The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1927-11-24
nays OF THANKS
FOR GOD 'sMERCYI
ENGLISH CUSTOM
Ours by Adoption
Made a Stated Instead of
Special Day Is Only
Change That Has
Taken Place.

Thanksgiving day, like most of
what we have, is not our own, be-
Ing English in its origin and re-
ceiying merely new significance
rom its adoption. Englishmen
have always followed the custom
Of setting aside days to ccmmemo-
rate public blessings. The dis
coyery of the Gunpowder plot was
marked so and, similarly, special
events have been marked. We have
made it stated instead of spe-
ciaI day and that is all of the Amer
lean character that it has, and it
was not until New England had
been settled so years that it be-
came stated day. and lere 1t was
stated, annual day for long,
long time before it obtained ma
tional adoption in any shape.
The first public thanksgiving OBJ
served by the Plymouth colony was
IN the autumn of 1923. A long
drought was met by a day of fast
ing and prayer. The drought end
ed, abundant rains came, good
crops followed and the Puritans re-
membered the event in thanksgiy-
ing day. Oliver Cromwell's victo-
ries they similarly marked. From
that time until the union with the
Massachusetts Bay colony in 1871,
seven thanksgiving days were OBJ
served.
First Thanksgiving.
The Massachusetts Bay colony
kept it's first. Thanksgiving day as
soon as the last of Governo. Win
thrcp's ships arrived in Boston har-
b0r. $50 now," says the chrOnicler,
aall the whole fleet being safely
come to their port they kept a
public day of thanksgiving, July 8,
1890, to give thanks to Almighty
God for all His goodness and won
derful works which they had seen
on the voyage" Here was the old
English custom of thanksgiving for
a special thing. Nearly every year
after that a similar public day of
thanks was observed in this colony
for some special thing. In 1888 it
was for ''bountiful harvests and a
great arrival of persons of special
use and quality"
Since 100 the annual thanksgiv-
ing has been observed in all New
England, and the clergy with COM
mendable zeal have improved the
occasion to "get in their work. on
topics which the Sunday sermon
would not admit of. 1t is said a
collection of New England Thanks
giving sermons arranged chrono-
logically would be a complete index
and annexation of the social and
political questions that have en-
gagged attention for the last two
centuries.
When Dutch Gave Thanks.
But New England did not mo-
nopolize the custom. The Dutch in
New York gave public thanks on
extraordinary occasions and the
journals of the Continental con-
gress show eight appointments by
that body of thanksgiving days,
recommending to the executives OF
the various colonies the observance,
and with one exception the con-
gress suspended on the thanksgiv-
Ing days that it had appointed.
The Protestant Episcopal prayer
book, ratified in 1889, appoints the
first Thursday of November as a
thanksgiving day unless another
day shall be appointed by the civil
authorities, and it was frequently
observed In New York before the
civil authorities fell into the custom
OF appointing similar days. On sew
eral occasions bishops of the Epis-
copal and of the Roman Catholic
churches have issued letters recon-
mending the observance of such a
DAY and prescribing forms. The
plenary council of the latter church
at Baltimore, in 1885, recommended
mat the observance of the day be
regarded as a church feast, but
nothing further has since been done
concerning it and it stands here
simply as civil observance.
George Washington issued thanks
giving proclamations twice and
curing, John Adams administration
lWo also were issued. Jefferson
would have none of them. In let
Ter to Rev. Mr.. Miller, in 1908, after
setting out that the national gov
eernment was interdicted by the
constitution from intermeddling
win religious institutions not only
oecause of the provision for the
nee exercise of religion, but also
secause of the powers reserved to
Ie states, with which, If with any
human authority, must rest reli-
sious discipline, he says:
But 1t is only proposed that i
sslould recommend, not prescribe, q
say OF fasting and prayer. This is,
Iat l Should Indirectly assume to
ue united States an authority over