The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-21
The Origin of Thanksgiving Day
By ISABEL MARR.

In the records of the expedition un-
 der Frobisher, who settled the first English colony in America, we have this entry:
 "On Monday morning, May 27, 157S,
 aboard the Ayde, we received all the
 communion by the minister of Graves
 end. prepared as good Christians to-
 ward God, and resolute men for all
 fortunes; and toward night we depart
 ed toward Tilbury Hope Here we
 highly praised God and altogether.
 upon our knees. gave Him due humble
 and hearty thanks and Maister Vol
 fall made unto us a goodly sermon.
 exorting all especially to be thankful
 to God for His strange and marvellous
 deliverance in those dangerous places.
 This is one of many prayers or
 thankfulness held during the perilous
 rioneer days. The first authentic fes-
 tival was held by the Pilgrims in 1921.
 During the previous winter they had suffered, the colony had dwindled down to only 55 ". DeLoss Love has this to say of the spring and autumn of 162l
 -''The spring of 1921 opened and the seed was sown ia the fields. They
 watched it with anxiety, for they well knew that their lives depended on that harvest. So the days flew by and the autumn came Never in Holland nor in
 Old England had they see the like. For the most part they had worked a- trades during their exile; they Were now farmers as their ancestors had been. Bounteous nature, with the pride of niiliner at a fall opening, spread all her treasures before them. Their | little p1ats had been blessed by the | sunshine and the showers and round about them was evidence of the Friend l liness of the untitled soil. The wood ravalatian if must have l Leen to them, arrayed in its autumnal garments and swarming with game l which had been concealed from them during the summer. The Pilgrim from over the sea fell in love then and 1 there with New England, and the l bride, clad in her cloth of gold, had been waiting many years for such a 1 suitor. So it happened there was a
 welcome and thanksgiving feast" 1 Tn Mourt's Relation an interesting l account is given of the first real 1 American harvest festival. which Is fla
 miliar to all Americans. Thus the first anksgiving festival was celebrated 1 in America and little by little the GUS l tom has spread and its influence deep- i holiday, proclaimed by the President and reproclaimed by the state gover- ! nors and is usually observed the third or fourth Thursday in November. l The spirit of the festival idea has never been more happily expressed 1 than by George Washington in his l Thanksgiving proclamation in 17Ss. l "whereas, it is the duty of all na- l tions to acknowledge the providence l of Almighty God, to obey his will, to | be grateful for his benefits and humbly 1 impIore his protection and favor; and whereas both houses of Congress have 1 by their joint committee requested me l to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanks 1 giving and prayer. Now, therefore, do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these states l to the service of that great and glor- I ious Being, who is our benificent Au- thor of all the good that was, that is l or that will be. And, also, that we may unite in most humble offering of | our prayers and supplication to the | Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other l transgressions, to render our national | government blessing to all people, to 1 protect and guide all sovereign nations l to promote the knowledge and prac- | tice of true religion, and, generally, tc
 grant unto all mankind such degree | of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.'