Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published Nov. 27, 2002

Thanksgiving is more
than just turkey

Interpreted through some of the poetry and prose of the past, Thanksgiving rises above the feasting and emerges as food for thought.

And therefore, I, William Bradford (by the grace of God today, And the franchise of this good people), governor of Plymouth say - 
Through virtue of vested power - ye shall gather with one accord, and hold in the month of November, thanksgiving unto the Lord.

Margaret Junkin Preston's version of the holiday in her poem "The First Thanksgiving Day, 1622" agrees with the standard history textbook version we all learned in school. But probably the most familiar poetry for many generations has been:
Over the river and through the woods,
To Grandfather's house we'll go
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh,
Through the white and drifted snow.

Lydia Maria Child wrote that charming and enduring piece as simply Thanksgiving Day. Set to bouncy music it has become a homespun classic. In today's world the wording could be:
Over the highway or through the sky
To Grandfather's house we'll go;
The signs point the way,
But crowds cause delay
So please don't let it snow.

O. Henry added his thoughts on the day in his short story Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen: "There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch looks than it used to ... Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American."

If you are puzzled by saleratus biscuits, Webster confirms they are just baking powder biscuits.

It wasn't until 1941 that Congress ruled Thanksgiving Day should be on the fourth Thursday of November. Before that each President had proclaimed the day as the last Thursday in November. Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the day to one week earlier because of his concern for the merchants and Christmas buying to boost the economy.

The late humorist Ogden Nash did a piece called "A Short Outline of Thanksgiving" and wrote these cryptic words on the changeable nature of the day:
Thanksgiving, like ambassadors, cabinet-officers and others
Smeared with political ointment,
Depends for its existence on Presidential appointment.

A very simple, unsophisticated little verse really sums up Thanksgiving Day. It was written by Harriet Prescott Spofford and measured by critical standards it would be judged corny, but every homemaker will understand and appreciate the words.
Dear the people coming home,
Dear glad faces long away,
Dear the merry cries, and dear
All the glad and happy play.
Dear the thanks, too that we give
For all of this, Thanksgiving Day.

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.