The Coolidge examiner., 1933-11-24
BY ELMO SCOTT WATSON

SIX ten Americans why do we cele-
A brate Thanksgiving on the last Thurs
WA day in November?" and nine of them
-NN4=y probably will answer why. that's
IE-SWX because the Pilgrim Fathers who es-
- y tablished it celebrated 1t then" And
| that, like so many OF our popular
~ ~ beliefs" is only haf-truth. at best.
It's true that the Pilgrim Fathers were
principally responsible for Thanksgiving day be-
ing a red-letter day on our calendars But it's
elso true that we owe the establishment OF
Thanksgiving day as a national holiday on GER
tain date Certain TO the extent that II always
occurs on the last Thursday in November) main
ly 10 two persons. a man and woman, to Abra-
ham Lincoln and Sarah Josepha Hale.
But before discussing their part in the matter
OF establishing this popular national holiday,
let's check up a bit on the history OF the de-
velopment of Thanksgiving. The story of the
first New England Thanksgiving, from which our
present-day celebration Is a direct descendant,
IS familiar TO all Amercans-how that first
winter of the Pilgrims in America had been a
terrible one of cold and sickness which had left
only 55 of the little company of 101 alive when
the spring of 1921 came around, how all through
the summer they watched with the greatest
anxiety the progress of the crops they had sown,
and how when autumn came there was a boun-
tifu harvest.
Then. according to Mourt's Relation. or Jour
nal OF the Plantation at Plymouth: "Our har-
vest being gotten in. our Gouvenour sent foure
men on fowling, that so we might after more
special manner rejOuce together. after we had
gathered the fruit of our labOurs; they foure in
day killed much fowle. as with little
helpe besides served the Company almost a week,
at which time amongst other Recreations. we
exercised our Armes. many of the Indians COM
ing amongst us and amongst the rest their
faSfK Mass
whom for three dayes we entertained and
feasted and they went out and killed five
Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and
bestowed on our Gouvernour, and upon the Cap
taine. and Others"
The popular view is that this first Thanks
giving was the beginning of series of such
celebrations every year But the fact is that
the following year. l622. no such observance oc-
Cured. In 1923 day of thanksgiving was held
but rot in the autumn and not in connection
with the harvest 1t was observed July &c
and had to do with the safe arrival of ship
load of provisions from England.
From then on for decades Thanksgiving was
observed in most irregular fashion. Some years
were skipped: some years he'd more than one
ceebration-sOmei;mes for the arrival of ships
more often for victory the Indians, as in the
instance of quelling the PeQuots in 1887 and the
defeat of King Philip in 1876. 1t was not until
the first recorded formal Thanksgiving proc
lamation.
During the Revolutionary war the people and
the army observed an annual Thanksgiving day
by proclamation of the Continental congress. but
after peace was declared it was discontinued
until 17S9.
In that year a new element came into the
observance of Thanksgiving and one which has
survived in the present celebration. That was
the Presidential proclama ton Of a Thanksgiving
day for the whole nation and it was George
Washington, the first President. who issued such
a proclamation setting aside Thursday, Novem
Der &c, 1889, as the day.
1t so happened that Thursday. November 20
I7S9. was the last Thursday in November thai
year and that fact to have an important
bearing on the later history of Thanksgiving
day as we shall see farther on In this article.
But although Washington was the first to issue
Presidential proclamation for a nationa
Thanksgiving day. he did not establish prece
dent which was followed consistently During
his second administration, he again issued
Thanksgiving proclamation. On January 1, 1875