The Crosbyton Review. (Crosbyton, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 47, Ed. 1 Friday, November 16, 1934 Page: 3 of 8
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By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
HEN, where and by whom was
the first Thanksgiving day cele-
brated In the United States?
"Why, by the Pilgrims at Ply-
mouth In 1621, of course 1* you
reply.
But you're wrong!
It's true that the Pilgrim Fa-
thers tifeld, a Thanksgiving day
celebration that year, but since Plymouth was an
English colony It Isn't strictly accurate to say
that It was celebrated "In the United States" be-
cause the United States of America didn't come
into existence until more than 150 years later.
The first Thanksgiving day celebration held
after we had become a nation took place in
1789 o.nd It Is more analagous to our present-
day observance of the holiday than the Pilgrims'
Thanksgiving because It came about as the re-
sult of a Presidential proclamation. Most Amer-
icans know that It was George Washington who
Issued the first Presidential Thanksgiving day
proclamation but fewf perhaps, realize that the
Idea originated in the mind of Alexander Hamil-
ton, our first secretary of the treasury, and that
the first official step toward carrying It out was
taken by congress rather than by the Chief
Executive. * ^ _ ' ^^Assw1™*-
1 . Lastvyear while Cut Bdwlu A. Dtlur, na
tary of the United States senate, and James D.
Preston, senate librarian, were unearthing many
old documents which date back to the beginnings
of the republic and having these manuscripts
restored and bound In specially designed books
to preserve them for future generations, they
came upon the congressional resolution which
brought about the first official Thanksgiving day
. celebration |n the United States.
The story back of this "historic first" is In-
teresting, even though it Is not a story In which
.-we can take much pride any more than we can
be especially proud of the celebration which re-
sulted. Involved In it Is the story of the Jeal-
ousy of two great Americans, Alexander Ham-
ilton and Thomas Jefferson, a. story In which
politics, as usual, played a none too admirable
part ' ■
I The Idea of a Thanksgiving day celebration
originated with Alexander Hamilton who
broached the subject at a meeting of Washing-
ton's cabinet ,ln New York city, then the capital
of the nation, in August, 1789. Hamilton, a
prime mover in securing the adoption of the
Constitution, had succeeded in Rett In* his own
state of New York to ratify It and this made a
sufficient number of acceptance* even though
North Carolina and Rhede Island 'were still out-
side the fold, to assure the permanence] of the
new government So Hamilton must have felt
that the natlpn.-as well as he,speAonally, had
cause for thanksgiving.
It la probable that Hamilton, Instead of press-
ing the matter in the cabinet where It was cer-
tain to meet with opposition from Thomas Jef-
ferson, the secretary of state and Hamilton's
political enemy, engineered the matter so that
the movement for a national Thanksgiving day
„ would come from congress. At any rate, on Frl-
#May, September 25, 1789, Ellas boudinot a mem-
,b«r of congress from New Jersey, took the floor
of the house of representatives and offered a
resolution calling upon the President to Issue a
Thanksgiving day proclamation; r
In moving that the resolution be adopted, Bou-
dinot said that he "could not think of letting
the session pass over without offering an oppor-
tunity to all the citizens of the United States of
■ Joining, with one voice, tn returning to1 Almighty
God their sincere thanks for the many blessings
Be had pounaj down upon them,"L: _ . _
r - Boudlnot's resolution was not unexpected and
Jefferson's supporters in congress, principally
southerners, immediately made known their op-
position to the idea. Representative Aedamus
Burke of South Carolina declared that he "did
not like this mimicking of European customs,
where they made a mere mockery of thanks-
giving." He pointed out that "two parties at
war frequently sung Te Deum for the same
feTeht, though for one It wa* Victory and to the
other a defeat."
Representatlve Thomas Tudor Tucker of South
Carolina "thought the House had no business
to Interfere In a matter which did not concern
them." He suggested that the people might not
"be inclined to return thanks for a Constitution
until they have experienced that It promotes
their safety and happiness." He said further
that if a Thanksgiving day must be held the
states could Institute It. He said that "it is a
religious matter, and, as such, is proscribed
to us."
Through the words of these spokesmen we can
hear the voice of Jefferson, protesting agaipst a
monarchlal trend in the new government, against
encroachment upon the boundary line which had
been fixed between church and state and against
any invasion of "states' rights." In answer to
these protests Boudinot "quoted further prece-
dents from the practice of the late Congress" ,
and Representative Roger Sherman of Connecti-
cut rallied to his support declaring that the
practice of thanksgiving was "warranted by a
number of precedents in Holy Writ: for instance,
the solemn thanksgivings and rejoicings which
took place In the tlipe of Solomon, aftg&Jt})#..
building of the temple, was a case In point"
The resolution was carried and Represents-,
tives Boudinot, Sherman and Peter Silvester of
New York were appointed by the house commit-
tee to wait upon the President The senate,' on
the following day, adopted the resolution, ap-
pointing Senators William Samuel Johnson of
j—Connecticut and Ralph Izard of South Carolina
to be the senate members of the committee.
Accordingly this committee waited on the
President and on October 3 Washington Issued
the proclamation Jn which he recommended that
Thursday, November 20;- befoEserved by the peo-
nle of the United states'W-a" "day of thanks-
giving.
Hamilton had won the first maneuver over his
rival but there were still stormy days ahead for
jtiim. For now arose the question of how the
celebration fthould be carried out and, of course,
the two statesmen were at odds on that Hamil-
ton proposed a monster parade of military ottl-
clala and governmental dignitaries, headed by
President Washington. Jefferson, opposed as he
was to all displays of pomp and circumstance,
protested against such a celebration. He appar-
ently won h^s point for It was determined that
the day was a domeatlc holiday and should be
observed In the privacy of the home after the
New England tradition.
•' Accordingly Mrs. Washington began making
plans for a levee In the true colonial style at'
the Executive Mansion in Franklin Square to
which every one of consequence In New York
was invited. It promised to Ifc a great social
occasion so It was eagerly looked forward to by
the beaus and belles of the city.
But even though Jefferson had outmaneuvered
him tn this respect. Hamilton was not yet ready
to admit defeat He began organizing all kinds
of public festivities to upset the plans of thorn
who wished to celebrite the day quietly. Al-
though Jefferson held himself somewhat aloof
from the preparations for the celebration^ word
oT this latest antagonism between the two cab-
lnet members had leaked oat and two different
fSetloni of celebrators began to form tn New
York. More than that factions formed In Bos-
ton and Philadelphia aftso and considerable blt-
rt terness between them became evident So aa the
. d«y for the celebration of the first official Thanks-
giving approached. It became plain that It would
be iday of, partisanship and lll-feellng, rather
than one of rejoicing and gratitude, as Welti*
~^lngton had hoped It would be. ■ T
i—I
History records that this first National Thanks-
giving day In New York was fair and warm even
though It was late in November. The festivities
opened with a parade in the morning as Hamil-
ton had planned nnd the secretary of the treas-
ury reviewed It from In front of Fraunces tavern,
that historic Inn where Washington had said
farewell to his officers at the close of the Rev-
olution. After the parade Hamilton was host at
a great feast In the tavern «nd It Is this first
official Thanksgiving dinner to which we ran
look hack, but not with any great pride, for It
degenerated Into a disgraceful brawl.
Hamilton could not he present for the entire
affair. Me was to have remained long enoUgh to
respond to a toast and then leavS'Tirr the Presi-
dent's mansion, where his official presence was
required by his position In tlie President's cabl-
net. While most of the-city had been holding-Its
noisy celebration, Washington had attended
church and -at. noon began) to receive guests at
the mansion.
But Hamilton was late in arriving at his own
party and his guests, impatient to be at their
feasting, sat down without him and began to eat
Almost immediately a disagreement arose among
the diners. A certain Lieutenant St Clair, who
had toasted the festive day jjo^.wlsei.v bfct too
wpfl, felt called upon to assert,-upon his honor
as it gentlemn.u, .that lie was "paefecUy sttherv"
Whereupon Alderman Tisdal of the city council,
who had probably also been toasting the festive
day extensively, disputed the statement and
called upon St Clair to prove that he was sober.
St. Clair's retort was to seize a bottle from
the table and hurl It, not at Tisdal nor at anyone
In particular but at the Whole company in gen-
eral. Fortunately It hit none of them but It did
throw the room Into an uproar. And Into the
tavern a moment later walked their host Alex-
ander Hamilton, to look upon a shameful scene
In which food, glassware and china and guests
were all in a heap.
Hamilton, dreading the scandal that would re-
sult If the story of the affair became known, set
about swiftly to restore order. Enough quiet
was obtained so that he was able to make his
speech. Then l)e departed, probably with a real
thanksgiving feeling In his heart to escape
from such guests. But unfortunately for Ham-
ilton, rumors of the disorder In Fraunces tavern
had already reached Washington's ears and the
President was plainly disturbed by the fact that
what he had Intended to be a quiet rellgtoua
holiday had been turned Into a rowdy affair by
the friends of his secretary of the treasury.
So when Hamilton arrived the President lost
' no time In questioning him about what had tak-
en place. When he learned that a young soldier
of the United States army had been Injured in a
disgraceful brawl, especially at a gathering pre-
sumably for the purpose of giving thanks to (led
for the blessings of "good government, peace and
concord,"ilila anger was aroused to the- extent
thai he demonstrated again, as he did when be
.rebuked Charles Lee on the battlefield of Mon-
mouth, that he knew how to use strong language
when the occasion called for It
•♦It Is disgraceful, by > sir!" spoke George
Washington, and there was nothing left for
Alexander Hamilton to do but meekly agree and
discreetly withdraw from the presence of hla
chief without further comment
Thus did the political rivalry of two ef hla
cabinet members have a part tn detracting from
the solemn character which our first President
had wished the first Thanksgiving day to have,
and although this may have had nothing directly
to do with It. the fact Is that not for Ave years
thereafter did the President again proclaim an-
tp VERT year In the United
when the . bunting season rolls
around, more than 7.000,000 healthy
boys ahd robust men take to the field,
gun in han<L Reports of hunting acci-
dents begin drifting. lp to the newspa-
pers. Some come back blinded fcy ft
careless load of shot from a friend's
gun. Others come back with hands
and arms and legs blown off. Some
never get back alive.
The pity of the whole bloody busi-
ness is that there was almost never
a hunting accident yet that Wasn't
caused by somebody's needless, fool-
ish carelessness. The only plausible
excuse for the accident might be
where a hunter faints in the field
and' falls on the muzzle of hla gun.
All other accidents are inexcusable.
So far as I can remember, ! have
never' yet met a really good shot who
was careless with his gun, loaded or
unloaded. Every " good shot knows
that once or twice during his life his
gun may go off unexpectedly. He's
always ready for it wtfen. It happens.
His. accidentally let-off load plows
harmlessly into the ground, or up into
the air, where it can hurt no one.
. Merely from the practical stand-
point it is smart to be careful with
your gun. You will be invited on en-
joyable and successful hunting parties
much more often, where the careless
man with a gun never gets a second
invitation. Careless gun hahdling 4s
simply had shooting manners. You
make everybody near you nervous and
uneasy. You get yourself disltked.
Real sportsmen have nothing but au-
ger and contempt for you. Be care-
ful and gentlemanly in your gun han-
dling and you will have much mora
pleasure hunting, have more good
friends—and. important point, you
may live longer.
Never keep a shotgun loaded about
the house. Never leave shells where
childish hands ca,n slip them into the
gun. Ne^er point an "empty" gun at
Anything you do not wish to KILL.
When loading your gun in the field,
never slip the shells in "until ybu*
have looked through'the barrel to see
that there is not a bit of cleaning rag
or otljer obstruction. Obstruction In
the barrel will burst your gun on
firing.
If <you should fall In the field, again
open your gun and look through the
barrel. You may have filled the muz<
zle with mud, or snow, either of which
will burst the gun on firing.
Never cross a fence with your gun
cocked, or with the safety off. Put
your gun through the fence muzzle
first and lay It on the ground. Never
stand It up against the fence. You
may Jar It down as you clamber over,
Hundreds of careless gunners hav«
crossed fences—and the Great Divide
—at the same time.
When you meet friends or strangers
in the field and stop to chat and pass
the time of day, break your gun If It
is a double barrel—let the other man
see that it is safe. Other types of
guns, shove the safety on, and let th<
friend or stranger see vou do it Thit
Is only careful courtesy.
, Never get into a car with a loaded
gun. Never load your gun while still
In your car. Never permit anyone els<
to have a
ryou are In.
Never shoot heavy loads In an oH
gun that was manufactured long be>
fore the modern high-pressure loath
were invented. To d%' so may result
In having your hand jor face torn oft
Con^it your local gun 'deafer aboui
what loads your gun Will stand. Hi
should be able to tell you.
Never shoot at game on a leveJ
through brush that you can't see be
yond—your partner or another huntel
may be there. Think before you shoot
You have more time than you Imagine
Never hesitate to call another gunnei
down for carelessness. Call him down
hard. Every real (Bportsman will ap-
plaud you. I
Be careful! You'll never be a good
shot until you'rei a GARBFUL ahot
A Western Nmptpw Union.
Napoleon Waa a Failure
aa Writer, Record Shows
Eighteenth-century documents re.
cently brought to light establish th<
little-known fact that Napoleon Bona-
parte, before he became a military
conquerer, had a burning ambition ti
become a great writer, writes J. P.
Bowles te the Golden Book Magazine*
who says that lie spent seven years
In vain efforta to write successfully
and, finally. In chagrin, gave up with
the remark: "I no longer have the
petty ambition to become an author."
Between the ages of seventeen and
twenty-four, the documents disclose,
.Napoleon made nine separate attempts
to gain a career as a writer.
In one of the two short stories thefe
appears the following significant sen-
tence—the last sentence of the sec-
ond story: "To what lengths," ex-
claimed Napoleon, "can the mad de-
al re for fame carry • man?"
loaded shotgun In the cat
TsenJttlll. Still la Use
Treadmills operated by horses. Oxen
and other anlmala are In uae In many
countries. In the United States such
mills- are,
but In some sections of
Mm
.J
mills are atill osed
used fo* raising water,
and
phase from I
waa the emphasis ]
portance of dlagnoi
of disease in Its early i
an ailing patient
tor treatment, the
using all that science
bating the ailment lie
tor. The primary
seeking competent medical
the first suggestion of trouble,
ever, tests with the patient
The emphasis in medicine In re*
cent, years has graduated from at-,
tempted cure of disease after It hat f
developed, to disease prevention.
While treatment eF disease -In Its
early stages is not true prevention.
It virtually is next to prevention?^
The medical profession has shown
that many of the dread illnesses of
the body often are curable If the
treatment begins in the early stages
when symptoms first appear. If a
will observe simple precautions In
living that will prevent disease and
at the same tln^e win act quickly if
symptoms of an ailment appear. ,
Speakers on the subject of cancer!
at the doctors' meeting, were au-
thority for the statement that most
Of the toll of life claimed by the dis-
ease would bp prevented If victims
recognized potentialities of danger
in small skin growths, irritating
sores that fail to heal and unnatu-
ral bleeding and lumps In organa of
the body. In Its struggle against the
ravages of cancer, science has
learned control In most cases if the
disease still Is In Its Infancy, but Is
baffled if cancerous growths have
developed too far.— Indianapolis
News.
I
Why
are Back in Favor
The public is fast r
of liquid laxatives. People have
learned that the right dose of a
properly prepared liquid laxative will
bring a more natural movement with-
out any discomfort at the time, or
after.
The dose of a liquid laxative can be
varied to suit the needs of the in-
dividual. The action can thus be
regulated. A child is easily given the
right dose. And mild liquid laxatives
do not irritate the kidneys.
Doctors are generally agreed that
senna is a natural laxative. It does
not drain the system like the cathar-
tics that leave you so thirsty. Dr.
Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin is a liquid
laxative which relies on senna for its -
laxative awKon. It gently helps the
average person's constipated bowels
until nature restores their regularity.
You can always get Dr. Caldwell's
Syrup Pepsin at any drug store, ready
for use. -
• £•-' Gall It Criticism
Abject party^ followers always for-
give the lying on their own side.
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CREOHULSION
m druggist
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CMtrVUIIf I
H« G.u Ut«d to It
When a man Is In office, his left
ear mnstjbqrn much of the time.
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Curry, W. M. The Crosbyton Review. (Crosbyton, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 47, Ed. 1 Friday, November 16, 1934, newspaper, November 16, 1934; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth255890/m1/3/: accessed June 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Crosby County Public Library.