The St. Johns herald., 1922-12-07
Tbe Spirit of Thanksgiving
 MA AA


 As we read of old time ThanksgiV- ing customs, we realize that the world has been travelling fast since then-away from the simple and the spiritual.
 One of the customs, particularly, was quaint.
 After the Thanksgiving dinner, while the family was still seated around the table, each member was asked to tell for what, in the past year. be was par ticularly thankful.
 These recitals were always reveIa- tions of character. The small children of the family mentioned some material thing, sled or doll, for which they were grateful.
 The older children, those In their teens, were more abstract. They were thankful for the advantages of educa- tion. of family prestige, or their social positiOn-a bit self-centered, perhaps, as is wont with youth in its teens.
 But mother and father, ln their ma turity of years, knew that the greatest blessings of life were health and hap piness, and their recitals of thankful ness alwaya included word of thanks giving that the family had been spared luness and poverty. No thought for themselves, but thankful of sons sue cess in school, and daughters improve ment in controlling her temper.
 The spirit of the day calls for just such touch of spiritual introspection. It keeps alive that family spirit, the joy of an assembled family, the partic- ular source of Thanksgiving to each member, along with the joy of the old fashioned dinner.
 old-Time Thanksgiving.
 A quaint account of Thanksgiving dinner back in 1779, is given in a let ter of one Julianna Smith, written to her dear Dear COQsin Betsey," found In an old diary:
 "This year it was Uncle Simeon's turn to have the dinner at his house, but of course we all helped them as they help us when it is our turn, and there is always enough for us all to do. All the baking of pies and cakes was done at our house, and we had the big oven heated and filled twice each day for three days before 1t was all done, and everything was good, though we did have to do without some things that ought to be used. Neither Love nor Money could buy Raisins, but our good red cherries dried without the pitse, did almost as well, and happily Uncle Simeon still had some spices in store. The tables were set in the Din ing Hall, and even that big room had no space to spare when we were all seated. The Servants had enough ado to get around the Tables and serve us all without oversetting things. There were our two Grandmothers, side by side. They are always handsome old ladies, but now, many thought, they were handsomer than ever, and happy they were to look upon so many of their descendants.
 The Crown of the Feast.
 ''Ther was no Plum Pudding, but a boiled Suet Pudding, stirred thick with dried Plums and Cherries, was called by the old Name and answered the pur- pose. All the other spice had been used in the Mince Pie, so for this Pud- ding we used jar of West India pre- served Ginger, which chanced to be left of the last shipment which Uncle Simeon had from there. We chopped the Ginger small and stirred it through with the Plums and Cherries. It was extraordinary good. The day was bit ter cold and when we got home from Meeting, which father did not keep over long by reason of the cold, we were glad of the fire in Uncle's Dining Hall, but by the time the dinner was one-half over, those of us who were on the fire side of one table was forced to |