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Show THANKSGIVING DAY. With tho possible exception of Thanksgiving day in 101S, no corresponding corre-sponding day in the history of the Vnited States has fouud the people as a whole with hearts more abundautly filled with gratitude than they are, today. to-day. Last year there was an especial cause for thanksgiving the terrible war in Europe had been brought to a close only two weeks previously. Probably Prob-ably never again in all time will there be occasion for the American fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, wives and husbands to lift grateful cyvs to heaven such as there was twelve months ago this duy. Since then there lias been time for reflection. Thousands of times it has occurred to the mind of every man that Americans have cause to be thankful thank-ful that our country did Dot suffer more from the war than it did. The summer has produced bountiful grain harvests and the autumn an abundance abun-dance of fruits. America has been given the opportunity of helping other and less fortunate peoples. We have contributed of our plenty to the hungry hun-gry of other nations, and have supplied sup-plied thoe nations with the means of once more making them independent and prosperous. America enjoys the unique position of being a disinterested international philanthropist. Industrial unrest in our own country coun-try serves to detract somewhat from what otherwise would be a universal rejoicing. Yet, t'ne people have confidence confi-dence in the great minds of the country coun-try and they know that those mind9 are bent upon 3 solution of the problems prob-lems which confront us. and that, sooner soon-er or later, peace will be reestablished, and that upon a basis of permanenoy. In America the fir?-. Thanksgiving proclamation was issued by Governor Bradford to the Pilgrims. In 1621 tho early settlers were exhorted to give thanks for the "blessings which they enjoyed in their new home. From that time until 1917, the date of Thanksgiving Thanks-giving remained uncertain, depending upon the progress of the harvest. Its celebration waa not general among the people of the colonies or the states and in many years it was omitted altogether. alto-gether. In 3917 New York adopted it as an annual custom. The practice of yearly observance of the last Thursday of November as ThanksirivinE day diJ not become general gen-eral th-oughout t'ne Cnited States un-tl un-tl fied by proclamation of President Lincoln in 1S6-1. As tho southern states had then seceded and did not reeognize the authority of President Lincoln, the celebration of Thanksgiving Thanksgiv-ing on a fixed day did not become universal uni-versal throughout the eountry until some years later. Since 1864 the pneaident has annually annual-ly fixed the last Thursday of November Novem-ber for the feast and congress has, by statute, authorized the suspension of business on lhat day. Should a president presi-dent fail to issue a proclamation, observance ob-servance of the day would depend entirely en-tirely upon the governors of the states. Practically every nation has its special spe-cial day of thanksgiving. Tho customs connected with the celebration of the "Harvest Home" festival in England and tie "Mel! Supper" in Scotland and similar thanksgiving days in other countries differ only in name and slightly in date from the American Tli.'iuli'giving. The Scriptures make numerons ref-oreneea ref-oreneea to festivals nrrnnzed especially for asodmbling the people in order that they mig'.it give thanks to Clod for the good things He had permitted Hum to en. joy. In the Penlriteueji lliervej is n minute description of tho way in which this taut qt the first fruits nnd ingathering ingather-ing -hall be celebrated, nnd in Esod;;s we read: "And fie feast of the harvest, har-vest, the first fruits of thy labors, which thou hast sown in th field, and the fens, of the ingathering, which is in the end of the same year, when thou liast gnljere. in ().- labors out of the field." fn lie tffotlftmy the chopen people 9 dir.- 'cd to "rejoice In thy feast, 'li'oi rid thy i., nd thy daughter and thy mnn serviml nnd thy maid servant, and ihe Levlte, and tho ttrailgar. Dr tbe fatherless and the wid iw, thai nre within Ihv gales." |