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GEORGIA, NOVEMBER 29, 1934.
HIT hutt.F.R HERALD. BUTLER,
THANKSGIVING Is an ancient
- custom, lint It lias had its
ups and downs. Historians
i i| say that it lias not always
vj noon the universally popular
occasion which it now is
considered to be.
The first Thanksgiving
ceremoniously observed in North Amer
ica whs tlint conducted by Rev. Mr.
Wolfnll, chaplain of tire Frobisher ex
pedition to Newfoundland,, May 27,
1578, and the earliest Thanksgiving ob
servance reported within the present
boundaries of the United States was
that held by the Popham colonists at
Sagadahoc, Maine, In August, l(i<)7.
Hut the first specification of a whole
day of thanksgiving was that pro
claimed by William Bradford, first gov
ernor of Massachusetts Colony of Pil
grims. “in gratitude for the plenteous
harvest" of 1(121. The date was Decem
ber 18, old style.
The festival became an nnnuai and
regular one in Massachusetts in 1084,
and the example so established was
followed by all the other New England
colonies. It was the most Important
feast of tlie year, taking rank nbove
Christinas, of which the Puritans dis
approved.
During the Revolutionary war there
■were at leust eight separate days of
general thanksgiving. George Wash
ington ordered days for prayer nnd
thanks on December 18, 1777, nnd May
T, 1778.
Hut it was not the Fnther of Ills
Country who first conceived the Idea
The Great Day Dawned. The Parade
Was Held.
of a national Thanksgiving day for tho
newly liberated colonies. Contrary to
common belief, it was congress rather
than the first President that was re-
aponsihle. The credit in the circum
stances is due particularly to Elias
Boudlnot. a member of the house of
representatives from New Jersey, who I
on September 25, 1789, introduced a
resolution calling upon “all the clti- ,
sens of the United States" to Join "with
one voice in returning to Almighty Ood
their sincere thanks for the many
blessings he had poured upon them."
The original document is still in the
files of the congress, where it recently
was discovered.
Tlie record shows that the motion
prompted strenuous debate. Opposition
to the proposal was passionately In
tense. Aedunus Burke of South Caro
lina attacked "this mimicking of Euro
pean customs.” Thomas T. Tucker of
Virginia sardonically submitted that
"it might be well to wait for some ex
perience of tlie efficiency of the Consti
tution before returning thanks for it.”
Thomas Jefferson opposed tlie plan for
fear It might Imply a connection be
tween state and church. The fnct was
that Thanksgiving day never had been
accepted In the South. It had been
considered an exclusively evangelical
Abraham Lincoln Was Responsible for
Present Custom.
occuslon, u secturluu festival of the
Congregutionallsts. Tlie Episcopal, or
Anglican, communion would have none
of It.
But it was an Episcopalian who
signed the proclamation when Boudl-
uot’s resolution finally was accorded |
congressional approval. It happened, i
too, that it was the first document of
Its kind ever endorsed by au American I
Chief Executive. November 20 was the
day usslgned, and Washington sum
moned tlie new nation to express grat
itude "for tlie peuceuble und rational
manner in which we have been en
abled to establish constitutions of gov
ernment."
However, the opposition party was
not sutlstied. Jefferson, for one, de
clined to take part in tlie ceremonies,
ills celebrated rival, Alexander Hamil
ton, on tlie other baud, determined to
make a really memorable event of
the festival. With the Imaginative flair
which distinguished him, he visioned a
“monster celebration," with Washing
ton us Its presiding genius. There
should he a great parade, u colorful
und dramatic pageant, an American
equivalent, more or less, of a Roman
triumph. Troops were to inarch, bands
to play, flags to fly, and the multitude
could be counted upon to cheer.
Tlie whole affair, Hamilton decided,
should culminate in a banquet at
Fraunees tavern. To the festal board
lie invited his chosen friends nnd prep
arations for their entertainment in the
grand manner proceeded.
But Mrs. Washington had plans of
THANKSGIVING
DAY
By GEORGE ERWIN BOWEN
1 1 In Chicafo Poll
:e
F OR all the gifts of treasure
That brighten memory
Make now my heart an altar,
O, Lord, where faith shall be.
A little while 1 fretted
When shadows hid the light,
But now I find your kindness
Was patient with my plight.
To all the loving sources
Of blessings sweet I share,
A grateful song uplifted
O'er gentle paths I bear.
For where my heart was baffled
And bitter loss I knew.
This finer faith was gathered
From tempests battled thru.
For ell dear thought of mercy
I’ve learned from cruelty,
O, Lord, a kind apostle
To broken souls I’d be.
As to the blind a leader,
I’d teach the sight I found
When patience gave me gardens
In bleak and barren ground.
For more than life can measure . ■ .
Dear Lord, how shall 1 keep
A sweet or shining portion
While those unnourished weep 7
Whenever Dawn comes smiling—
O give me grace to know
Its promise and be worthy
As with a song I go.
her own. She desired u formal levee
at the Executive Mansion in Franklin
square, uud invitations were dlspntched
to "everybody who was anybody."
Hamilton, naturally, was one of those
whose presence was requested.
The great duy dawned. The parade
was held. The reception followed. Ham
ilton was late iu arriving at the tav
ern, u tardy host at ills own dinner.
To his amazement, the giver of the
feast found his guests had not waited
for him to appear. They hud been eat
ing and drinking for nil they were
worth in Ills absence.
From tlie doorway Hamilton surveyed
tlie scene, ids face scarlet with rage.
Nevertheless, he held Ills tongue for
fear of the “public seuudul" of un out
burst. Silence fell as lie moved across
the room to a pluce at the table. But
tlie inevitable outburst followed.
The next morning Washington sent
for Hamilton und demanded un ex
planation. The younger man apologized
us best as he could, but the older
“called the whole proceedings a dis
grace."
For five long years there were no
Thanksgiving day proclamations, no
Thanksgiving dny celebrations.
In a later period Andrew Jackson
and Znchnry Tnylor refused to order
observance of the festival. Abraham
Lincoln was responsible for tlie pres
ent custom of keeping the fourth or
last Thursday in November ns a na
tional dny of thanks to God.
But it was not until comparatively
years that the people of the en
tire country began to celebrate the an
nmil occasion with enthusiasm.
Our Thanksgiving Day
’ 11ANKSG1V1NG is a day of
glory and substance. Such
a dny it was in tlie begin
ning und it is Imped it ever
shall he. Its glory Is tlie
spirit of thankfulness tluit
pervades tlie hearts of us
all. Tlie substance Is tlie
bountiful supply of food that is ours.
Perhaps these are tlie reasons that
Thanksgiving is particularly a family
day, a day in which nil of the family
are thankful to lie gathered under one
roof once more. Thanksgiving day, ob
serves a writer In Hie Kansas City Star,
was born in that spirit as the Pilgrims
went to church over snowy trails and
returned to eat dinner of wild turkey
from the forest an 1 cranberries from
the nearby marshes.
One may follow the traditional menu
for tlint duy or one may improvise, us-
For the Formal Dinner the Bird Is
Carved in the Kitchen. f
lng the turkey for tlie main theme,
building such variations of flavors
about it that you may have your own
gastronomic symphony so perfectly
planned that your guests will remenv
her your Thanksgiving dinner, for the
particular harmonies of color nnd tnble
need not follow too closely the spirit
of the day. Your decorations may be
thoroughly modern or traditional, as
you please. The bowl of fruits ns cen
terpiece is tlie latter. It may be
flanked by such decorations ns glass
blown herons or silver pheasants.
An Early American ThaiikaKlvIng
Dinner*
Roast Turkey Stuffed
A Pair of Chickens Stuffed and
Boiled With Cabbage and a Piece of
Lean Pork A Chicken Pie
Potatoes, Turnips, Squash, Onions,
Gravy and Gravy Sauce, Apple
and Cranberry Sauce, Oyster
Sauce, Brown and White Bread
Plum and Plain Pudding
With Sweet Sauce Mince,
Pumpkin and Apple Pies
Cheese
No longer does the tnble groan with
food. Tlie modern hostess places very
few viands on tlie tnble. For the for
mal dinner the bird Is carved in the
kitchen and served from that quarter.
For the Informal or fumily dinner the
bird may come to the tnble as the fes
tive dish that graces the board. Turkey
or any fowl may be prepared and
stuffed well iu advance of the dinner.
Chicken, duck, goose or nny fine roast
may be served on Thanksgiving duy.
Your purse, your appetite and the per
sonal tastes of the fumily should be
considered.
My Puritan grandmother swept
and spun
And prayed to Cod on Thanks-
giving Day;
Iter soul content with n work well
done
And her heart too earnest for
pleasures gay.
But I like to think that her irk
some load.
Travail anil labor and urge and
goad.
IF as joy—because she was hew
ing a road
A road that should be my way.
©cm-jlcx}
HE Mortons had moved their
big round dining room table
Into tlie living room by the
lireplnee Just for the day.
"Tlie fire will be so cheerful
for our Thanksgiving dinner
and then we can sit urouud
and listen to the radio,” sug
gested Uorlmie, the younger daughter.
Mrs. Morton was trying bravely to
hide the grief In her heart at the ab
sence, for the first time from their
holiday table, of her son, Tom.
There was un enforced air of cheer
fulness ns they all set to work to lay
tlie forks und knives and make the cen
terpiece of pumpkin and chrysanthe
mums.
Tom had disappeared more or less
mysteriously from tlie home town and
My Puritan grandmother biased
a trail
Anti looked to Coil on Thanks
giving Day,
And how can f dare to shirk or fail
I who have such a debt to pay?
Teach me. Lord, as I kneel in
prayer,
To lift her torch in my hands, to
dare
To keep unsullied anil straight
and fair
The road that she made my
M ' a Y- L. MITCHELL THORNTON
fn American Agricultural
PILGRIMS’ FAST DAY
P REVIOUS to the start of tlie Pi\.
grims from Leyden, Holland, oa
their trip to America, a solemn day
of fasting was decreed, the day be
fore leaving, tlie 21st day of July,
1020. After the landing in pu!
mouth, tile Colonists experienced
great hardships, and ns a means of
evidencing their reliance on it
mighty God u solemn day of fast.
Ing was proclaimed for Wednesday,
tlie Kith duy of July, 1023. On this
day no food wus partaken of from
sunrise to sunset, but the entire
day wus speut in religious obserr-
tnee und prayer.—'Washington Star,
F ♦+**+.!•++++*+++•!• •5-+*4-++4-b
I The First Harvest f
I T APPEARS that in tlie year 1021,
the Pilgrim Fathers were so over
joyed when their first harvest was
gathered in that they held a service
of gratitude to God. The New Eng
land colonists set apart a day for that
specific purpose, and since then similar
services have been held annually, the
last Thursday in November being the
day appointed. In 1S04, Sarah Josepha
Hale, who is tlie reputed author of the
nursery rhyme: "Mary had a little
lamb,’’ advocated the grunting of e gen
eral holiday throughout tlie states on
Thanksgiving day, This was udopteu.
Arranging th* Centerpiece of Pump
kin and Chrysanthemums.
the fumily circle mure than six months
before uud no one, not even his mother
nor his sweetheurt, Beth Arden, Uud
lieurd a line from him. The fact that
he wus u temperamental lad und hud
been possessed with the belief that he
wus a round peg in u square hole hud
led all those who loved him to believe
that lie bad merely disappeared of bis
own volition but hnd not met with uc-
cldent or foul play.
When the big table was fairly groau-
ing under its weight of food und tlie
turkey lay brown and tempting on tlie
platter in front of Mr. Morton’s pluce
there wus not a member of the puny
| who did not want to quote tlie trite old
lines, “There is no fireside, howsoe’er
defended, but bus one vucant chair."
But no one said a word about tlie ab
sent Tom.
"It is so nice to be ineluded in your
fumily party today,” said Beth as she
took her seat.
"We couldn’t think of anything else
with your own family so far uway,"
said Mrs. Morton, kindly.
A geuerul discussion of drumsticks
and turkey anatomy followed as each
of the children tried to be polite nud
yet make It known to father which part
he preferred.
"Tom always liked the part that goes
over the fence lust,’’ piped up Johnny,
the youngest Morton, regardless of the
danger of bringing tears to ills moth
ers eyes.
"He did, dear," said his mother with
trembling voice. But she smiled.
"How ubout a little music while we
eat, son,” said the fnther after he hud
helped himself to what was left of the
bird.
David, the family radio enthusiast,
was only too eager to tune in some
thing and drag forth from tlie air some
of his favorite music.
"Nothing like a little good music to
Jazz up a family party,” lie said, turn
ing the dials with masterly hand.
lie got a station that advertised n
| good dinner program and resumed Ills
sent.
One piece of popular music followed
another with announcements in be
tween and it was not long before tlie
Morton family Imd shaken oil Its haunt
ing loneliness for the absent Tom and
was enjoying tlie progrum und tlie din
ner.
Suddenly came a voice from the loud
speaker—a voice tlint startled every
member of tlie family—nnd Beth. It
wus, undoubtedly, Tom Morton’s voice.
“It’s Tom!’’ said every one.
"Listen!" said Mr. Morton ralslij
a silencing bund.
The voice of the wanderer ca
clearly Into tlie room.
"In the absence of P.N'.D., our i
nouncer for tills hour, who wanted „
Join his family for Thanksgiving tuf
key, I will make tlie announcement!
for W.F.K.”
“But wliut’s he doing? How does hi
happen to be there?" asked tlie lucon
rlgible Johnny.
"No one knows more than you di
Johnny,” said his mother. "Walt an
see.”
"Anyone wishing to request specli
numbers from liny of our artists rnsj
call Shopkius 8883," Tom’s voice sale
after a number of singers had dom
their hit.
Mr. Morton rose quickly und wentt<
the telephone in tlie rear hull.
The family seated around tlie dtvln
dltng dinner wns breathless with Intel
est and excitement.
By tlie smile she saw on .Ur. Mor
ton’s face and tlie truce of tears In hi
tine eyes, the mother knew Hint ther
wns no bad news of her sou.
Mr. Morton sat dowu before he tol
his story.
Tom, It seems, hud become dlssati
fled with his slow progress in the bon
town und wns ashamed to keep (
moving from one fullure to nnoth
and, in spite of whnt he knew w
not tlie right way to do it, he hnd 1(
to try some work lie had always t
would he in his line—managing a si
of spectacular advertising depnrtmf
for a large store.
He had found a berth in n city ne
by nnd hnd been very successful
conducting a radio studio for his ill
He had waited to let his family hi
of him in Just tills wuy because he I
“Listen!” Said Mr. Morton, RaiiMI
Silencing Hand.
that it would muke it u real ThnaF
giving for every one—most of all 1
him.
“And lie’s on his way here now
here In an hour and a half," fin' 8 ' 1
the futher.
“And the turkey’s tall is gone,
! rnented Johnny.
"Never mind. My sou shall lint*
wonderful dinner und—oh, Beth,
will help us to try to hold him, n
! won’t you?”
i Belli nodded a little guiltily- l’ 111 '' 1
she hnd been partly to blame for
disappearance but she would make
1 for it now. Absence had taught
that she loved Tom.
©. McClure Newspaper syndicate.
| WNU Service.
Our Holiday*
| Thanksgiving day comes as near'?
any to being a national holiday.
President’s proclamation calls upon
entire nation for observance of It- ■
it is a legal holiday in every sw te
Utah, where il Is nevertheless obsef'
Holidays are appointed by tl> e ?
1 legislatures uud not by congress,
are, strictly speaking, no nations ^
days, although all states observe •
Year's day, Fourth of July ami h
mus.