| Show UNCOMMON AMERICANS A M E R I 1 C A N S 0 0 by elmo C v western N newspaper Newt paper e r scott watson union orp mother of thanksgiving 0 F COURSE we au all know we owe the observance ot OL thanksgiving to the pilgrim forefathers but if it been for the persistence of a woman editor the chances are that it would still be only a new england festival instead of a nationwide tion wide holiday celebrated in all states on the last Thurs thursday thurida da in november sara josepha hale was lier her name and she was the editor of godels ladys book the most popular womans comans magazine of the nineteenth century she was born in new hampshire in 1788 and like all new englanders the celebration of thanksgiving even though its observance was not a regular event was very dear to her As early as 1827 she began advocating that thanksgiving like the fourth of july should be considered a national festival and observed by all our people but it was not until 1846 that she began her campaign through the columns of godels ladys book of which she became editor in 1828 early each spring she began writing letters to governors of at al states and territories asking their assistance in making the last thursday in november which had been ing tons choice tor for the firs thanksgiving day set aside by presidential proclamation by 1849 most of these commonwealths were keeping individual festivals but no attempt was made to have the date uniform so mrs hale started on the presidents she wrote to fillmore pierce and buchanan again and again but all of them ignored her for they fe felt at that such feminine medal meddling ing in in public affairs should be frowned upon however if in 1863 as the result of a letter which she wrote to president lincoln ht hf issued the first national thanksgiving day proclamation since day mrs hale had won her battle after 17 years effort with the precedent P thur established other presidents as well as governors of states have never deviated from the custom which lincoln thus established being thus the mother of thanksgiving was not however hc wever mrs hates hales only claim to distinction she was the author of that famous poem mary had a little lamb she was the first to advocate women teachers in public schools she started the first day nursery she founded the first society for the advancement of wages and ler 1 er demands that housekeeping be given the dignity of a profession put the term domestic science in our language prisoner of war IN N THE year 1758 1753 there was born to an english family then living in ireland a son who was to bear the name of john whistler before he became oi of age young john ran away from home and enlisted in the british army in 1777 he was sent to america with troops who were to serve under general burgoyne and when gentleman johnnys expedition ended in disaster at saratoga Para toga young john whistler was a prisoner of war before the end of the revolution h hj was sent back to engan as an exchanged prisoner and nd soon a afterwards he was discharged from the army then he fell in love w with ith the daughter of one of his fathers friends eloped with her came to america a second time and nd settled down at hagerstown Hagers town md but B ut he could not be content with civilian life for long so in 1701 this soldier who had worn the scarlet uniform of old england put on the nondescript uniform of a lieutenant adjutant in the levies which made up a part of the army of the new republic from that time on he served continuously on the northwestern frontier under st clair wayne and the others who were campaigning agapis st athe the hostile indians by 1797 he had won a captaincy and in 1803 he was stationed at detroit then orders were given to build a fort at the foot of lake michigan and establish a garrison there with whistler as command nt accordingly he built the post which was named fort dearborn and thus he became the father of chicago for nine years whistler ruled at fort dearborn and then he was ordered back to detroit at the outbreak of the war of 1812 he was serving there on the staff of general hull and when that flustered officer without attempting resistance surrendered his post to the british army which swooped down upon him whistler again became a pr prisoner is of war so his was the unique distinction of having been a british officer who surrendered to a victorious american army and then an american officer who surrendered to a victorious british army that alone would make him an uncommon Ame american cican even if he been the father of chicago nd the man whose grandson becam one of the greatest of all american artists james abbott mcneill whistler |
