Evening star., 1940-11-17
U. S. Owes Its Thanksgiving
7oo 7neIess Woman Editor
Sarah }. Hale Was
Spirit Behind Lincoln
Proclamation
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

Nobody knows whether the Pill
grim women had voice in further
ing the observance of our first
Thanksgiving Day, the fall of 1921
History is mute on the subject. ex-
cept as to their preparation of the
accompanying feast of wild turkeys
and venison with such crowning cul-
nary delights as pumpkin, cranberry
sauce and corn meal pudding. There
is definite record, though, that their
men folk and some fourscore friend
ly Indians brought lusty appetites
to this erstwhile bounteous fare, not
only for the one appointed day. but
for several subsequent ones.
Neither is there indication of any
guiding feminine influence behind
the issuance of the first presidential
Thanksgiving Day proclamation by
George Washington, with its desig-
nation that November 26, 1889, be
observed Ito acknowledge the proN-
dence of Almighty God
But we do know that woman,
Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, first wom-
an editor in the United States in her
position as the editor of Cooley
Magazine, was the motivating link
between this first presidential
THANKSGIVING Day proclamation and
the second to follow it.
This was President Lincolns, with
it's designation of November 26, 1868
Helped Form Public Opinion.
she was the dominant factor in
formulating public opinion to the
point where President Lincoln took
cognizance of it in his resumption OF
the national observance of "a day of
Thanksgiving and prayer first Of
ficially inaugurated by the first Pres
ident of the United States.
In unbroken sequence since Lin
coins time every successive Presi-
dent of the United States has OBJ
served this custom.
Last year and this, President
Roosevelt's Thanksgiving proclama-
tions have moved up the traditional
day of observance from the last
Thursday in November to the one
week earlier.
Mrs. Hale's granddaughter, Miss
Susan Hale, a retired clerk from the
United States Treasury Department,
is living in Washington at 1885
Irving street NV.
From the background of family
history concerning her distinguished
forebear, she says:
Mother of Thanksgiving was the
tribute my grandmother most fondly
cherished. because 1t was largely
through her editorials and inde-
fatigable letter writing efforts in be-
half of a national observance of
Thanksgiving that President Lin
coins Thanksgiving Day proclama-
ton came about. From the time OF
Washingtons administration until
then, its observance had been largely
restricted to New England"
Seward Received Letter.
A fragment of letter from Will
liam H. Seward, Lincoln's Secretary
of State. dated September %, 1858,
and referring to Mrs. Hale's sugges-
ton for a national Thanksgiving
Day, bears out her granddaughter
statement to this effect: II have
received your interesting letter
and have commended the same to
the President"
On October 3, 1868, four days after
Mrs. Hale's receipt of Secretary of
State Stewards letter to her. Presi-
dent Lincoln issued the first ma
tional Thanksgiving proclamation
since the time of President Wash
ington.
But the way by which the lady
editors plea was finally recognized
was not as simple as this.
She began her editorial efforts for
it II years before in 1846. Her
espousal of the project antedated
this by many years.
THE indefatigable letter writing
efforts" in it's behalf, to which her
granddaughter refers. totaled thou
sands of letters. Nor were they In
the form of the mimeographed sheet
or the typed propaganda with which
the public is familiar today. She
wrote them longhand herself, and
each was a distinctly personal letter.
Year after year she called the roll
of the States and pleaded with theil
Governors for the naturalization of
Thanksgiving Day as one more
means of drawing together the
deepening rift in the Nation which
she early foresaw. She kept up hel
opportunities with her creed Of
"Union-Civil and religious liberty