Evening star., 1935-11-24

Continued From First Page)
as very sweete and strong" possibly
in the form of beverage.
In the midst of their feaSting and
making merry the colonists had no
| premonition Of the hard times Just
ahead which were to cause a break
in the continuity of American
/ Thanksgivings-if that of 1921 is to
be considered the first-within the year
after the holiday came into being.
The year 1922 was filled with mis-
| fortune. A short time after the first
| harvest festival the ship Fortune
arrived, but bore no particular fortune
to the colony, for she brought more
settlers and left them with no supplies
or provisions.
This did not worry the Pilgrims,
| however, for they thought there was
| enough for all out of the last bounti-
full harvest and glowing accounts of
their situation we're sent back to the
mother country. The result of this was
the arrival of two more shiploads of
| colonists, some very undesirable
persons. They brought no supplies
and soon not only depleted those of
their hosts, but also created so un-
friendly feeling among the Indians
| that the colonistS were afraid to ex-
tend their cultivated acres. The
harvest of 1922 did not match that
which was obtained the preceding
year. and the colonists had neither
the heart nor the food for a second
Thanksgiving at that time.
THE condition Of the colony i'm
proved somewhat in 1923. The
Governor, therefore, named July 80 as
a day of Thanksgiving, and by reason
of this some historians hold that that
day marked the real origin of Thanks
giving day as now understood and
observed in America.
This was a local observance in
Plymouth, but the idea began to
spread and in 1890 Boston had pub
lie Thanksgiving day. In the ensuing
half century there were many pub
lie days of thanksgiving ecclesiasti-
cally appointed in Massachusetts,
usually in October or November, and
in 1877 the first regular Thanksgiving
proclamation was printed.
There was no civil appointment of
a harvest festival in Plymouth Colony
before 1868, although such an observ-
ance doubtless had become customary
in the various communities. But the
other New England Colonies soon fol-
lowed the lead of Massachusetts in
keeping Thanksgiving day and in
Connecticut there is an almost un-
broken record of the holiday since
1647.
Thus" writes May Lowe in her his
tory Of Thanksgiving, though to the
Pilgrims of Plymouth or to the Puri-
tans of Boston may be traced the orr
gin of Thanksgiving day, the civil
authority and constancy of the people
OF Connecticut have brought it down
to US. not as kept in Massachusetts,
Bay and Plymouth Colony as an occa-
slonal day for a special cause, but as
an annual celebration"
DURING the Revolutionary War
the people and the Continental
army observed an annual Thanksgiv-
ing day by proclamation of the Con-
tlnental Congress, but as a national
holiday it disappeared until it was re-
vived by President Washington in
1879. The precedent he set then was
followed occasionally by other Presi-
dents. but its real institution as a ma
tlonal holiday may be fairly credited
to Lincoln.
For several decades the Governors
OF the Northern States, following an
example set in 1917 by Gov. De Witt
Clinton of New York, had regularly
proclaimed Thanksgiving. In the
South, however, Thanksgiving day was
virtually unknown until 1855, when
Gov. John of Virginia. urged the Leg
lsIature to recognize the festival that
ne might issue a proclamation He
was advised against this course by
cltlzens who regarded the holiday as
TOO reminiscent of Puritan bigotry,"
and great dispute arose. Subsequent
ly, in 1857, Gov. Wise, without asking
legislative advice, issued a proclama-
tlon and the people generally cele-
orated With true Southern hospitality.
Inc idea soon spread in Dixie, but
was doomed to early suspension
through the onset of the war.
II we speak of the THANKSGIVING
DAY as a national institution, it dates
back to the Revolution, and the first
was December IS, 1777," contends DR..
Love, but if we have In mind the
annual harvest Thanksgiving day, it
became nationalized through the
adoption of it by the several States
and the first appointment was by
Abraham Lincoln, the 26th of Novem-
Der, 1868"
INCOLN proclaimed d another
Thanksgiving day the following
year, and it obviously was his inten-
ton to maintain the custom. His as
sassination, however, threatened an
interruption for, in 1865, President
Andrew johnson displayed no marked
inclination to follow the example of
his predecessor In the White House.
Pressure was brought to bear upon
him, however, by group of Washing
ton churchmen and johnson issued
the desired proclamation.
However, this was but an incident
In movement which must have re-
suited in the formal adoption of the
institution by the Nation. The sew
eral States were prepared for it. Dur
ing the century that had passed since
the Revolution, the harvest feature
OF the day had become dominant,
and such an institution the people were
glad to receive. Since that time it
has been customary for the President
to issue proclamation annually, ap-
pointing as national Thanksgiving |
day the last Thursday of November, |
and the States have issued their own |
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