FOR THANKSGIVING THE trees stand shivering and bare Then red-cheeked apples fill the bin, And chestnuts chuckle in the coals In fiery splendor sinks the sun, For harvest blessings such as these, With grateful hearts we thank thee, Lord; For bounties of our festive board, Majestic sunsets, noble trees, And this content with which we pray, three full days' work. And he had accepted. It was hard, especially as it was summer, for he knew that his friends were up at the creek, or down at the swimming-hole. But he had kept on faithfully, for he would not be a slacker. And then on the third evening, he had trudged homeward with the book under his arm; and now it was his own! Although this is such a small episode in our history, it meant a lot to the boy, whose name was Abraham Lincoln; and he spent many happy hours reading about his hero, the father of our country. IT was a stormy night, and the wind howled through the chinks of the little, lonely log cabin. Inside, a fire crackled cheerily, and its warm glow fell on the eager face of a boy who lay stretched on the hearth with a large book before him. He, did not seem aware of the storm raging outside, for as the pages softly turned, he thought only of his hero, George Washington. He read on until the fire had burned quite low; then, sitting up, he gazed thoughtfully into the glowing coals. He recalled an incident connected with that precious book. How, on another stormy night, the rain had leaked through the cracks onto the beautiful cover and streaked it badly. It was a borrowed book, and the next day he had set out bravely to tell the farmer who had lent it to him, about the damage. And the farmer had made him an offer. He had offered the book in return for "A HOLIDAY SNAPSHOT." BY ELIZABETH D. LEVERS, AGE 16 (SILVER BADGE) MY FAVORITE EPISODE IN AMERICAN HISTORY BY DOROTHY VAN ARSDALE FULLER (AGE 17) (Honor Member) ASSUREDLY, we appreciate more the anecdotes of our own brave forefathers than those we read between the covers of a United States history. Much as I thrill to the sound of the Declaration of Independence, the following anecdote brings with it a personal pride. He was a sailor lad of the American Navy who had landed at Fort George. The long, hard war of the Revolution had been victorious for his side. No doubt, as he climbed the hill to the flag-staff, he was exulting in the news that the last of the Britishers had sailed away that day. But when he glanced at the flagless pole again, John saw that something had gone amiss. There was a crowd gathered around it, all looking up and talking at once. Cries of "They greased the pole! The Britishers greased the pole!" met his ears. Colonel Jackson came up and glanced at the flagpole. "I want a volunteer to hoist the flag," he said addressing the crowd, "The halyards are cut. Who will climb the staff and reeve the halyards for the Stars and Stripes?" Our sailor, John, offers; tries; slips once, twice, three times. He is certainly a greasy picture, but his determination sticks, "If ye 'll but saw me up some cleats, I'll run that flag to the top in spite of all the Tories from 'Sopus to Sandy Hook." They bring him cleats and nails and tie the halyards around his waist. Up, up, he climbs before their eyes, slipping, but always gaining slowly. At last he reaches the top and a moment later the crowd breaks into a great cheer, for above Fort George rise the Stars and Stripes, emblem of the United States of America. He did n't quite go "over the top," but he came as near it as he needed to-my ancestor, John Van Arsdale. MY FAVORITE EPISODE IN AMERICAN HISTORY (November 1805) BY RUTH WALTERS (AGE 11) YES, there it stretched before them! Green, with white-capped, foamy waves dashing upon the sand; there it stretched before them, the boundless, never-tiring sea. So felt Lewis and Clark, and their small band must have cheered when they saw that mighty Pacific. Through trials and hardships the little company had bravely pressed on, till now they had their first glimpse of their goal-the great Pacific Ocean. They probably recalled the long, hard journey up the Missouri, across the Rocky Mountains, and finally down the broad Columbia, through its rocky gorge, and at last to the sea. Had they turned back, the Oregon country might not be ours; all the wealth of timber, all the fish, the gold, the wheat, might now belong to England. Honor to the brave captains and their band,the first to cross the continent,-and to Sacajawea; for had it not been for her, the little band might not have reached the sea. She, the Shoshone princess, guided them, and, with her baby on her back, won the confidence of the simple Indian tribes, for they knew that no women or children travel with a war-party. Now we think of Lewis and Clark among the great explorers, De Soto, Balboa, and others. And to us, the children of the Northwest, their expedition seems one of the great incidents of American History. FOR THANKSGIVING BY HELEN L. RUMMONS (AGE 14) FOR Thy rich gifts, with lavish hand broadcast, For winter, with the good cheer by the hearth, worth, And no one by another is surpassed. We thank Thee, too, for all our wants fulfilled, MY FAVORITE EPISODE IN AMERICAN BY ELIZABETH EVANS HUGHES (AGE 13) (Gold Badge. Silver Badge won September, 1921) ONE of the most stirring and dramatic events of the Civil War, and of American History, too, I think, occurred, when General Lee surrendered with the Army of Northern Virginia to General Grant at Appomattox Court House, on the ninth of April, eighteen hundred and sixty-five. After the final arrangements had been made, the two generals met at the court house on the morning of that date, and there Lee signed the paper on which were written such magnanimous terms of peace, surrendering his valiant little army and thus bringing practically to a close one of the most horrible wars in the history of the world. In our minds we have this picture:-of Lee clad in a spotless new uniform with an also shining new sword at his side, standing erect and tall, waiting for Grant in the sitting room of the Court House, while the latter enters, dressed in a soiled private's uniform, with only shoulder straps to mark his rank. They sit down, go through all the formalities, and at the end, when Lee offers his sword to Grant, the latter refuses it, shaking hands instead. Grant was truly great then, in the height of his glory, and made an everlasting name for himself that day, with his magnanimous and generous offers, and his manly bearing, not as a haughty victor, but as one who fully realized that he had met his equal as man and soldier. FOR THANKSGIVING-AN ACROSTIC THE glittering snow, the sparkling sun, MY FAVORITE EPISODE IN AMERICAN BY HELEN BAER COXE, JR. (AGE 13) IN the year 1776 the Declaration of Independence was drawn up and presented before the Colonial Congress. One after another the different delegates from the various states agreed to sign, and now Delaware alone had not signed. Out of the three delegates from Delaware, only two were present, and the vote was a tie, as one delegate, Mr. McKean, was for it and the other, Mr. Read, against it. McKean was in despair. He sent message after message to Rodney, the other delegate, begging him to return. Rodney was staying at the house of a wealthy Quaker Tory at Lewis; but she, wishing Rodney to remain and lose his vote, kept the messages from him. But at last the maid-servant gave them to him secretly, and Rodney, giving them one glance, ran from the house and sprang on his horse, galloping rapidly away. At Dover and Wilmington, he stopped and changed horses-and now the time was late at night. Again, at Chester, he changed his horse, never staying for food. Finally, the night ended and dawn found Rodney at Philadelphia, just in time to give his vote. Rodney and McKean entered the house together and the delegates voted. Rodney stood up with the dust of travel still on his face while his face itself was white and drawn-and gave his vote saying, "I vote for Independence." And it is thus that we won the freedom of our United States. FOR THANKSGIVING BY MARGARET B. OLESON (AGE 16) WE would render thanks, O God, for those Their deep, grave eyes were filled with dreams; perhaps They saw a mighty nation, rich and strong, With snow-capped mountains, cities, fields of grain, Or heard the swelling, never-ending song Of liberty. So would we render thanks, O God, to Thee; Thanks for our blessings and our years of gain. Yet may we be more humble, for the sake Of those who 'neath the sod these many years have lain And liberty! MY FAVORITE EPISODE IN AMERICAN BY CHARLES THEODORE LAND (AGE 16) THE pale gray of morning suddenly blushed to a rose hue, as Aurora smiled upon the earth. The fresh sweet air, mingled with the fascinating smell of the apple orchard, and the twittering of the birds, made one feel how good it was to live. Yet when the rose of morning turned to gold, Nathan Hale, the patriot and athlete, was doomed to die. Nathan was lost in thought, utterly unconscious of the preparations for his execution, which could be heard through the tent. He remembered the day he became, in spite of his friends' protests, a spy for his country! The events which followed passed in his mind rapidly. His wanderings from one British camp to another, as a loyalist schoolmaster, secretly gathering information. Then the bitter disappointment of that fatal day when he was captured. They immediately took him to General Howe, who, without trial, condemned him to be hanged. The blood surged to Nathan's face when he remembered how he had asked his captor Cunningham, the notorious British provost-marshal, for the presence of a chaplain, and when he saw Cunningham, in a furious rage, tear, into shreds his tender farewell to his mother, the loving message to his sisters, and Alice Adams' last love-letter. Women in the crowd sobbed, audibly when Nathan, with splendid courage and calmness, was led out to execution. For a brief moment as he stood upon the fatal ladder, with his eyes toward heaven, he was alone with his God. Then Hale, with a clear, calm voice that rang true, uttered the words that will inspire and thrill the patriotic blood of his beloved land forever: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country!" MY FAVORITE EPISODE IN AMERICAN HISTORY BY MINNIE PFEFERBERG (AGE 16) (Gold Badge. Silver Badge won October, 1921) "The heavy night hung dark, The hills and waters o'er, When a band of exiles moored their bark IT is these lines that immediately tell me my favorite episode in American history-the Pilgrim Fathers' settlement of Plymouth in 1620. These Pilgrims, as they called themselves had first emigrated from England to Holland. They soon became discontented with their life in Holland, however, when they saw their children becoming Dutch in both language and customs. They planned, therefore, to emigrate to America, where they might have freedom and, coincidently, remain Englishmen. Headed by William Brewster, about one hundred of these hardy people set sail in the well built Mayflower. On November ninth, 1620, they greeted the rocky New England shore, and they stepped on its soil on the eleventh. Although the first winter was fortunately a mild one, it was a hard one for the little band. They had poor shelter, scanty food, and, in fact, practically nothing but their willingness to work. When the winter of suffering was over, about one half their number had died. Had the Plymouth settlers been as others, they would have abandoned their colony when the Mayflower sailed away in the spring. But they were of a hardier material, these freedom-seekers, and they remained to carry out a task which they believed given them of God. They succeeded in establishing a firm colony with a strong government. We see in our own Government the same principles as in that infant state, and the same "fight to a finish," freedom-loving spirit burning in the hearts of Americans to-day. THE FIRST THANKSGIVING That we should with glad rejoicing NOVEMBER "A HEADING FOR NOVEMBER." BY HELEN S. JOHNSON, AGE 14 Told their comrades of this need. All the good things that they knew. A swift messenger was sent. There was held this feast so gay- Of our own Thanksgiving Day. |