Show Everybody's Thankful but Tom Turkey And the And the Guy That Prints Your Calendar By BOB Released by Western Newspaper New Union Thanksgiving Day in most states of the Union will be November this year Dig down deep into your old trunks up in the attic and find yourself a calendar of a few years ago Then turn to the thel eleventh l page p gE November See Sec that red number staring at you on the last Thursday No matter where a person lived in this country he saw the same date marked with red But this year that is dif dif- d ferent Some calendars place Thanksgiving on the and some on the Other com com- companies companies companies imbued with a deep desire to remain strictly non- non nonpartisan nonpartisan nonpartisan partisan failed to mark either date or else printed them both in red Printers were placed In hi such a dilemma only once before in this nations nation's history That was back in 1705 when the scheduled Thanksgiving ing ug date was shifted around due to molasses But B t more of that later fater For many years It has been the custom for the President of the Unit Unit- United United ed States to proclaim the last Thurs Thurs- Thursday Thursday day of November as Thanksgiving day For years it was an established established Ih hed date Vacation plans school holidays and even big Intersectional and traditional grid contests were arranged for this date Request for Change Then last year President Roose Roose- Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt velt surprised the thc nation by issuing his famous move it up a week proclamation It all happened h this way Lew Hahn general manager of the National Retail Dry Goods asso asso- association association clation wrote Harry Hopkins sec sec- secretary secretary secretary of commerce a letter The letter ultimately handed to President President dent Roosevelt read Retail merchants throughout the United Uni d States who are through the nature of their business obliged to I plan Dlan well In advance are consid consid- considerably considerably I disturbed at the moment over the possibility of the pre pre- Christmas period proving to be a week shorter this year than normal It seems impossible to interest the he general public in preparations preparation for or Christmas until the Thanksgiving ing mg day observance is out of the way and inasmuch as it is taken for or granted that the President will issue his bis Thanksgiving day procla procla- proclamation proclamation mation for the last Thursday of the month November 30 this will mean that all the great volume of Christmas business will have to be trans transacted within the period of three weeks and two days As of course you know the prep prep- preparations preparations which the American people make for the Christmas holiday play playa a tremendously important part in inthe Inthe inthe the economy of the nation I think it is no exaggeration to say that from 12 to 15 per cent of the entire business of retail stores is transacted in the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas Pro Christmas Shopping I 1 have not sufficient temerity to seek seck to influence the President of the United States in connection with the Thanksgiving day proclamation but it seemed to me that I should point out to you the situation as it itis Itis itis is and to say that if any relief could be secured it would be not only good for business but for the public t well wen Mr Hahn was just as surprised as you or I when the President an an- announced announced that he intended moving Thanksgiving day ahead from the 4 WE PROE 1 I e Cant Uve e l I II V Ya R F 1 r. r yF Jr w I Y c y f g These photos would have you l 1 believe that even the turkeys themselves are doing some right serious protesting about dual Thanksgiving Days In the 4 tr Tit above picture little Shirley Ann S. S year old granddaughter h- h ter of o a Florida turkey farmer armer a alast last IC t year staged a strike for her cab 1 turkey pets Turkeys at right w went on similar strike against f. f an Illinois farmer thirtieth of or November to the twenty- twenty third He had had no idea of the move until notified by the thc news news- newspapers papers Mr Hahn a staunch Republican Is Js 58 a resident of Ridgewood N. N J. J J and is an enthusiastic golfer Store Executive In 1928 he hc was made president of ofa a store 29 chain of department stores In 1932 he was appointed to the Industrial board of He also was on the Roper advisory board for the department of com com- merce His work with the brain trust completed he returned to his position in New York as general manager of the National Retail Dry Goods Go ds association That's the picture of the man whose letter persuaded Mr Roosevelt Roose Roose- Roosevelt Roosevelt velt to give the turkey one week less lessof lessof lessof of life f t a q Those Those first Thanksgiving days were big events on the social cal cal- calendar calendar of pioneering New England Our historians tell us that the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 in Plymouth and were for the main gastronomic wows pow-wows held largely for shrewd diplomatic conferences with the the ready warpath Indians Pumpkin pie and plum pudding were the savory in in- invitations invitations that lured the redskin from his wind swept tepee down to the festive laden boards of the Pilgrims No Official Date While the Pilgrims set aside this day to greet their men fellow and give thanks for the crops there was no official date set for the ance In Boston 10 years later la er hungry colonists lined the shore eagerly scanning the sky-line sky for a sight of the ship that had left for England six months before Food was low moral was low the governors governor's wit however was running on full steam He gathered them together and in order r- r rf f to preserve what what little food they had hod left declared that there should be held a day of fast to seek the Lord by prayer and fasting that he might hasten the voyage of ol the saving life ship bearing provi provi- Towards evening on the day of ot fast fas a tree top observer gave a ashout ashout ashout shout of joy A speck in the dis dis- distance tance a sail Mindless of the wind and spray that flew fiew over them the colonists gathered on the line coastline coas and shout shout- shouted ed cd In joy as the speck grew larger and larger Hunger unger and aad Tummy Ache The next day the pangs of hunger in the stomachs of those settlers turned to the gnawing pains cf tummy ache as the governor or or- ordered ordered dered a spontaneous Thanksgiving day and handed out provisions enough for all That first Boston Thanksgiving day Incidentally was held on Feb Feb- February February February 22 over a century before the birth of George Washington the father of his country Premature but prophetically enough cause for Thanksgiving In the Inthe the years that followed Thanks Thanks- Thanksgiving Thanksgiving giving days were observed but not I annually Several times there were I lapses in between years When Thanksgiving days were finally held they were marked by some special reason such as good harvests de de- deliverance deliverance liverance from small pox good goodweather goodweather goodweather weather and prayer for deliverance of the danger to their frontiers In 1705 after Thanksgiving days had been pretty well established the town of in Connecticut postponed Thanksgiving one week due to a deficiency of ot molasses The shortage was tragedy since in those early days molasses was a n sym symbol symbol symbol bol of Thanksgiving day just as Easter eggs symbolize Easter to the I kiddies and candy striped canes rep rep- represent I resent Christmas I Too Much Molasses 1 I This postponement caused the old old- older older er Puritans to lament the fact tact that I Thanksgiving day was wa fast becom become becoming becoming ing so much a thing of molasses and other good eatables and so lit lit- little little littie tle tie a day of solemn religious cere cere- mony During the thc Revolution continental congress appointed Thanksgiving days which variously fell in April May July and December From 1784 to 1789 there were no Thanks Thanks- Thanksgiving Thanksgiving giving days but In the latter year congress recommended to George Washington that a day be set aside for Thanksgiving that Americans might give thanks to the Almighty that the Constitution of the United States had been adopted George Washington In 1795 set aside December 18 as Thanksgiving day that we might thank Him that the thc Insurrection had been sup sup- pressed There is no record as to toI I what the goods dry merchants of that era said or wrote to him In 1816 President James Madison Madi Madl Madison son urged congress to name a Thanksgiving day in honor of peace In 1863 Abraham Lincoln received and acted upon a suggestion to make the Thanksgiving day an annual af af- af fair He recommended the same to I congress congress and and advised that it be beheld beheld beheld held in November It has been a 0 November day ever since And so on November 21 of this year by proclamations proclamation of the thc President President dent and the governors of the vari vari- various various ous states turkeys will end their day on platters surround surround- surrounded ed by steaming potatoes gleaming cranberries luscious pumpkin pie I I and all the trimmings that go g along to make Thanksgiving day the feast that it Is A few fc i states will continue to ob observe serve Th J i on November 28 while several as they did last year will observe two ings Pity the poor turkey |