The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-11-25
THANKSGIVING.

THANKSGIVING.
-: Although Thanksgiving is ma
tionally observed holiday, COMPARE
lively few people appreciate it's true
significance and realize the hard
ships which caused the establishment
of the first date.
After the landing at Plymouth of
the Mayflower, the first few years
was period of poor crops, privation
and starvation for the Pilgrims and
it was with many deaths and hard
ships that our forefathers endured
pioneer life. In 1921 prospects SEEM
ed brighter with a good crop and
plentiful supply of meat, so as a day
of Thanksgiving" and prayer, John
Bradford, governor of Massachusetts
colony, set aside November 25 At
the festivities not only white men
but numerous Indian tribes took part
and offered their humble thanks to
God for the bountiful crops and their
! preservation.
1t was in remembrance of the col
onists' "Thanksgiving Day" that
Washington set aside a day as a ma
tional holiday for the purpose Of
thanksgiving which has been follow
ed to the present time with but few
breaks. Consequently, we should
not only think of this date as a holi-
day but should appreciate to the ex-
treme difficulties of our ancestors
which led to it's first observance.
President Wilson, in setting aside
today as Thanksgiving Day this
year, issued the following proclama-
ton:
1T has long been the honored GUS
tom of our people to turn in the
fruitful autumn of the year in praise
and thanksgiving to Almighty God
for the many blessings and mercies
to us as nation. The year that is
now drawing to close since we last
observed our day of national thanks
giving has beel, while a year of dis
cipline because of the mighty forces
of war and of changes which have
disturbed the world, also year of
special blessing to us.
Another. year of peace has vouch-
safed us, another year in which not
only to take thought of our duty to
ourselves and; to mankind, but also
to adjust ourselves to the many re-
sponsibilities thrust upon us by a
war which has involved almost the
whole of Europe.
eve have been able to assert our
rights and the rights Of mankind
without break of friendship with the
great nations with whom we have
had to deal and while we have, as
serted rights we have been able also
to perform duties and exercise priv
ileges of succor and helpfulness which
should serve to demonstrate our de-
sire to widen the offices of friendship
the means of truly disinterested and
unselfish service.
"Our ability to serve all who could
avail themselves of our services in
the midst of crisis has been increased,
by gracious Providence of more and
more abundant crops, our ample
financial resource have enabled us to
study the markets of the world and
facilitate necessary movements of
commerce which the war might have
otherwise rendered impossible, and
our people have come more and more
to sober realization in the part
they have been called upon to play
TN a time when all the world is
shaken by unparalleled distress and
disasters. The extraordinary cir
cumstances of such time has done
much to quicken our national con-
seriousness and deepen and confirm
our confidence in the principles OF
peace and freedom by which we have
always sought to be leaders. We
i r. q
have prospered while other people
were at war, but our prosperity has
been vouchsafed us, we believe, only
that we might the better perform the
function which war renders it i'm
possible for others to perform.
CHOW therefore, I, Woodrow Will
son, president of the United States
Of America, do hereby designate
Thursday, the 25th day of November,
as day Of Thanksgiving and prayer
and invite the people throughout the
land to cease from their wonted oc-
equations and in their several homes