The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-19

is regarded by practically all as an inalienable right to surcease from toll and a chance to have a good time.
 Tenaciously the churches have clung to the religious significance of the day, many denominations holding beautiful services, as has been the custom for great many centuries, and this atmosphere of the day. appreciated by so many is again coming to the fore, but the after noon of Thanksgiving day seems in-. dicated to he for all time an occasion of less sober celebration.
 As the love for outdoor sport and to excel physically developed in America an atmosphere of contest crept into Thanksgiving Day. Freed from work and with little else to do, the hardy outdoorsmen of Amer ica organized hunting parties for Thanksgiving day, as they do yet and because of the difficulty in bag ging a wild turkey, the gobbler be- came a target throughout the land. As the bird was found everywhere in earlier times, he was marked as the symbol of the contest on the holiday and despite the near annihilation of the wild turkey, an industry, prac- tically, has grown because of the de- mand for the particular bird that has d those who take part in it. Other forms of the finer game of North America have practically disap- peared, the bison, for instance. but the wild turkey was captured, do- mesticated and very probably in De- tober, before the November axe falls, actually outnumbers annually the wild turkeys that formerly were the source of supply.
 
 Turkey Prerequisite.
 At any rate, Thanks giving without turkey at dinner is like q wedding without a bride, an incomplete and distressing situation.
 As the wild turkey disappeared and the domestic bird took his place, as other game was decimated, man kind turned more attention to his physical prowess, athletic contests taking the place of hunting in com nuhities where there was little game, and so rival individuals and organl- cations chose the holiday of Thanks giving for their events, assured of many spectators.
 From a few scattered colleges in the more thiclily populated centers of the land, football developed, visitors saw the play, spread the news, and as the wild turkeys vanished. the wild halfbacks substituted for them. Dissatisfied with the loss or the Thanksgiving Day football game with an ancient rival, the colleges that had teams took on other schools earlier in the season, until today there is scarce an educational insti- tuition for males In all the land that does not have a schedule of at least eight games. For many years, es- pecially up to some 15 or 20 years ago. the Thanksgiving game was the one big game of the year, saved for the last. and the most worthy foe sought for the occasion. Even today many of the big colleges save their teams for the big battle on turkey day, little realizing that the delicious meat of the bird the play CTS eat after they have played IS more truly the symbol of their cele- bration than they realize.
 Birmingham has made great prepa- rations for Thanksgiving Day, the shops show a wealth of merchandise suitable for that season, and butcher shops are taking in orders for the birds for which there is such d de- mand that the price scars beyond all reason as the festal date approaches.
 According to the time-honored GUS tom. the President of the United States. but a few days ago. issued the annual expected proclamation, which was echoed by the governors of states and the mayors of cities
 The last Thursday in November according to custom and regardless of the calendar, is Thanksgiving Day.