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“What was I before you came?”
Dear, I cannot say,
But I should be naught henceforth
Were you plucked away.
“What am I since you are here?”
Neither that I know;
Origin and History of Thanksgiving
When the year’s varied yield to
man has been gathered and stored,
there comes the beautiful Thanksgiv
ing festival when, with the dying year,
an incense of gratitude goes up to
heaven for the blessing of food for
man and beast.
Thanksgiving festivals are of an
cient origin. They were known among
the Hebrews and the Greeks. In Hol
land the Harvest Home Thanksgiving
has been an annual celebration for
centuries. Many believe the custom
was brought over from Holland to the
United States by the Dutch settlers.
Certainly, it began among the early
settlers of this country. The first
Thanksgiving recorded in United
States history was celebrated by one
of the English colonies on the Atlan
tic coast upon a memorable occasion.
After a long period of suffering from
famine during which many died and
those who survived owed their lives
to the Indians who brought corn to
the white strangers from their scanty
store, the sails of the long-looked for
ship from England laden with provis
ions were sighted at last. At once a
day of prayer and thanksgiving was
ordained in gratitude for the timely
relief.
Throughout Colonial days, Thanksgiv
ing was annually observed in the North
ern states. During the Revolutionary
war Congress repeatedly recommend
ed that a day be set apart, devoted
to prayer and the rendering of thanks.
At the close of the war with England
and at the time the Constitution was
adopted a national Thanksgiving was
recommended —and was annually ob
served in the New England States.
Gradually, the custom extended to
the middle States, then to the West
ern —and finally to the South.
Prior to the Civil war the proclama
tions of Thanksgiving were issued by
the Governors of the several States,
now it has become as it should be, a
national feature, celebrated in all the
Churches by appropriate services and
in the homes, by hospitality, social
enjoyment and family reunion.
IF ONE CROP SHOULD FAIL.
Have you ever thought what loss,
suffering, disease and death would
ensue on the failure of one single
food crop? The wheels of industry
would be clogged, the pulse of energy
and hope beat with feeble throb, ev
ery mortal being the wide world
over would feel the blow.
A second crop failure "would bring
unspeakable disaster —and a third
would nearly end this mortal scene.
What avail would be all the gold of
the world if it could not buy food?
What avail would be the finest ma
chinery, the most colossal factories,
the immense meat packeries and can
neries, the giant agents of steam and
e’sctricity? Behind all these activ-
THE HOUSEHOLD
A Department of Expression For Those Who Feel and Think
Love’s Abasement
By MARGARET A. RICHARD.
CHA T
But my spirit now strives more
Toward the good to grow.
Whatsoe’er I was or am,
This, at least, is true:
I am not half worthy, dear
Os your love and you.
ities and agencies stands man —and
behind him is the great power of life
—food —the products of homely moth
er earth —nourisher of man, beast and
vegetable.
No wonder we give thanks for the
bounty of this all potent earth-moth
er —and give prayers for a continuance
of the Heavenly Mercy that gives
fruitfulness to the soil.
SHALL THE SLIPPER DISCIPLINE
BE DONE AWAY WITH?
It is voted barbarous now to spank
a child. The law of love is the only
one tolerated by progressive moth
ers. But is it the best? Some thought
ful men and women do not believe it
is. Graham Hood says: “I do not
see that the new method of rearing
children has worked any improve
ment. Certainly the children of this
day, are less ready to mind, less re
spectful to their elders and generally
less courteous than even a generation
ago. When I was a boy children was
made to mind —not coaxed and bribed
to obey, and the occasional punish
ment that followed on the heles of dis
obedience was usually of benefit It
impressed on the child the necessity
of doing what it was told to do —and
this is a lesson that every individual
must learn if he expects to make
much out of his opportunities. A child
who has never learned to obey an or
der, but who at six years old has only
been begged and persuaded, will nev
er be his own master at twenty-six.”
We learn the mastery of self by
obeying others. This is the reason
why the lessons of early youth are so
important as a means of molding the
later life. When I hear a mother say
she does not believe in punishment,
but that she proposes to bring up her
children by persuasion and appeals to
their instinctive sense of right, I feel
sorry for the little ones who are to
be thrust upon the world with no bet
ter idea of discipline A child who is
brought up properly must be made to
mind. If the child will not do this
through love or a sense of right, then
sterner measures must be used. If the
necessity of minding is impressed on
the little one in earliest years
obedience will become a habit. It will
not need many applications of the slip
per to fix the habit on the impressible
young mind. As soon as the child is
old enough to disobey deliberately is
the time to begin the disciplinary
treatment.
I would be glad to hear from some
of the mothers of our Household as
to the methods that experience has
taught them is best in bringing up
their children.
A MOTHER’S APPEAL.
I have never read anything more
heart-moving than the appeal of Mrs.
J. E. Durritt of Searles, Alabama, in
behalf of her son, whose letter ap-
The Golden Age for November 28, 1912.
peared in The Golden Age a few weeks
ago. She says “He received his terrible
injury, a broken back, while working
for our support in the coal mines of
Alabama. He was completely paraly
zed from the waist down, but he can
use his hands and he has a wheel
chair. He is industrious and ingen
ious. There are a number of ways in
which he might earn a livelihood if
he only had a little capital. One can
not buy tools to make decorative ar
ticles or things to sell without money.
No one has ever done anything for
my boy, but me. I have cared for him
and worked for him as best I could,
but I am old. I am nearing seventy,
and when I am caned away what will
become of him? If I could see him
on the way to earning support, I could
die satisfied. Will not you Christian
mothers help my boy, and put him in
the way of supporting himself?”
Since this afflicted young man has a
wheel chair and the use of his hands,
it would take but a small sum of
money to start him in some little busi
ness that would be remunerative.
There are many Northern friends who
desire agents to sell toilet prepara
tions, useful domestic articles, and
other things. Orders for these are
taken and the goods are sent by ex
press or more cheaply by freight—
and sold on commission. I know sev
eral young women who support them
selves by their work in this line, with
out taking orders outside their own
small towns.
A short time ago the New York so
ciety for helping shut-ins told of the
many various ways in which these
handicapped ones were supporting
themselves. Two curious instances
were —a sailor, who at sixty, became
paralyzed except his hands. He learn
ed to do beautiful embroidery and
fancy knitting. A girl, who lost her
arms when a small child by falling
into the fire, learned to use tools with
her toes so wonderfully well that she
has become an adept in making fine
furniture. Other women and men dis
abled in their lower limbs make hats,
mend shoes or go from house to house
in their roller chairs, mending pots
and pans (with the simple mendlets)
and doing other jobs of which there
are many to be picked up in the dif
ferent homes.
Wttb ©ur Gorresponbents
BLACK MAMMY AS FIRST AID TO
CUPID.
(“Storiet.”)
I had assisted Claire to pack her
trunks prior to her summer flitting;
and had accidentally discovered in her
possession the photograph of a hand
some young man, a photograph in
which she disclaimed any interest
whatsoever, merely answering my
queries by saying, petulantly:
“Oh, yes, I used to know him, so
long ago, he’s forgotten my existence.
I’m sure”.
The incident escaped my mind till
time for the reopening of the fall term
of school, but instead of Claire’s re
turning to her post as teacher, there
came an invitation to her wedding,
and the happy man was the original of
that good-looking photograph .
And I think the renewal of their
acquaintance deserves recording in the
annals of romance. Claire was spend
ing the homesick summer in New
York city, completing her special
course of study—and was impatient
for the time to turn her steps south’
ward again. One day, on the side
walk, she was greeted by a voice
that was a direct importation from
Dixie’s Land:
“Howdye do, my Young Mistis. You
sholy is my Young Mistis.”
Claire was too puzzled to make any
response.
“Dat’s right, honey, you needn’t say
nothing to your old black Mammy.
She knows you is homesick. And I
is,"too. Law, yes! But I done heard
your voice, and I knowed you is from
the South. Law', I wish I was dar
now. The Lord love your sweet
Southern face. Jes’ does my heart
and my eyes good to look at you. I
never is got used to dese here Yankee
ways and faces. But, honey, let me
take your bundles for you. You ain’t
never had to tote nothing in dem little
hands when you was down South, and
I knows it.”
Claire protested, but in vain.
In her new role of the protege, she
finally acquiesced in black Mammy’s
plan to chaperone her to her room,
and once in the cozy little nest, black
Mammy’s exultation broke forth anew
over things Southern . “Mite know dis
here was the very place where a
Southern woman would call home;
why dem flowers in the window dey
jes’ looks and smells like the South.
Oh, for a breaf of it; my heart’s been
hungry for it many a day! But now
you set right down, my little Mistis.
I’se use to all dese here ’lectric fix
ins and things, and I’ll have your din
ner ready while you is restin’. I know
—yes, and I’ll fix you up such a din
ner, as ’ll make your mouth water,
same’s if you was back in the South.”
The appetizing odors soon had
Claire inspired to set forth her dainti
est table, as if she were preparing to
feast a distinguish’ed guest. Mammy
declared she must just go and get a
little more spice, and as she was re
turning along the hall, Claire heard
her exclaiming:
“The Lord bless me, if it an’t my
voung master. Why Master, you ain’t
forgot your old black mammy and
the way you used to eat my ginger
cakes in Luisyanna? An’ I’se jes’
making some right now. You can
come right in to dinner. Young Mis
tis will be glad of your Southern face
as I is.”
Claire went to the door, and there
unexpectedly met him —neither had
forgotten the other, the early misun
derstanding was soon explained, and
black Mammy could at last really
adopt her “little Mistis” into the fam
ily. FINETA.
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IMPROVING A NEIGHBORHOOD.
The light of every human soul is said
to burn upward, and it must be a
mean man indeed, who does not de
sire a good community as a place of
residence for himself and family,
though comparatively few seem to
realize the power that may be wield
ed by one tactful, right-minded indi
vidual in bringing about this most de
sirable condition.
The Bible cautions men against
thinking “more highly of themselves
than they ought to think” and it is
quite certain that if a man thinks him
self superior to his neighbors and
starts out in a patronizing manner to
elevate them to his own supposed lev
el he will be given the opportunity to
learn wisdom very shortly. Most of
us can recall examples of this kind.
But if he possesses humility enough
to recognize his own short-comings
and will begin to make an honest ef
fort to correct these, he Is more than
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