The Monticellonian., 1917-11-23
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W4eM1I Denlnd the DattIe front Where
 the French and British are hammerfng back the invading Germans. and General Pershings boys are begin ming to "go to it" all up and down their lines of communication at all their training camps; at their naval bases and depots; wherever there are Americans in uniform-there Uncle Sam's boys will be eating turkey and cranberry sauce, and listening to ser mons by the.r chaplains on the last Thursday of November this year.
 France has never before been in close touch with this, the most char acteristically American of all our hol- idays. Of course their Christmas, their Easter, their New Years Day, and their various church festivals, corre- spond to our own. They have an ade- 4uate understanding even of our Fourth of July, for it is close akin to their own Fourteenth of July, the an aiversary of the fall of the Bastile and the dawn of real liberty in France.
 But Thanksgiving Day has always been Uncle Sans own private and per sonal fedst day, in which nobody else had part. It had its origin in no great international, nor even national, event. At first 1t was not really Amer . lean in scope, but was confined to the few hundreds of religious enthusiasts who fixed day of public devotion and ! thanksgiving for deliverance from h. dians and cold and hunger.
 Even the materials for the feast were indigenous to America. Despite his name, which would seem to indicate an oriental origin, the turkey is na- tive of America, and was unknown in fine domain of the sultan until import ed there. The potato, which plays minor but very important part at the feast, though later adopted by Ire hand, was discovered In America. So { WAS corn, which in one of its many forms usually makes 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 1t back to England
 Further, the American manner of celebrating this most American of all days has never been of 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 refrain from any great public demon stration, and to give thanks in his own way and eat the meal in the privacy of his own family. The only notable seeming exception to this is the insti- tuition called the Thanksgiving Day games of the college football teams. But this is no real exception. The games themselves are always amateur affairs. primarily for the students themselves, and after the game every student who can possibly get home goes into retirement with his family 2 for the great aQd solemn feast.
 # This year war)has brought change. ' Young .lsm1ncaiHs to the number of 20,- eo0-or is it 300,000? Nobody knows. or Is permitted to say if he does know are in France 5000 miles from the family circle and the accustomed tur- key. Most Americans had little hope that the day could be observed at Che front, but General Pershing thought otherwise.
 .sThe boys shall have their Thanks giving Day" said the general
 That was all, but 1t was enough. It showed that the general had thought 1t all out beforehand, and that turkeys and cranberry sauce and all the fix ins' ;" for the feast, had been provided months before. Without doubt there will be football games, for many of the country's famous gridiron stars are wearing the khaki. And Uncle Sans boys will sit down to their Thanksgiv- ing Day feast, their bodies in France, but their spirits in the old home cir cle, with those whom they have gone forth to defend.
 And France-What of her? It is her first experience with the Yankee hol- iday. But it will fit her ease exactly. Thanksgiving Day had its origin in the religious spirit of gratitude for deliv- erance from very real and pressing danger. France today is full of that same spirit of thankfulness. for the presence of those clean-iimbed, square jawed, clear-eyed young Americans is the guarantee that France will be de- -~~~~--~~~~~~~~o~~~-~