Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-11-25
AMERICAN DAY OF THANKS
Last Thursday In November Great
Anniversary.
ORIGINALLY CHOSEN BY LINCOLN

nected However with Harvest of th'
Crops.
You know that next Thursday, No
vember 27, is Thanksgiving day. Yor
know that Thanksgiving day comes
every year and that it comes on tho
last Thursday in November every
year. You know that you have a lo
to be thankful for and that If you arc
not thankful you ought to be. Yor
know that about all some people see
in it is an occasion for stopping worl
for day and going hunting or on q
visit to neighbor or a friend, or tc
eat a turkey or something of thai
kind. But what do you know about
the origin and development Of it.
A day of thanksgiving following the
ingathering of a harvest has been OBJ
served by many nations for number
of centuries. America came to the GUS
tom from England, and the first
Thanksgiving service on this continent
was not held within the bounds OF
the United States, but on the bleak
and rugged coast of Newfoundland. II
was on Monday, May II, 1878 by the
Rev. Mr.. Wolfall, an English minister
who accompanied an early colony from
the mother country. This, it is claim
ed, was the first occasion on which
Christian sermon was preached in the
New World, and the first time the Sa-
crament of the Lords Supper was cell
ebrated. u..
There has been some dispute as to
the actual origin of the Thanksgiv-
ing festival in this country. Mrs. Alice
Morse Earle, in her book, "Old New
England" observes that the first
Thanksgiving was not observed either
by the Plymouth Pilgrims or the Bos-
ton Puritans," but that such observ-
ance was first heard on the New Eng
land shore on August 7, 1907, from the
lips of the Popham colonists at Mon
hogan, Me-, in the Thanksgiving SER
vice of the Church of England.
In tracing the history of the Amer
can Thanksgiving a more significant
event than that recorded by Mrs. Earle
is found in the family 'BiPle Of VII
liam White: "William White married
in We Sd day of March, 1920, to Su-
9annah Tilly. Peregrine White, born
on board we Mayfower in Cape Cod
harbor. Some born to Susanna
White, December 10, 1920. Next day
.;e met for prayer and Thanksgiving
This meeting was not the regula'
Sunday service, for it occurr, d or
tuesday. But there was no feast wor-
ny of special. mention and this is
therefore, not regarded as the origin
uf the American national custom. Th
xact date was December 13, 1921. tn
ecord of the festivities of that occa
ion is contained in a letter write
by Edward Winslow to a friend in
England.
This letter states: Our harvest
being cotton in, our governor sent
four men on fowling that so we might,
after a special manner, rejoice to-
gether after we had gathered the
fruits of our labots. They killed as
much fowl as with a little help be-
sides served the company about n
week. At which times, among other
recreations, we exercised our arms,
many of the Indians coming amongst
us, and among the rest their greatest
King, Massasoyt, and they went out
and killed five deer, which they
brought and bestowed on our governor
and upon the captains and others"
After the arrival of the ship Sue
cess, in July, 1880, came the first
Thanksgiving proposed by the civil au-
thOrities. The first Thanksgiving
proclamation in Boston was issued for
February %, 1880. The winter had
been a hard one. Food was nearly
gone and hunger and scurvy abound
ed. The Success brought the desired
relief and the people gathered to-
gether in their meeting houses and
gave God solemn thanks for their de-
liverance.
For thirty years, dating from 1880,
there were observed by ten Thanks
giving days in Massachusetts. In 1742
there were two proclaimed by Gov
ernor Shirley. Of Massachusetts, and
for long period Thanksgiving days
were proclaimed only at irregular in
tervals and for special purposes.
The first proclamation in New Iorl:
of which we have any definite knowl-
edge was that closing the Indian trou-
bles in 1915. The first national
Thanksgiving Day was observed on
December IS, III, which, after the
surrender of Burgoyne, was appoint
ed by congress as "a day for the
American people to thank God for in
dependence and peace.
The first presidential proclamation
was issued by George Washington,
and the date was November 2S, 1888.
There was some discussion as to the
propriety Of the presidents asking the
people to give thanks for n constitu-
ton of which some Of them did not
approve, but, nevertheless, the last
Thursday in November was set apart,
and the thanks of the nation, united
under the constitution, was expressed