Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1915-11-24
THE FAMILY THANKSGIVING.

IN earlier DAYS, when ThankSglv-
ing Day was first observed locally
for it was not observed nationally
until the days of Lincoln-it was
mainly family and church matter
All the good people of New England,
where the institution originated,
went to church and heard a Thanks
giving sermon. In this they allow
ed the minister more latitude in dis
cussing public questions than was
allowed on the Sabbath, says Walla-
ces Farmer.
After church, the family gathered
at the home of the parents or grand
parents, and with appetites sharpen
ed by the fast during the long SER
mon and the long prayers, and the
ride or walk afterwards, they sat
down to table on which every good
thing, gathered from land or sea.
that mother or grandmother could
think of, was presented in lavish
abundance, and in appetizing shape
The turkey usually was the center of
the feast; and the small boy, who
had looked forward to it for a month
was greatly surprised to find how
wide a gap there was between his
desires and his capacity. The whole
family, as far as possible, was there
hn 4
children and grandchildren-and it
was the great day of the year
Thanksgiving Day is now not so
much of a family affair as it used to
be. Under our conditions, families
become widely scattered. The sons
move to distant cities, to Canada or
Minnesota, to the northwest or Cali
fornia. perhaps to the south The
daughters marry and are scattered
Hence, it is not often possible to
have this yearly family gathering as
it was in the olden time.
! 1t is great pity that this is so;
for it interferes with the mainten-
ance Of the family unit, the develop
ment of the family ideal, and the
crystallization of the family ethics
and conduct. For every family ought
to have code Of ethics. some great,
big things for which it stands, and
below which standard each member
of the family feels it disgrace to
fall. We know of nothing short of
Regeneration that does so much to
brace up the character as this idea
that the family for generations has
stood for certain things, and that it
would be disgrace for any member
of the family, young or old, to fall
below this standard in practice.
Something, however, can be done
and should be done to preserve this
family unit, so important to the FAM
| lily itself and to its influence upon
If the members of
the family are separated by long
distance. they can at least write, and
every Thanksgiving Day should be
rich in mail, letters sent in time" to
be read to the family at the Thanks
giving dinner good, old-fashioned
letters, not businesslike letters, not
such letters as this.
Dear Folks:--I hope you are
we'll. We are we'll. ] am working
hard, but business is poor. Sorry L
can't be with you this year. Your AFT,
Jack -....
That's better than nothing, but not
very satisfactory. Rather let it be q
long letter, written in detail, telling
what Johnny said the other day,
how Mary is doing in school, how
Tom is doing at college Tell about
the baby's latest tooth, or the first
step he took. Show that you think
about the old home, and days that
are past. Write letters that touch
the heart and make us feel that after
all the family is one, though widely
separated, and each member still
standing for the ethics, the code OF
morals and practice, that have dis
Itinguished the family in the past.
We notice a great diffexnee sin
families. Some families hang to-
gether. One may be rich, another
comparatively poor. One may ride
in limousine, and the other in an
lold-fashioned carriage. One may
wear fine clothes, the other very sim
pie ones. They may necessarily move
in different circles of society. But the
tie of kinship should disregard all
this, and they should feel that, after
Iall. they are of one family and have
ia common ideal. These families keep
together whether they meet often or
not. They cherish the same ideals,
stand for the same practice. Other
families seem to have no cohesion at
all. When the boys grow up, and
the girls marry, they allow differen-