events. | a grown u,
- in tho homo and had Iaarnaj fn lew
it. The association with other boy
G about my size had been pleasant t
. me. The little skirmishes and quar-
S relS with various ones had been o
only momentary duration and ha'
: been lived through and forgotten.
o Upon this second Thanksgiving Da-
there was the i'm pr~essiveness that ha'
e characterized the one preceding il
. Many are the experiences on has i
an Oh phanS home, and many Ia,
T been the experiences during the year
In the chapel that day we boys an
a girls were reminded Of many of on
experiences, and probably there wa
not one who allowed his or her min
TO wander to the big dining roor
and the heavy-laden tables until tn
o kindly silvery haired superintendent
a had finished his discourse. Durin
e the year a disastrous fire had visite
the home. The laundry had bee
burned and with 1t hundreds OF DO
n lars worth OF clothing. 1t was a SER
h Gus loss and the luxuries and some
le the necessities Of the home life ha
i. to be dispensed with. Christmas ha
IS followed the fire by a few days ar
le there was not the usual grand displa
le of the things that make a real Chris
mas for the young. Indeed the fiji
es had been q great catastrophe to l
children. Our pleasures had bee
r, sacrificed to a great extent. and TT
st mention of the disaster revived an il
w ward soreness. But we heard the goo
IS superintendent tell how much great
the disaster might have been It ha
lg occurred in the dead hours Of Il
ID night While every child in the hon
I'd slept. and no life was in danger of b
sc ing consumed in tie flames, Whit
might otherwise have beer possibl
en- We had never thought Of being than
TO full in such a deep SenSe-thankful f
xo things that might have baDDened "