PALMER, ALASKA
DOROTHY M. BELL, Editor
Published every Friday at Palmer, Aiaska, for the Matanuska Valiev
Farmer's Cooperating Association for the purpose of giving news of the
Associations work, problems, and accomplishments.
SUBSCRIPTION BY MAIL $1. 75 BOX $1.00 SINGLE COPY 10^
THANKSGIVING DAY
Fvery country has special days
vib' ?h have been set aside and obser
ved as holidays in memory of some
great person or event. There are n<
national legal holidays in the Uni
ted States, but days are set aside
in every state by acts of the State
Legislatures as holidays. Thus, we
have acquired New Years Day,Memori
al Day, Fourth of July(Independence
Day), Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day,
and Ch'ristmos as holidays in every
s+'te. Washington's Birthday, *
Lincoln's Birthday, and Armistice
E y are quite generally observed.
C'- lumbus Day is celebrated in 35 •
spates.
We have all heard the story many
tini.s of hew in the second year of
the Pilgrim Colony the richness of
the harvest exceeded all expecta
tions. Governor Bradford sent four
men ’nto the woods to shoot wild
birds. wWe will hold a harvest
fe-nqt of Thanksgiving," he said,and
tr ;r invited the Indians tc cbme nn<
r 'oice with them. This harvest
‘feast lasted three .days. The custor
spread through the colonies until i1
w generally observed every year.
General Washington made the first
Thanksgiving Proclamation in Nov
ember 1739.
However, Thanksgiving was mainly
a state affair until the Civil War
when Lincoln made his Proclamation
appointing the last Thursday in
November as Thanksgiving Day. After
Linco-ln-'.s'assassination it almost
passed cut of existence, but later
Presidents revived the idea. Each
yf-ar the President issues the ’
Proclamation to the Governors of th«
Spates and Territories and they in
turn hinke' the Proclamation in their
respective states or territories.
The-days may.not be the same in all
the states, because there is no set
time established by law.. When Presi
dent Roosevelt proclaimed Thanks
giving Day one week earlier than
had been the custom for many years,
he was merely upsetting a precedent.
/**\
A BOY'S THANKSGIVING
i
God's gifts so many a pleasure Li-ing
iThat I will make a thanksgiving,
»Fcr eyes whereby I clearly see
;The many lovely things there be;
}
|For lungs to breathe the morning air,
iFor nose to smell its frr ranee rart
|For tongue to taste the fr 'its t 'at
, -ow,
For birds that sing and flowers hat.
‘ o1ow;
For limbs to climb,and swim,and run,
And skin to feel the cheerful sun;
For sun and moon and stars in hesven,
Whose gracious light is freely given;
:The river where the green weed floatf
And where I sail my little boats;
;The sea, where I can bathe and play,
‘The sands, where I can race all day;
jThe pigeons wheeling in the sun,
7/bo fly mor.e quick than I can run;
The winds that sing us the y rur ‘ by,
The clouds that race across th' .iky;
jine pony that I sometimes ride,
•The curly dog that runs beside;
|The shelter of the shady woods,
'Where I may spend my lonely moods;
'
iThe gabled house that is ray horr ,
jThe g’arden where I love t/roarr,
■And bless my parents every day,
'Though they be very far aw;
Take Thou my thanks, 0 God above,
For all these tokens of Thy love.
And when I txm a, man do Thou
Make me as grateful then as now,
By-'-Richard Moleswcrth Dennis, who
was killed in the World War.
! Gratitude truly and simply expresse
! by a boy.