The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-25
M E N, w O M B N
 A ND HIN G $

mon in England before the reforma-
 ton and among Portestants afterwards. Some historians seem to take sehu- inc pleasure in unsettling popular oe- liefs. During all my boyhood giorieo in Christopher Columbus as the discoV- erer of America, and 14ss is one or the few dates which stick in my 'mino' but now the veriest school boy knows
 the credit belong elsewhere, and am so prejudiced against the new name I'll not give it any publicity. For years when Thanksgiving D@S rolled around and it fell to my lot 'o write something about it, l almost i"- variably stated that the first ceieora ton was held by the Plymouth colony inA 1921. I was on the eve or repeat ing the statement here and using E TUT the opportunity to call attention to the fact that next year would be the 'nree hundredth anniversary, when ono or mv reference books shattered my story. The latest claim being that tno n1S' .hanksxtvins held in North America was conducted by an Ensiish msnisesi named wolfall in the year. 1878, on 'ne shores of Newfoundland l have oRse" been told to Ego to Halifax" but ! never .hought [ would have to do 1t fo set the true account of the origin o1 thanksgiving on the North American continent. It seems that the reverend MT. wolfan accompanied the expedition under Frobisher which brought ene first English colony 10 settle on these shores. This latter statement win' ha doubt. provoke further controversy. But I am not set for the de1ehse oi the disturbers of our historical H. 1usions and therefore it will be idle TOT any one to get into an argument oVe' the matter with me as am full Will ing to let the higher historical critics fight for their own positions without any aid from me. In fact when one gets into the sea of controversy which rages around many dates and persons in his- torv to make an Irish bull" he is wan derins in No Mans Land" and so lar as am concerned can follow any ignss fatuus which may lure him into the quicksands.
 The records of the observances or Thanksgiving Day by Rev. MT. Woiraii of the Frobisher party are thus op- served in the ships log: "on Monday morning, May 27, 157s, aboard the Ayds we received all the communion by the minister of Gravesend and prepared as good Christians towards God ana reso1ute men for all fortunes and to- 1 ward night we departed toward Til- 1 berry Hope Here we highly praysed God and altogether upon our knees rave Him due humble and hearty thanks and Maister Wolfall, learned man, appointed by her Majesty's coun-
 1, ell to be our minister, made unto us 1 godlye sermon, exhorting all especially
 1 to be thankful to God for His strange \ and miraculous deliverance Tn those
 ] dangerous places" etc f l am willing to admit that so far as IT know this was perhaps the first I Christian sermon preached and the first
 I celebration of the Holy Communion in North America; just as l am that the 1 earliest record of any observance Of similar service within the present ter ritory of the United States was held by | the Popham colony settled at Sagada
 l hoe on the coast of Maine in August, | 1eo7. tGetting dangerously close tc | the claim of the Jamestown settle | ment.)
 ] But in spite of the above claims l | am ready to hold brief for the popular date of 1891, as they were mere thanks I giyinx services, which consumed at | best only a few hours allowing full
 | time for the length to which sermons
 ran in those days, but preaching and
 l communion did not color tho whole day.
 | The real origin of Thanksgiving as a 1 day specially set apart for prayer and
 ! rejoicing must be attributed to Cover ] nor Bradford, the first governor of | Massachusetts colony. It was done ir
 l gratitude for the plenteous harvest of
 l 1921, following upon period of great
 depression December 13 told style) of l 1631 being the day.
 l It was not then an hour merely an
 annual affair. but the festival proved
 I but the beginning to frequent days of l thanksgiving in the following years throughout the New England colonies. Sometimes it was appointed once a
 year, sometimes twice. sometimes a ! year or two were skipped, according as
 reasons for giving thanks came up or
 ! not. victory over the Indians, the
 | arrival of ship with supplies of per
 1 sons of special use and quality" or a bountiful harvest, were some of the things which sent the early >cclonists to rejoicing.
 1 It was thanks for the bountiful har- 1 vest which for quite q while made the day of thanksgiving come in August
 It became formal and annual festi- val in Massachusetts in 1884. and SOon | the idea spreaed to the rest of the New England colonies. During the Revolu- 1 tionary war Thanksgiving lost some of
 1, its Now England character. The Con-
 ! tinentai Congress recommended no less 1 than eight days of Thanksgiving. They fell in April. May. July and December 1 The appointments were made in tht
 ] form of recommendations to the heads of the various colonial governments,
 and with one exception, Congress suspended business on the days ap- | pointed.
 l After the revolution the custom
 I gradually extended to the middle states, and later to the west. and more J slowly to the south; but since 1863 it's l observance has been annually recom-
 l mended by the President. Custom prescribes that the date shall be set 1 by the special proclamation of the President, and adds that the date shall