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Show Thanksgiving Day The custom, almost as old a? history, of giving thanks to God for blessii.gs received is a beautiful one. It should be continued as long as' time lasts for it is due from the children ' of the Giver of all good to render ren-der unto him their thanks and gratitude for the bounteous gifts enjoyed in the season thereof. Ncr is it enough that we wait to give thanks once a year, but daily should we show our gratitude for the daily blessings received. In many ways Thanksgiving-is Thanksgiving-is one of the most delightful events. It comes at a time' when the rigors of winter are not yet at hand. We have at our disposal all the varied products of the soil, and the time for a season of partial rest for the farmer is at hand. One of its most delightful features, which has become quite general is the gathering together under the old roof-tree of all the scattered scatter-ed sons and. daughters of this day. Two, three and sometimes four generations thus meet around the festive and hospital table of the old homestead, and thus fraternal ties are strengthened strength-ened and filial piety encouraged. encourag-ed. The great feast day in America Amer-ica is one of rejoicing and thanksgiving by all the people. This is the time when the whole nation give thanks for the blessings of the year. Thanksgiving Thanks-giving Day was first established in the United States by the Pilgrims, at Plymouth, New England, replacing Christmas, the great family festival, and has been gradually adopted 'in other parts of the country. Congress recommended days of thanksgiving annually during the revolution and Washington in 1876, after the adoption of the Constitution. Other . days of national thanksgiving hae been proclaimed, and since 1863 the last Thursday in Novem- ber has been annually proclaim-e proclaim-e i by the president as a nationa1 . Thanksgiving Day. It is . cus-lonary'in cus-lonary'in the State of Utah for the governor to issue annually a proclaimation for Thanksgiving Thanks-giving Day. In the early days of the Puritan Puri-tan colony at Plymouth there came a period of sickness, drought and threatened famine. The people assembled and prayed pray-ed for rain. Their prayer was answered ?nd their crops were 'saved. This was the beginning of the New England annual Thanksgiving. To the early Puritan Christmas Christ-mas smelt of idolitry; so, when his own festival, Thanksgiving, became annua), it took on many of the features of the English Christmas. It was a day devoted devot-ed to family reunion, to feasting feast-ing and to the giving of presents. pres-ents. Such "superstitious meats" as baron of beef, bear's head and plum pudding were excluded and turkey,' Indian pudding and pumpkin pie were eaten instead. The Jewish Feast of the Tabernacle Tab-ernacle with its rnagnificient rituals, melodius choirs anoVpic-turesque anoVpic-turesque festitivies was the occasion oc-casion of great thanksgiving. The Jewish nation to the number of millions, assembled in Jerusalem and its environs. For seven days the families lived in booths made of the palm, the olive and the pine and decorated with fruits and garlands gar-lands of flowers. There were grand processions Halles were sung, while lulebs waved, and the silver trumpets led the stately march of choruses chor-uses in the grandest oratories the world has ever heard. It was the Harvest Feast. Its glory passed away centuries ago, though it is still observed by the Jews in all lands. Disraeli Dis-raeli gives a glowing picture of its modern observances in most Christian lands. The Greeks and the Romans had their Harvest " Festivals. But the Greek and the Roman gave thanks for bloody victories over enemies; for contests which flattered their pride and ambition; ambi-tion; for purely materiel good fortune, such as prosperous crops and the passing away of a plague or a terriffic storm. In much the like manner the savage sav-age of Fiji and of Borneo make loud thankful rejoicings over the slaughter of hostile tribes the reception of material good things which make them more comfortable. Our Thanksgiving was meant by its sponsers to celebrate as much moral and intellectual, as material benefits. Indeed the early Puritan rejoiced far more over the increased godliness of the community than over a victory vic-tory over the poor Indian or a good harvest. And so since, though perhaps to a less degree having their descendants, at least the most thoughtful and enlightened, had in their minds, when offering the annual Thanksgiving gratitude to the throne of Heaven, the evidence of intellectual and moral advance, the increasing education tie greater submission to rengiuus ideas, the better " accoi d between nation and nation, and between neighbor and neighbor, as well as material prosperity, pros-perity, and the triumphs of the arts of industry and peace. Let us be thankful that we live, that we live in times of peace and prosperity. Let us be thankful that we have homes with husbands and children to love anu to love us. Let us be thankful for the comforts of life. Letusbe thankful for work, sirength and desire to do our work yhidiy. Let us cultivate a spirit of gemleness, of graciousness, of brightness and gladness and wisdom that will make all about us thankful that we are alive. The day has proved one of universal univer-sal benevolence, t he almoner of multitudinous mul-titudinous charut ies, and it will become be-come a Chri-tian nation 10 perpetu ate it in the spirit in which it vas instituted. |