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Material/y speaking, the United States and Canada are undoubtedly two of the most blessed
nations in history. Never have two nations risen to such dizzying heights of prosperity and
technological advancement. Truly we live in "bountiful Jands" - but have weforgotten the source of
those blessings? Wil/ we acknowledge the one who made
it
al/ possible?
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t is g_enerally agreed that the first
Thanksgiving in the United
States occurred when the Pil–
grims held a three-day· festival to
commemorate the harvest of 1621.
Thc festival was ordered by governor
William Bradford.
lt was not until 1660, however,
that the harvest festival became a
regular a nnual event in the Massa–
chusetts Bay Colony. George Wash–
ington proclaimed November 26,
1789 the first
natíonal
day of
Thanksgiving. By mid-nineteenth
century most of the northern states
had adopted the custom.
Presiden! Abraham Lincoln pro·
claimed a national harvest festival on
November 26, 1863. From that time
on, Thanksgiving Day has been a na–
tiona l holiday proclaimed annually in
the United States by the President
and by the governor of each state.
This year, Thanksgiving will be ob–
served November 22 in the Uni ted
States, and on October 8 in Canada,
(Canada's historical Thanksgiving
tradition is somewhat different than
that of the United States, but the
essential meaning of the day is the
. same.)
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Today's Thanksgiving
;¡
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Originally, the meaning of T hanks–
~
giving had todo with the fall ha rvest.
.,
·ª
All of the appropriate fall symbolism
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was present- pumpkins, turkey with
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all the trimmings, and harvest colors
by
Brian Knowles
of orange and brown. While much of
the symbolism remains the same to–
day, the meaning of Thanksgiving
has extended far beyond the harvest
itself.
Today's Thanksgiving, ideally,
should be a grateful acknowledge–
ment of the multiple blessings be–
stowed upon these neighbor nations
all year round. Never in history have
two peoples been so blessed in every
significant respectas have the United
States and Canada.
Geographically, Ca nada is the sec–
ond largest nation in the world-next
only to the Soviet Union. I t covers a
territory of sorne 3,851 ,000 square
miles and is rich in mineral and natu–
ral resources. Canada has booming
industries in motor vehicle manufac–
turing, petroleum refining, pulp and
paper production, slaughtering and
meat production, iron and steel pro–
duction and other smaller but pro–
portionately prosperous endeavors.
Fishing is also a major Canadian in–
dustry. And Canadian grain is sold to
most major nations , including China
and the Soviet Un ion. With a popula–
tion of only 24,000,000, Canada is a
veritable cornucopia of food and nat·
ural resources.
U.S. Bounty
The United States is the most tech–
nologicalJy advanced nation in the
world. It is also the richest.
If
you
include all 50 states, the Unit.ed
States encompasses a land area of
sorne 3,615,000 square miles. Her
popula tion is approximately ten
times that of Canada, but there is
still plenty of room for everyone (ex–
cept, perhaps, in sorne of the over–
crowded urba n a reas).
In the United States, the median
family income is ft10re than $16,000
annually. Labor-saving
~vices
abound in both Canada and the
United States due to technological
advancement and mass production .
With abou t five percent of the
world's population, the United States
consumes about 30 percent of the
world's energy.
According to
The Wa/1 Street
Journal
(May 1, 1979), "This may
come as a surprise. But the United
States still enjoys the highest stan–
dard of living- by far-of any major
industrial country."
J ust how long that will last is any–
one's guess. Presiden! Carter is expe–
riencing great anxiety over the na–
tion's energy and economic problems.
Something must be done to cut the
use of energy so long as the major
industrial nations are dependent
upon fossil fuels-a nonrenewable
resource. Once the oil is gone, it's
gone. Alternative fuels must be
found, and found fast.
Inftat ion is another major worry.
In the United States, infiation has
been surpassing the rise in wages by
a considerable amount for sorne
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