Show q ra t P A I 1 rims AKING the alie times and tile the facilities cili ties for dinner giving into account the thanksgiving feast which loaded tile tho roughhewn rough hewn tables of pilgrims was no mean one served on the dainty linen tablecloths milieu had como over in tile tho mayflower Mayl Ilay lower flower with their owners the viands and meats must have looked fit for a royal banquet there were turkeys bigger and fatter than their descendants or of today and with a gamy flavor which the bird of tho the domestic barnyard barn yord has lost whole aji ole sides of venison hobnobbed hobnob bed with denizens of the briny deep indian meal appeared on the table in many forms evolved b by v the ingenuity of the doughty Ill pilgrim grim mother it was about three hundred years 3 ears ago that thanksgiving was first cele berated in this country by the pilgrims in grateful acknowledgment of tilo the first harvest in tile the coon colonies le and perhaps in all the varied phases through which the day has passed there was never one more picturesque in surroundings roun dings or more hearty in thanks the families in the little plymouth colony were scarcely numerous enough to have their own home feasts so they all ate aud drank together their guests being king and nearly one hundred indians indiana of his tribe wh what at a wonderful sight it must have been the Ill pilgrims grIms in theli their quaint homemade home made garments the indians in primeval costume while the grand old forests of america formed on three sides a background for tile the picture and in front stretched away the broad ocean over which these founders of a nation had safely come new england practically monopolized the thanksgiving 11 oliday holiday for nearly early two centuries still its celebration was gaining advocates and as time passed discussions were frequently started by different states as to its adoption its first official recognition ignition tion by the state of new york was in 1817 it traveled as tar far south as virginia in 1857 and to in 1858 eight of the southern states proclaimed it a holiday but that famous first thanksgiving of the pilgrims was not given f what a wonderful sight it mutt must have been a permanent national status until 2 10 years afterward when on the of october am 1884 abraham in grateful acknowledgment of vict victories orles achieved by the union army and the hopes of an ultimate and happy deliverance Il verance from all our dangers and afflictions asked all of his fellow citizens to join him in thanks to god Lincol ns proclamation was followed d by proclamations by tile the governors of the states and tills custom has been a year yearly lyone one since it to Is claimed that tile the authorities of harvard college were the first promoters of tile the movement to fo fix a set date for thanksgiving in the new england states until 1080 1680 tha th hot holiday had been celebrated off and on in winter or summer just as the spirit moved the colonists in consequence of tills this all sorts of disorder prevailed among the college students because some portion of them was celebrating year round when a day was set for the feast tu in the place where a student lived of course lie he wanted to be there and equally of course hla his parents wanted him there was no way to prevent tills this state ot of affairs so the wisdom of the harvard professors was levied upon for a way to a bolish abolish it their cogitations resulted in the lie proposition to advocate a fixed date and they gave it widespread publicity tile 01 iol ol saw sav tho good sense of the change and the colonial governors finally concurred in making the last thursday of the eleventh month the regular thanksgiving day so widespread hns has tiro tile observance of that first and now historic beag fea become th wherever americans american congregate alty wide aldo world over the last thursday in november finds the stars stara and flung to the breeze and our countrymen in china It russia france england and even in the wilds ot of africa gather around it a bounteous baerd and thank than the giver of all good for the progress and prosperity which have hat attended their efforts to found R graae great nation under illi ilia guidance t |