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Show I THANKSGIVING DAY S ) Althougk Thanksgiving Day was originally insti- ( iuted by the Pilgrims, it was Abraham Lincoln who. in ( 1863, declared the first annual Thanksgiving Day after ( a lapse of such celebrations of some forty years. George ! ( Washington had declared the first official Thanksgiv- J I ing in 1789 on behal f of establi shed government. It ( ( was not until 1815 that the festival was again revived j ( on a national scale by President Madison. For nearly 0 ( half a century there were no more Presidential procla- S ! ( mations regarding Thanksgiving Day. It remained for Lincoln to solidify and preserve this holiday as a na- S ( lional, annual event. Thanksgiving has since been ob- C served by Presidential proclamation every year for more S than three-quarters of a century. j Thankfulness is one of the rarest of virtues, yet ' r one of the most admirable. We are the most favored . ( of peoples. Our blessings are legion-our privileges ; ( abundant our liberties many our living standards the : f highest of all countries. Let us appreciate our enviable estate and give ) thanks not only on Thanksgiving Day but throughout ) ? the coming yearl |