Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1917-11-23
Our army b France uuu cee.
brAte the occasion f4mgb and
tell their French comrades its
significance - This Yankee
Feast Dy' uM be adopted
BY nations oar great Red IS
Cross organization Is help
ing TO fight starvation, disease
"a exposure - y

I'd exposure y y
81 RANCE is adding y new f.as
S@~K uay to her observation-disclosures
giving Day, All along the lin,
S oehlnd the battle front where
the French and British mr.,
h"uliherlng back the invading Germans
ana General pershing's boys are begin.
'n"E To go to it, all up and down
'helr lines Of communication nj NH
t'clr training camps; At their naval
n"ses and dcpots; wherever there are
A'lerlcanS In unlform-therc Uncle
SANS boys will be eating turkey md
Ni"''oerfy sauce, and listening 10 ser.
mons by their chaplains ON the last
thursday of November this wear.
france has never before been IN
close touch with this, the most char
ac'eFlstically American of nil our hoI.
.u"!S' or course their Christmas. their
E"S'er' their New Years Day, and
'heir various church festivals. CORE.
-
Spohu TO our own. They have an ade.
guate understanding even of our
rourth OF July, for 1t is close akin to
l'e'r own Fourteenth Of July, the an
n'ersary or he fall of the Bastile md
Tue GAVIN OF real liberty In France.
but Thanksgiving Day has ALWAYS
oeeh Uncle Sans own private and per
sonar feast day, in which nobody else
h"u Il part. 1t had Its origin In no
great international, nOr even national
event. At first 1t was not really Amer
can IN scope, but was confined 10 the
rev hundreds of religious enthusia sts
VINO liked n day of public devotion and
thanksgiving for delIverance from In
dlans and cold and hunger.
Even the materials for the feos t ware
indigenous TO America. Despite his
name which would seem to indicate
an oriental origin, the turkey Is a ma
i've OF America, and was unknown in
inc domain OF the sultan until import
Ell mere. The potato, which plays n
MINOR but very important part Mt the
ieaSt' though later adopted by Ire
lahd' was discovered In America. So
was corn, which In one of its many
FORMS usually makes n part OF the
meal. And even the tobacco which
Follows the meal In most homes, was
not known outside Of America until
Sir Walter Raleigh and his compeers
TOOK IL back to England.
Further, the American manner ~
celebrating this most American Of nil
Gays has never been Of a nature TO
call the attention of other nations. or
of their citizens visiting here. On this
day Of all days the American has been
wont to retire from public gaze, TO
from any great public demon
stration, and to give thanks In his own
way and eat the meal In the privacy Of
MS W family. The only notable
seeming exception to this Is the insti-
tuition called the Thanksgiving Day
games OF the college football teams.
this Is no real exception. The
games themselves are always amateur
%lilairs, primarily for the students
themselves, and after the game every
who can possibly get home
goes Into retirement with his family
'or the great and solemn feast.
This year war has brought a change.
Dung Americans to the number of 90
Is It 100000? Nobody knows.
'r Is permitted to say II he does know
In France, 5000 miles from the
amily circle and the accustomed fur.
icy. Most Americans had little hone
the day could be observed M the
ront, but General Pershlng thought
otherwise. ,
The boys shall have their Thanks
living Day." said the general. ,
That was all, but It was enough. II {
howed that the general had thought
all out beforehand. and that turkeys
nd cranberry sauce and all the "6x- /
1s'' for the feast, had been provided {
lonths before. Without doubt there
Ill be football games, for many Of the T
ountry's famous grldiron stars are #
the khaki. And Uncle Sans A
oys will sit down to their T~hanksgtv- O
x Day feast, their bodies in France. c
ut their spirits In the old home cir. @
.e, with those whom they have gone c
nth to defend. /,
And France-what Of her? II is her fl
rst experience with the Yankee hol- y
lay. But 1t will fit her case exactly. II
thanksgiving Day had It's origin in the
spirit Of gratitude for deliv- h
'ance from very real and pressing II
niger. France today is full of that ell
'me spirit Of thankfulness, for the al
essence of those clean-limbed. square II
wed, clear-eyed young Americans Is vi
e guarantee that France will be de- +