Show i A Time For Thanks This year Thanksgiving a national religious festival is years old It began in 1863 and credit for beginning ng the observance observance ob ob- servance is usually given to Mrs Sarah J. J Hale A LITTLE less than one month separates Thanksgiving this year from Christmas which means that these two national national na na- religious observances are only 29 days apart However Thanksgiving unlike Christmas is is not so highly commercial commercial- The first Thanksgiving proclamation proclamation proc proc- issued by any President President President dent came in 1789 when George Washington ordered a aday aday aday day of Thanksgiving for the adoption of the Constitution President Madison also set aday a aday aday day to give thanks for the peace during 1815 but it was not until the time of Abraham Lincoln in 1863 1853 that we had a national Thanksgiving i ion o n setting apart the last Thursday in November as a day to be observed IT IS ONE of our most en joyed holidays a colorful observance observance ob ob- servance and an inspiration I It signifies the coming end of the year the completion of most mos of the harvesting of the year Americans should keep in mind the religious origin of th the Thanksgiving Day observance and give thanks to God fo for r their many blessings |