| Show OBJECTED TO CUSTOM observance of thanksgiving was for a period not popular in southern states NL the south thanksgiving day wa was IN practically unknown until 1855 in that year governor jones of virginia inia sent a letter to the state legislature urging a recognition of the lay day that lie he might issue a proclamation for its observance but lie he was advised that as most of the citizens of the state regarded this day as a relic of bigotry he ought not to urge its observance two years later governor wise the successor of jones without asking advice of the legislature issued a proclamation la and the people generally throwing aside their prejudice observed the day in the next year 1858 1859 eight governors of southern states issued proclamations after the model of new england calling upon their people to observe the last thursday in november as a day for thanksgiving but the civil war was at land hand and the bitterness teri tess engendered in the long ong controversy over slavery caused many violent opponents of the north to oppose the proclamation because of the introduction tro of a yankee custom undoubtedly our present thanksgiving day has its prototype in the plymouth thanksgiving festival of 1621 it has been asserted repeatedly that the plymouth festival was suggested to the he pilgrims by the jewish feast of ingathering if the plymouth festival has immediate kinship with similar events in the past it has analogies with the harvest home of england the pilgrims were familiar with the english celebration and many of them no doubt had participated in it the dominant mark of each was the joy over the ingathering harvest the chief difference between the two was the want of ceremony at plymouth that characterized the english festival in some parts of england the merrymaking was around the nod ding sheaf or kern baby and in many places the last load of the harvest was drawn to the barn in a wagon called the hoch cart in front went ent pipe and tabor and around it ka gathered the re apers men and women singing joyously as they proceeded at plymouth there was no ceremony there was no harvest song so familiar in the fatherland heres health to the barley mow heres s a health to the man who very well can both harrow and plough and sow |
