A Boston Thanksgiving Story
A Boston Thanksgiving Story
Once upon a time Boston, and indeed the whole land, was covered with trees instead of houses; and there were no streets, no stores, no churches, no big buildings of any kind. Yet people lived here – Indians—who loved to live in the woods. There were no carpenters among the Indians, so they did not build real houses, but had tents or wigwams.
By and by some people like us came to this land; but as they came in winter the farmers could not plant anything, the ground being frozen; and so the miller had no wheat to grind into flour, and the baker had no flour to make bread of, and there was very little for the people to eat. They had fish, and clams, and such things, but often had to go hungry. A ship, which they had sent across the great ocean to bring them more provisions, had been gone so long that it seemed as if it must be lost; and the poor, hungry people did not know what they should do.
One day some of the little South Boston boys were at play on a hill near the water, and they saw a ship sailing toward the land. They knew that the ship would bring plenty of food for all the hungry people, so away they ran to tell their fathers and mothers and the neighbors about it. Can’t you imagine how glad they were to spread such joyful news? Very soon the ship came to shore and was unloaded. (let the children tell what the ship probably brought, and get them to imagine how busy the mothers were, cooking and baking for the hungry people; and how glad they all were to have enough to eat again.)
Yes! the people were so glad that they wanted to thank the Heavenly Father; and they said: “Let us have a day for giving thanks.” So they had a Thanksgiving Day. They went to church and thanked God for all his goodness and then had a joyful time at home.
Other people who had come to America had special days for giving thanks; they finally all agreed to keep the same day. And so for a long time we have had the one general Thanksgiving Day over the whole land.
–E.P.
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