| Show thanksgiving AS NATIONAL HOLIDAY thanksgiving season is near at hand and this gives rise to the question as to the origin of this festal day the idea of a thanksgiving day goes back to antiquity it was first observed in america by the puritans and was established as a national holiday through the efforts of a new england woman writing on the subject in the current issue of the national republic mr air H 0 bishop says at this particular season of the year it is appropriate to tell about the woman who after 20 years of patient effort succeeded in having an annual thanksgiving celebia celebration tion in this country observed on the same day by all of the people the name of this woman was mrs sarah josepha hale few women either before or since have accomplished more big things for the betterment of men and women I 1 wonder how many people of the present generation have ever heard of this gifted woman she was born bom at newport N M october 24 1788 and died in philadelphia april 30 1879 she was not a college woman but was taught by her mother in 1813 at the age of 25 she married a lawyer named david hale who was a brother of salma hale the famous historian and at one time a member of congress from new hampshire nine years later she was left a widow with five children she was a genuine old fashioned american woman and did not clamor for governmental or individual aid she was quite content to go to work in 1828 she became editor of the ladies magazine which had recently been started in boston she successfully edited this publication until 1837 when it was mercered ered with godels ladies boot book published at philadelphia she continued with the latter publication li until 1877 editing a magazine is usually considered a pretty big job in itself mrs hale however seemed to find time for many other things she organized the seamans aid society in boston which is the parent of similar organizations now existing in most ports the completion of the bunker hill monument was also partly due to the efforts of this little woman she persuaded the women of new england to raise for that purpose throughout her editorial work mrs hale urged the practical advancement van cement of women advocating their employment as teachers and the establishment of seminaries for their higher education it was in the early forties that mrs hale began her campaign for making thanksgiving a national holiday and its celebration on the same day all over the country it was then the custom for different localities to observe the occasion on whatever day happened to strike their fancy for 20 years mrs taale wrote edit editorials in her magazine and personal letters to governors and presidents in behalf of a national thanksgiving day her efforts and patience were rewarded in 1864 when president abraham lincoln saw the wisdom of lier her suggestion and decided to adopt her plan from that day to this thanksgiving has been celebrated by the whole nation on the fourth thursday of november |
