THE COLUMBIAN, BLOOMSBURG, FA. wxt Columbian. ESTABLISHED 18f.. &ue Columbia gfrnofrat, RSTAHuIHH K! 1S17. roNSOUPATErt WH. J'U HIilSH K J i'KKY THUHHDAY MoKNI.NU rtloomsburif, the County sent, of Columbia Coum.V lVmnylvanla. ORO. R. KI.WKLL K.pitok. 1). .1. TAMKKK, t.OCAl. KmTOR. MRU. HOAN, FOKKMAN. mans: tnsldertinoour.tT fl.onayearln ad nc; it not paid In advance UutslUe no oount.y, f l.ss a ynar, strtrtly In nitvatu. All communications wliould b't nilil reused to TUt i'Ol.UM MAN. Blooinsburg, Pa. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1899. The Samoan Islands. IftlieSamoan question has been settled in a satisfactory way, as the Associated Tress asserts, it will be good news. The difficulties that have grown out of the tripartite arrange ment, under which the Islands have been controlled for twenty years, make some different agreement very desir able. The Islands are ol more im portance to the United States than they are to England or Germany. When the canal connecting the At lantic and Pacific has been construct ed, as will be the case in time, the Samoan Islands will be directly in the line of steamships passing through the canal to Australia and Asia. For a coaling station they are of the utmost importance to this country, European nations having taken possession of all the other islands of any value in the Pacific, excepting the Hawaiian group. Germany lias been very tenacious of her "claims" in the group. Great Britain has not been equally anxious about her hold on the islands until of recent date. But Austria and other British possessions in the Pacific are opposed to Great Britian relinquishing her claims on the Samoan group. Under the circumstances there is a probability that Germany may, if she has not already done so, dispose of her claim on the Islands of Great Britain, and take some ttrritory else where in compensation. In that event a division of the islands between tht United States and Great Britain may take place. This country has treaty rights in Pago Pago harbor, in the island of Tutuila, and it is understood that a proposition has been made to give the United States that island, the others to go to England and Germany to be disposed of between them sub ject to our sanction. Turuila is a small island, less than one twentieth the aggregate size of the other islands. But it has the only really safe harbor in that part of the Pacific, and that is what this country is most in need of. We ought to have the Island of Manua and other tern tory to give us one-third of the group. Uut it our Lrovernment consents to take the island of Tutuila, with its harbor, there would probably be no greit regret in the United States. The inhabitants of the island are of one race, but their government has been of a very loose character. They have a king, but he has little power. The kingship is comparitively recent origin, and it has been the source of great trouble in the islands. The permanent abolition of it seems prob able in any case. It is probable that a fair division of the islands would be better for all concerned than the con tinuance of such a government as has existed heretofore on the islands. The Origin of Thanksgiving. The Oiigin of Thanksgiving Day is lost in the mists of antiquity. Probably the Aztecs and Zunis indulge in their yearly rejoicings over abundant crops and other blessings showered upon them by the gods, on the same spot as we are doing at the present time, exactly as the Greeks and prehistoric nations of Europe and Asia probably did on the other side of the water centuries ago. Such a religious nation as the Jews of course had its appropriate sacrifices and services for the occasion, as Holy Writ informs us, which were strictly performed as was usual with that sing ularly devout people. But long be fore monotheism had superceded or come into rivalry with polytheism, thanksgiving days had been establish ed as regular festivals in the callenders of the early civilizations. At the time the Iliad was written the two principal festivals of Greece were those of the harvest aud the vintage, respectively. Rome itself was founded amid pastoral festivities of a thanksgiving nature in honor of the god Pales, and the feast of Cerealia was long one of her principal festivals. The ancient Persians seem to have been the only nation among the early civilizations which had absolutely no thanksgiving festival, a circumstance which was probably due to the fact that they had no temple and did not worship in common. They worshiped the sun only and preferred to do so in a solitary manner, disliking to attend large religious gatherings. But the Egyptians, Assyrians, Baby lonians and Phrygians and their pre decessors all had their feasts and fasts and the inevitable thanksgiving was sure to be among them. Thanksgiving Day In Early Colonial Times. As an American institution Thanks giving Day commenced with the gath ering of their first crops by the Pilgrim fathers, in what was then the New England wilderness, and the day -has always remained the principal holiday with us, sturdy pioneers having carried the good custom along with them into every State of the Union. With the gathering of the crops of the year 1623, the second harvest after their arrival, the day gained especiil significance from the fact that a long period of drought had threatened the colonists with famine, which was for tunately averted just as if in response to their prayers, by the coming of rain, and the custom of holding a thanks giving annually after harvest was thereafter most solemnly observed. The American Thanksgiving Day is really, therefore, of Puritan origin, and on that account, perhaps, has always held its own as a great national holi day, more strongly in the Eastern States, if possible, than anywhere, the subsequent feast of Christmas never having been regarded as of equal im portance. The pivotal point which that Thanksgiving Day celebrated two hundred and seventy-six years ago oc cupies to one of our great national ;n stitutions, therefore, makes the details of that event of the very highest in terest to all Americans. It was William Bradford, the first Governor of the New England colon ies, who had the honor of initiating the custom now followed by our Presi dents by issuing the first Thanksgiving proclamation. Looking back across almost three centuries 10 that time when those stout-hearted wanderers, who were then unaware of what a Canaan they had found, and who had been fearing the worst on account of the adverse weather, stood rejoicing over their sudden deliverance from famine, one cannot fail to be touched by the pathos of their situation and thrilled with the gladness which caused them to offer up their praise and thanks for the mercy vouchsafed by Providence. There has probably never been a Thanksgiving Day celebrated since when the feeling of thankfulness was so heartily and gratefully expressed. The period of one day was absolute ly inadequate for the rendering of all the thanks which the worthy Pilgrims felt it their duty to offer, so they made a good half week of it, beginning on Thursday morning and bringing it to a close botore the dawn of the next Sabbath. Honored guests at the celebration were the Indian chief, Massasoit, and ninety of his leading warriors. The issuing of the proclamation by Governor Bradford had stirred up the hunters ot the colony to make what preparations they could for the feast by ransacking the forest for all the game which could be found, and the bags secured by them were such as would arouse the envy of many a modern Nimrod. There were wild turkeys in abundance, together with ducks and various kinds of game, with which the primeval forest abounded. Massasoit and his warriors brought in a plentiful supply of oysters to swell the feast. The bill of fare which re sulted from the united' effort of the hunters and the good Puritan -house wives, was one with which any but the most exacting epicure might have betn satisfied. The entrees consisted of oysters, venison pasties, savory meat stews, broiled fish, clam chow der, flour dumplings and roasts of all kinds. This was followed by the piece de resistance, which has ever thereafter remained the principal feat ure of the Thanksgiving dinner roast turkey with which the cooks served a dressing of beech nuts, and numerous vegetables and salads. Cakes and plum porridge lent the finishing touch es to the course, and it may be safely assumed that there was no one who 'eft the first Thanksgiving dinner table hungry. The biggest banquet of all was given on Saturday to wind up the cele bration, and as the weather was ex tremely mild the tables were set out in the forest and an al fresco feast en joyed which furnished the Indian guests with an exalted idea of the gas tronomic accomplishments of their new friends. The celebration was wound up, as it was commenced, with a service of praise and prayer which also greatly impressed the Indian visitors. By a recent government decision, a'l life insurance companies doing business in the state, are under the war revenue act, liable to taxation, with the exception of such policies as are used by fraternal societies or orders, farmers' purely local co opera tive companies or associations and employes relief associations operated on the lodge system or co-operative plan. The companies exempt from the tax must not be conducted for profit. Mutual life insurance com panies must pay the tax since that it cannot be held that it is a fraternal society or order, although fraternal societies or orders may be mutual. The Paul R. Wirt Pen Factor v is working over time at present. Necessity is the Mother of Invention It was the necessity for an honest, reliable blood purifier and tonic that brought into existence Hood's Sarsapa rilla. It is a highly concen trated extract prepared by a combination, proportion and process peculiar to itself and giving to Hood's Sarsaparilla unequalled curative power. Its wonderful record of cures his made ' America's Greatest Medicine. Rosy Cheeks " have' good health and rosy cheeks, thanks to Hood's Sarsaparilla. Jt builds me up and saves doctor bills." Mary A. Burke, East Clair St., Indianapolis, Ind. McodA SalialMiftti, HimmV Pint cur. llverllliitri. nonlrritntlnn ind jnly cilirtio to ttlto with flood Hr').rl"ll WASHINGTON. From our Regular Correspondent. Washington, Nov. 27, 1899. Senator Jones, of Ark., Chairman of the Democratic National Commit tee, has returned to Washington for the session of Congress. He has en tirely recovered his health; says he never lelt better, and that, like the democratic party, he is full of fight. He believes.and with good reasons for his belief, that the democratic party is today in better condition for the Presi dential campaign than the republican party is, end that its condition is more likely to improve between now and the opening of the campaign than is that of the republican party; and he says further that his belief is fully shared by every man who attended the recent democratic conference at Chicago. He looks confidently for democratic assistance from the legis lation of this Congress, republican in both branches; the Shylocks of the last i" residential campaign are already de manding their pound of flesh, with no shrewd Portia in sight to show Mr. McKinley how to meet the demand in such a way that they will be made to follow the example of Shakespeare's Shylock. It looks now as though they would get the pound of flesh and with it the life of the republican party. There is reason to believe that Senator Deooe, of Ky was in Wash ington this w;ek for the purpose of enlisting administration support for a scheme by which a combination of republicans and gold democrats in the Kentucky legislature hope to con firm Tayl Vs election to be governor and to re-elect Senator Lindsay, and that he succeeded in getting Mr. Mc Kinley to promise to use the whole influence of the Federal administra tion to help along the scheme. Vice President Hobart was one of the rare men who could be a strong partisan in politics without forfeiting the personal esteem of his opponents. That is why democratic Senators sorrow quite as deeply over his death as do their republican colleagues or the members of the administration of which Mr. Hobart was an important part a much more important part than is generally known and why many democrats went with the large party of officials from Washington to Paterson, N. J., to a'.tend the funeral, Saturday. Senator Frye, of Me., who was elected president protempore of the Senate early in the last Congress will preside over the Senate at the coming session, the only difference made by the death of Mr. Hobart be ing that Senator Frye will draw $3,000 a year more salaty and will have the use of the Vice President's room in the Capitol. It will not change his title, and the Vice Presidency will re main vacant until alter the next nat ional election, there being no law providing for filling a vacany in that office. Mr. Henderson says he will an nounce the House committees before ' 44 B&a i U Mill THANKSGIVING BARGAINS. Good Underwear 50c. the Suit. Good Winter Caps 25c. the holiday recess. If he does, and there is no good reason why he shouldn't, since he has known for months that he would be Speaker, ard knows all of the old members person ally, the House should get down to business much earlier than it usually does at the opening of a new Con gress. There is some talk among re publicans of making the chairman of the House Committee on Banking and Currency their floor leader, in stead of the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Ex Speaker Reed's reference to the vote in Ohio, in a speech made at the annual banquet of the New York Chamber of Commerce, has been much talked about in Washington, and is calculated to make those re publicans who have been disposed to regard Mr. McKinley's reelection as a matter of course, do some hard think ing. Mr. Reed said: "The republi can candidate had but 49,00 plurality (McKinley's majority in the state in '96 was 40,000), while a third candi date had 106,000 votes. In the old days when a majority over all was re quired, there would have been no election". i Mr. John R. McLean, who was de mocratic candidate for governor of Ohio, and who is Admiral Dewey's brother-in-law, believes that the fierce adverse criticism of Admiral Dewey, already shown to have been without just cause, for deeding the house re cently given him to Mrs. Dewey in order that she might share in the pleasure of giving the house to George Goodwin Dewey, the Admiral's only child, an act which she has already performed was the result of concert ed action on the part of certain re publican politicians, who have determ ined to take advantage of every open ing in their effort to break down Ad miral Dewey's popularity so as to re move him from his list of Presidential possibilities. Mr. McLean, who is not given to making assertions with out having substantial reasons there fore, said in an authorized interview: "The criticisms against Admiral Dewey have been inspired by certain persons, who, for well understood reasons, have little love for the Ad miral. It is an insidious attack upon a representative Ametican by hidden political foes. I believe that the fight which has started so insidiously will soon become open, and I have no doubt that the American people, who always love fairplay, will resent these unjust and injurious attacks upon Ad miral Dewey's character in a way that will not be soon forgotten by the men ' responsible for the criticisms". 2ry the COL UMBlANa year. Queen Quality For Women $3.00. Style, Fit, Wear. None Better. W. C. McKINNEY, No. 8 East Main St. tn w rj r m YOU CAN BUY FOR IB) .00' -AT' NSEND'S Hats, Star Clothing House. I $L0- F. P. PURSEL. They Ring Trae. We planned for some very exceptional value giving during the next few days. Bargains'? Yes, bargains, and bargains that you'll appreciate, too. By the way. that word " bargain " is of ten misused, and oftener, badly abused. It has been made to stand for many a humbug, many a sham not here, though. It possesses a sense and dignity when used in our store news col umns. Here it will always be given its broadest, most liberal meaning. Hence, when we say these bargains " Ring True," you can depend upon the statement. Famous Jacket Offerings. We have taken (3) small lots of ladies' and misses' jackets. It was all they had of them, so we bought them away down. Black Kersey Jacket, all wool, trimmed throughout with silk, trimmed with cloth and stitch ing, and the lapels trimmed wite silk, would be cheap at $12 00. Our price, $7 50. A lot of misses jackets we sold at $5 00 reduced, to $4 00. flore About Dress Goods. Yes, and again more, if we had space to print it. We can not too strongly emphasize this fall and winter dress goods equipment. The storm serges, in all col ors, 42 ins. wide, sponged ready to cut into, at 50c. Cheviots, 50 ins. wide, in all colors, at 80c. Camelshair goods,56 ins.wide. at $1 00. Blue Calico. A lot of the best blue calico we can buy, at 5c per yard. Thanksgiving Table Damasks. Lots of lookahead housekeep ers will be glad of this chance to buy a table cloth or two from R P. In black serges, whip cords, brilli antines, &c, just received. Have you seen the stylish Ladies' and Gent's Fine Shoes at $2.50, worth $3.00? We have to Offer VOU rrfi.lt h.ironn in T.irlie' onA Mlccoc' Coats, Tailor-Made Suits, Collarettes. Golf Capes, Plush Capes, We have many new bargains to offer vou since our visit to the city last week. It will always pay you to give us a call. Fresh Groceries received almost daily. Bloomsburg Store Co., Limited. Corner Main and Centre. ALFRED McIIENRY, Manager f& ea Sweet, Orr's Trousers, $1.00. A Good Suit, A Good Overcoat, Latent in these lots. It is a clean case of money saving: The kind we can sell you at 25c. The kind we can sell you at 75c Washing Machines. A lot of washing machines. We will sell them to you with the understanding if they don't give satisfaction we will take them back. Price, $2 98. The Victor machine you all know what it is price, $4 75 for a short time. Regular price, $8 oo. Groceries. We don't claim our groceries are cheaper than any other's, but we do think that there is not another store in town has as good or fresh and clean a lot as we can give you. If you want the best pears you ever ate, try our 2 cans for 25c. Hamburg string beans are yellow in color and as nice as ' new beans. 2 cans for 25c. To matoes, 3 cans for 25c. These are the Sunbeam goods you well know the brand. Corn, we can give you at all prices. The best corn is 2 cans for 25c. New dried fruits of all kinds. Prunes, raisins, currants, citron, orange and lemon peal, to make good mince meat, or we enn sf11 vnn good mince meat, ready to make your pies. Pursel
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers