The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1922-11-30
HAD FEAST OF
SPANISH STEW
Brave Burghers of Dutch Town
of Leyden Held Thanksgiy
ing in 1874.
Governor Bradford Has Testified That
the Pilgrims Followed "the Laud-
able Custom of Hoiiand"-Prop-
err Tribute to Red Men.

After the iaudable custom of HOl
land" is Bradford's own description
of one Of the many functions and ever
institutions introduced into America
and set to work at Plymouth. There
was nothing exclusive or selfish about
these beginners of the American
Thanksgiving day of 1921. They made
no profession Of originality or the in.
yention of anything new. They were
as generous in their acknowledgment
Of what the Indians furnished for their
feast as they were to their former
hosts for their courteous entreaty'' re-
ceiyed w,aile in the Dutch republic.
The red men taught the white how
to cultivate maize. 70 make sugar from
maple sap, to visualize the clans by
treading them up and out of the sea
beach and, not least for economic sue
cess. to raise tobacco. Dear Lady
Nicotine enabled the Pilgrims to
send as a present to their Dutch
friends on Manhattan a fine sample of
fuel for the pipe. In fact. tobacco
was their first paying crop for export.
1t is true that Washington Irving
and common tradition here distort
chronology and history for legend, but
1t is Bradford's record that in the
North the Pilgrims were the first rails
ers of tobacco. In all probability, be-
sides the American Thanksgiving, it
was they who introduced the after
dinner luxury of the cigar.
1t is highly probable also that. fol
owing the turkey and possibly cram
berries. and certainly without regard
to cuticIe red or white, the feast end
ed in Il smoker, followed by COMPETE
tive target practice between masters
of the bow and the blunderbuss.
These pious folks followed another
and very laudable gastronomic Dutch
custom which during their ten years
stay in Leyden they had seen and en-
ioyed. The besieging Spaniards in
1874 were c%onsiderate enough to fur
nish Leyden With an occasion for
Thanksgiving day. This was fixed al
he very sensible date of October 4.
of a Thursday in late NOvem-
,er. After William the Silent had cut
he dikes at DeIfshayen and sent mes |
of cheer by the carrier pigeons
o the besieged. the Iceland Water
drove their cannon boats uT to
he city walls. over which they tossed
Dawes and dried herring. These brave
escuers wore on their caps a silver
crescent, called in Dutch a Half Moon,
With an inscription showing preference
,Or the Turk rather than the Span
ard for their ruler. After this SYM
DOL of valor, daring and freedom was
he ship of Henry Hudson named.
1t was the enterprising boy Gijsbert
JornellisOn who climbed put early In
he morning over the wall to find that
he S~paniards had evacuated every one
# their camps and their "a forts. Over
he fires was stewing the h~uts-puts,
agout of e and vegetables smoking
but still untasted which furnished
free dinner on October 4, the day Of
leliverance. 1t made a fine addition
o the dry rations brought by the victO-
Beggars. The exact spot Of the
initial rescue and loaf tossing is
and the original water gate
masonry are still kept In repair.
lear by stands the modern Hall of
Archiyes, in which are more contem-
orary documents of the Pilgrims,
laids, SWANS, fathers and mothers,
18th their signatures, than in all the
british isles.
At once the Dutch made October 4
Thanksgiving day by going to church.
10Th the date and It's significance are
till celebrated, with the eating not of
Irkey and cranberries but of the
stew. After church all the
rides and bridegrooms of the previous
2 months ride in a gala procession Of