The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 22, 1896, Page 17

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1896. 17 THE FIRST THANKSGIVING DAY . . The exact date of the first Thanksgiving Celebration in California is not a matter of record. Nor do the old-timers remem- _herin what year it took place. It may have been as early as 1848. It is very likely, however, that it was in the year 1849 and the place one of the many min- ing camps that had just sprung into ex- istence. There were many New Eng- landers bere at the time and it is not probable that the descendants of the Pil- grim Fathers would have allowed their most important and time-honored day to slip by unnoticed. Of the year 1850 the records stand out clear and distinct, and that must be con- sidered the first celepration. In addition to this, a number of the old-timers have © dim memories of festive doings on the Jlast day of November in that year, because Governor Peter H. Burnett issued a proc- lamation declaring it a legal holiday. Official business was suspended and the day was observed by all men from New England and many others who did not object to & good time. A great many of the events of that day have never been recorded and a great many more have been forgotten, but from such accounts as do exist it appears that it was surely a day of festivity. To many of the men who came to the coast on the tidal wave of the gold fever Thanksgiving day was a new thing. The majority of these men hailed from the Southern and Middle States and - from Earope, and did not take kindly to the Puritanical celebration. Some of them ridiculed it and a few of the writers of the time objected to itasa piece of hyprocrisy. But the pioneers were tolerant men as a rule, and when the New Englanders de- . termined to celebrate they met with no -obstacle. It is also recorded that when the others found that Thanksgiving cele- bration meant considerable eating and drinking they inclined to the belief that it was not such a bad thing after all, and con- cluded to take part in it. There may have been fifty Thanksgiving celebrations on November 30, 1850. vOlf‘l- timers remember that the *‘Yankees” in all the camps threw down their picks and shovels and had as good a time as the circumstances would permit of. The ma- jority of them didn’t bave turkey, un}es! they bappened to live in those sections where the wild birds could be killed at that time. ~ Most of them would have been satisfied with a little fresh veef. Deerwas | a great luxury, and pork or mutton among the things longed for. In most of the camps where Thanksziving was celebrated jackrabbit was considered pretty good. In those aays the boys didn’t look down on the gray jumpers with the contempt that people now display toward the animal that is now considered a pest. Thanksgiving day 1850 was a cold day all over the State. It was clear and dry, | but in the mountains a little snow had | falien. This, of course, only made it seem more like nome to the boys from the East, and they were correspondingly de- lighied. They bauled in plenty of wood the day before, so that they nad nothing | to do bat ceieprate and watch the iack- rabbits cook to a turn. The rabbits were always cooked whole, a certain member of the par:y being vested with tie honor of chef, whose duty it was to see that it was properly basted and turned occa- sionally. & ; While scenes of festivity were going on in many of the camps all over the State there were others where the boys did not know that there was such a day as Thanksgiving. George K. Fitch was in the diggings at the time, and deciares that the day passed without his knowl- edge tbat it was a holiday. The Gov- ernor's proclamation did not reach his camp, and if it had the chances are that no attention would have been paid to it, as there were no New Englanders for sev- eral miles around. When the news came | that some of the boys over the ridge had | been celebrating considerable surprise | was expressed. On the evening of November 30, 1850, JACKRABBIT DINNER WAS GOOD ENOUGH CELEBRATI IN 1850, the first official celebration of Thanksgiv- ing day in California was observed in Sac- ramento, and it was a most elaborate af- fair. Governor Burnett had issued his prociamation a few days previously, and all the New England men in the place at once got together and formea plane for celebrating. They called their organiza- tion the Sons of New England, and held a banquet in the dining-room of the Colum- bia Hotel. The decorations of the hall on this occasion were by far the most elab- orate that had sver been attempted 1in the State. The walls were hung with bunting, and flags and shields containing the names of the States were placed in the form of a frieze. Everybody was invited to be present at this feast, whether they came from New England or not. The menu was a most sape b one, and contained forty different disher and eight kinds of wine. There ‘was everything that could be obtained in the best restaurants in any part ol the world, and nobody who participated had need to long for turkey or pumpkin pie, or anything else for that matter. As it happened, Hardin Biglow died a few days previous to Thanksgiving day, and Governor Burnettcame up from Mon- terey to attend the funeral. This brought higy to Sacramento just in time to be present at the celebration. He was given the place of honor at the table, and ex- pressed his delight at the fact that ho was able to attend the first Thanksgiving cele- bration which bad ever been proclzimed by a Governor of California. On tnis occasion K. M. Berry acted as president of the evening. Rev. Mr. Ben- ton asked a blessing and the banquet pro- ceeded. J. W. Cartwright acted as toast- master. The festivities were kept up until midnight, when, the next day being Sun- day. the first official Thanksgiving cele- bration in the history of the State was brought to a close. tended that celebratiorny is alive to-day. ‘There may be, but as the list of guests 1s It is not known that anybody who at- | ON 1IN CALIFORNIA not complete they could not be locateds In the larger cities of California, such as San Francisco, San Jose and Monterey, some attempt was made at observing Thanksgiving by the families. Those who could afford it bad turkey, but that is about as far as it went. The stores did not close generally, but business was no- ticeably slack. The few churches held ser- vices out of respect to the gubernatorial proclamation, but nothing on a large scale was attempted. In San Francisco the French restaurants prepared a Thanksgiving dinner and man- aged to get a little more custom than | usual. The men here were glad to take part in anything that showed signs of producing a good time. I well recollect my first Thanksgiving day in San F:ancisco,” said Joseph A. Coolidge, ‘‘There was nothing very re- markable about it, but of course we had to celebrate by eating turkey. I bought one, a small one, and paid $16 for it. But it was young and alive. I bought it sev- eral days before and gave it in charge of a French cook to fatten. He stuffed 1t alive until it was as plump as a partridge. It made my mouth water to look atit. The day before Thanksgiving he picked it alive and allowed it to run around without any feathers. But when that turkey was served | I teli you it was fit for Lucullus. I don’t | know where it came from, but I was satis- fied withit. Ithink that by the time I paid the cook for preparing that turkey and the extras that were necessary to go with it, together with a few other things requisite for the dinner, it must have cost at least $50. But it was worth it, and I didn’t leave much.” Burmese humanity to animals goes so far as to provide buffaloes kept in stables | with mosquito netting. The mosquitoes are as annoying to cattle as to human beings, but when left out of doors the buffalo can protect himself by rolling in the mud and allowing it to cake upon him. ARNUAL The Greeks, during their autumnal celebration of the Eleusinian mysteries, approached nearer a national tuanks- giving than in any other oi their numer- _ous religious festivals. The seventh day was set apart for the great offering to Demeter of fruits and grains, and this was held in the outermost courtin order that " no unhaliowed footprint might profane the temple proper. All the great festivals were under state direction, and, as the . national life was based on state religion, impiety was a crime, amenabie to law; yet their religion had a warmth and joyous- ness and asocial life we moderns know nothing of. Indeed, the happy abanaon of a Greek festival would be a revelation to amodern. The beginning of their thank offering of fruit and grain was solemnly announced by a disdemed hierophant standing amid a crowd of robed priests on the magnifi- cent Stoa Poikle (or variegated colonnade at the temple entrance), and there pro- claiming all Greeks were welcome to at- THANK - tend the grand celebration who were free from civil or personal taint. This proclamation was followed by sac- rifice and prayer; the priests, surrounded by the peculiar members of the myster- ies, in solid phalanx, and followed by a great procession, proceeded to the sea- ! coast, where they were all sol-mnly puri- | fied; expiatory services were preceded by one day's fast. The most touching of these heathen expiatory rites was the selection of a beautiful young child, either girl or boy, of pure Athenian race, called the ‘‘child of the bearth,” because placed near the sacrificial bearth, and it offered the prayer for tnose seeking initiation into the solemn mysteries. It seemed the supplication coming from innecent lips would on that account be more acceptable to the gods, They believed it to be the redemption of all granted to a child. Then followed the grand dramatic rep- resenta'ion of the joy of Demeter upon the 1ecovery of Persephone. The parched and withered earth had mourned with OFFERIN Demeter in her grief for the abduction of her child, and now at the command of the goddess was covered with bloom and laden witn fruits upon her recovery. The grateful Greeks assembled from all direc- tions to share her joy and render thanks- | giving within the sacred inclosure at the call of the mysterious hierophant. The distance between Athens and Eleu- sis was seventeen miles, and from early morn the whole way was covered with a joyous throng, led by white-robed priests, | wreathed oxen, goats and other sacred animals led by youths adorned in festal attire. The young men of Athens wore short, pleated kitons, with the graceful himation thrown over their shoulder, their heads garlanded and feet sandaled. ‘The young girls bore flowers, fruits and some kind of a sacred box. They were dressed in white, with gold-embroidered peplum. The matrons bore their offer- ings of wheat-sheaves, dressed in white kiton and dark-blue peplum, in honor of Demeter, whose dress when on Mount Olympus was always of that shade. The chorus-boys and regular musicians were appareled in holiday attire and filled the brilliant sunlit air with joyous strains of antiphonic music. The old men walked in stately, rhythmic measure in robes of office levery citizen was a dicast, present or prospective], and all that festival crowd, marching in the sweet morning air to the sacred inclosure, were given up to the great enjoyment of a national and social thanksgiving. On the march they filled tue time with musie, banter, raillery and jesting. The procession reached E.eusis at night by torchlight and a stay of many days was made. The entire celebration of the mysteries occupied nine days, and the seventh aay was selected as peculiar for the offering of thanks for the fruits of the earth. The drama opened with the grief of Demeter for the loss of ter child. The imtiates clad in white robes, their hair caught up with golden grasshoppers and heads wreathed with myrile, ranged themselv s before the sacred doors, while the herald cried in imperious tones, “Let the profane, the impious, those dealing in magic arts, those who have shed human blood and all barbarians depart bence!” If any of these ciasses were found in the throng they could be put to death on the spot and flung out of the inclosure. The profane were not permitted to even s-e the temple, but the initiates approached as soon as the mystics ran through the inclosure carrying torches, shaking them so that showers of purging sparks were flung off, then passing them from kand to hand in token of the divine transmission of holy light and knowledge. Ona arter another the torches were ex- tinguishel and from the darkness came divine voices and appalling images, ac- companied by flashes of lightning, groans issning from the earth (apparently), chains clanked and terror fell upon all bearts. This was the most trying part of the ceremonies and tested the courage and faith of the initiates. Thenceforwara the drama continued its development by sudden transitions from scenes of splen- did light leading to the joys of the empy- rean from the terrors of Tartarus. Count- iess lights lit up the temple and courts. Incense filied the air and the sanctuary was fil ed with radiance. Entrancing music from the choirs added joy to the worship- ers. Rhythmic dances and sacred songs announced the completion of the ceremo- nies. The mysteries closed by the veil falling, and Demeter stood revealed to her waor- shipers in all the splendor of her im- mortal beauty. Of course, much of what was regarded as incommunicable in the mysteries was never disclosed, but to the Greek it was the rarest of privileges to witness this great thank-offering to Demeter. In the Homeric Hymn it is written: **Blessed is | he who has beheld these rites; for he who is initiate and he who has nor beheld these sacred rites has by no means the | same fortune, though dead beneath the GS AMONG THE ANCIENT GREEKS murky darkness,” And Sophocles says' +To these alone are granted life.” Mysteries to the Greek originally spoke tothe eye; they were a relizious drama rather than a moral or philosophic teach- ing. But the mind of the Greek could not rewrain inert in these exciting scenes. Some observers stopped devoutly with the legends; others, few in numbers, rose from the sentiment to the idea—from im- agination to reason—and, aided by the elasticity of the symbols, gradually intro- | duced doctrines that certainly were not | there in the beginning, or were in an extremely vague condition. Dionysius and Persephcne in the underworld repre- sented the apparent death of the human race and their apparent restoration to life. Olympus typified renewet life and im- mortality. Later still, these ideas became more definite and there grew up amid the mysteries a purified polytheism, resem- bling in certain of its tendencies the spirit- ual character of the Christian religion. REeBECCA LAWRENCE. 0ODD SIGHTS AND SGENES Pumpkins That Spurn the Ground In the Seventh-street Park, in Oakland, there is one of the strangest pumpkin crops to be found in the State, certainly the queerest that grows in any public square, if indeed that vegetable can be found in any other public square. There 1s really nothing strange about Pumpkin Crop on a Roof. the crop itself that is referred to, but its location is most unusual, for it is on the roof of the toolhouse. This toolhouse is exactly in the center of the square, and the crop of bright-cclored pie material looms up from all directions. But it doesn’t look at all inviting, although a number of people in the neighborhood have signitied their intention of having one of the pumpkins for Thanksgiving— { that is, provided, of course, they are not seized by some one else in the meantime. There is quite a story in the way these pumpkins came to grow on the roof. It was a very simple matter for them to do s0 when one considers the cause. The same cause has also given the old gardener quite an opinion of his own powers of in- vention. It seems that the pumpkins grew as a yolunteer crop, due to the fact that some of the ground around tle toolhouse was prought there from a vacant lot near by. The gardener cared for the vine tenderly, but soon found it an elep ant on his hands. Itspread all over the flower-bed, and soon had that part of the square to itself, because nothing else couid live in the neigiaborhood. Then it commenced to spread over the walks, and also 1o show signsof bearing. This was a hard time for the gardener. ‘He thought of the fine pies the pumpkins would make, and he also thou ht that iv wounld be necessary for people to walk throngh the park. He lost sleep at night, and still thevin - grew. Little pumpkins formed, and he began to lose flesh. The vine spread more and more and the small green globules looked more tempting every day. When slmost on the verge of despair the gardener got an idea. He soon had the crop of young pumpkins safe on the roof, where they could grow as much 8s they ;:led' while the roots remained in the soil ovi. And they have taken advantage of the opportunity, for most of them are large enough to take prizes at a country fair. When he looks at his harvest there is only one thing that troubles the old gar- dener. It is really making him lose sleep again, for he does not know how he 1s go- ing to get the pumpkins down. . The Gity's Smallest Store. | The very smalleststorein San ¥ rancisco? Doubtless you have passed it many times but have never noticed it, which would not be at all strange, because it 1s so very, very small. It’s interior area measures just five feet two inches in width, by twenty-one feet in depth, and yetit is located on one of the busiest blocks on Market street. It is that tiny blue front locksmith’s shop on the south side of Market street. The lot itself is not much larger than the store, and the store was once 2n alleyway. But front feet on Market street are far to_ valuable to waste in alleyways, so the thrifty owner of this property put a dry floor on the alley, then a few boards up for the roof, cut the five-foot alley-gate in half and made a tiny show window out of the eastern half, painted the whole thing a beautiful, radiant, glowing, army blue, and then hung out a sign, “‘Store to Let.” The sign didn’t hang there long. A patent medicine doctor was the first ten- ant. He soid an invigorator and a reju- venator that were guaranteed to make old men young and weak men strong. “It benefits in a day and is pleasant to take,” li i 5 Smallest Store. read the yellow circulars nailed on the blue front. Ajpparently there was not a great de- mand for the rejuvenator, and soon its discoveries gave way to the present occu- pant, E. Rabjohn Jr., who mends locks and seils keys and things, and, when occa- sion arises, fills an order for his predeces- sor’s rejuvenator. A Lot With Only One Foot Frontage The smallest single piece of unimproved real estate in the City has a frontage of one foot. There are several very narrow strips of real estate in San Francisco, but l none of them are quite as diminutive as this one by several feet. It islocated near i oo o Lot With One-Foot Front. the brow of Telegraph Hill, and has re- mained in its present unimproved condi- tion since 1850, At that time it belonged to James Ross, who afterward went to Marin County, { acquired an immense amount of valuable real estate near San Anselmo, got that very picturesque little spot known as Ross Vailey named after him, and then passed on to his Scotch forefathers, leay- ing his heirs the memory of an honest name, but not very much in addition. Thissingle-foot strip of real estate fronts on Moxntgomery street, between Green and Vallejo and was purchased from James Ross early in the fifties by the husband of its present owner, Mrs. W. B. Agard. Mrs. Agard is a very amiable and pleasant mannered Ecoich widow, who lived on Telegraph Hiil when that was the aristo- cratic part of Ban Francisco, and the house she then occupied, which sets back considerably from 311 Green street, is where sie still lives. Her home is one of the very few reminders of the departed social prestiges of Telegraph Hill. The one-foot front strip lies between the properties owned by Onesta Tognotti on the south and by 8. Bacigalupi and P, D-martini on the nortb, and though its title has sometimes been called in question by strangers, the deed is there in biack and white and it proves the legal purchase by James Ross, long, long years ago, who needed the narrow strip for sewerage pur- poses. e — There are probably more thieves in China than in any other country in the world, Enjoyment in Ghurning Butter ‘‘Churning is one of the hard jobs on a farm and consumes much valuable time. 1t usually makes one’s arms ache to work the dasher up and down from twenty minutes to two hours according to the con- dition of the cream. And when it i<done, how little there is to show for it. Evenif one uses the new rotary churn,it is not satisfactory. It takesagood dealofcream to work them and the work isalmost as bard as with the old kind. One gets tired and wishes that butter-making was one of the lost arts.” The preceding paragraph contains almost the identical words of a farmer’s wife, She made the statement after years of experience and knew what she was talking about. But she need never talk that way again. The man who has done all this good for the housewives of America is named William R. Cullson, and his invention is of the simplest and most inexpensive kind. Itvissosimple, in fact, thatitis im- possible to get it out of order. Thatis, it woutd be about as hard to get out of order as a sledgehammer. Cullson’s invention really makes it a pleasure to churn, and in the future the boys and girls will look upon the work as a “snap.” In fact, they can do the churn- ing and at the same time read the latest news. Fancy this, ye overworked hou-e- wives! You can churn while you are resting. All there is to the invention is u pair of common bellows, a few feet of hose and some leadpipe. The bellows are placed under braces, that are fixed to a rocking- chair, which in turn is fastened to a strong framework. One bellows is fixed to the back part of the chair and the other bel- lows to the front, so the rocking motion of the chair opens and closes them alter- nately. The air thus compressed is forced through the hosepipes and aown the lead- pipe into the churn, where it agitates the cream until cream butter is produced. There is no dasher nor mechanism of any kind. The work is ali done by com- pressed air. It agitates the cream, and that is all that is necessary. After the air passes through the cream it passes out through a hole in the cover of the churn. it would seem that to agitate cream in this way would separate the butter quicker than the oid way. NEW METHOD The Smallest of Thoroughfares The smallest street in San Francisco? It is Reed street, near the top of Telegraph Hill. Reed place it is called on the ad- 7/ 7 ZoGETXE Y1777/ s A Street of Stairs. jacent lamppost, but in official parlance all thoroughfares, whether boulevards, avenues, places or alleys, are streets. OF CHURNING. - ABOUT THE GIJY AND FAGJS FOR THE G Everything that bears an official name on the official map of! thoroughfares in the Surveyor’s office is a street. This particular street, as shown on the map in the Surveyor's office, has a length of 34 feet 4 inches and a width of 6 fest 8 inches. And, of course, the map in the Surveror's office is correct. Nevertheless, it might be argued by one disprsed to be captious that Reed place has a greater depth than this, for when you have reached the official end of the street you come to a flight of wooden steps. Mount- ing these, you find yoursel! on what may be called the second story of Reed street. Traversing this second story a few paces you reach another flight of stairs, and these lead to stiil the third story of Reed place, at the end of which is a bit of green tree hanging over the fence from a neigh- bor's yard—the only green thing to be seen on all Reed street. Reed place is in block 68 of the City and County of San Francisco, which means (to those who know) that it runs south from the north side of Green street, be- tween Montgomery and Kearny, but it doesn’t run very far, and for that reason it is the very smallest street in all this great big City. There are a counle of sixty-foot streets running north from Post stieet, above Taylor—Ophir and Agate alleys—but they are long compared with Reed place. A Sea Sphinx. Silent she looks out on the desert sea. Where the white caravans go creeping by— Star-led across a waste of starless sky— The merchent Arabs of the ocean free! Inscrutable her stony features be; Her granite lips inflexible defy All questioners; and in each hollow eye Hovers a shadow and & mystery. 01d Ocean’s secret centuries ago She learned from the innumerable lips That saug unconscious of a listener. Henceforth, forever, it is hers to know The predetermined destinies of ships, The joy or doom of every voyager! FRANK DEMPSTER SHERMAN, in the Bachelor of Arts, New York, Octuber. Puppy-Dog Dinners. Chow dog, in the way of Chinese diet, is so great a delicacy that to leave it out of an official dinner in China would be as greal a crime ay leaving out whitebait or asparagus in May on similar occasions in this country. At Canton rows of dogs, skinned, dressed and ready for cooking, are hung up in lines on the stalls in the market-place. The poor chow, when thus he contributes to the delicacies of the heathen Chinee’s table, must not have out- grown the tender stage of puppydom. When he is two months old, and his little carcass weighs two pounds, he is at his best, and once he has managed to escape his doom till he is six months old, he has a chance of living to a patriarchal age, for after that time his “flavor” is not, from the epicurean point of view, what it ought to be. From the non-Celestial point of view the chow pup is far too amusing and hand- some a little customer to be-sacrificed on the same altar on which are laid shark fins, duck tongues and swallow nests. The buby chow in appearance is like a tiny bear cub. The lower 10,000 of China —or rather the lower 10,000,000—who can- not afford a dinner of chow, philosophic- ally eat rats instead, deeming them a very passable and palatable substitute for the coveted puppy dog. e In Italy thirty persors out of 10,000 die 1 by the assassin’s knife, URIOUS The Smallest Voter in the Gity The smallest yoter in San Francisco is Samuel Joseph Kingsion. He stood on a chair to cast his ballot, and even then was not as tall as many another voter. His height is 4 feet 2 inches. He is a native son of California and, curiously enough, the son of well-developed parents and the brother of several tall men. In the business section of the City Semuel Joseph Kingston is well known. He drives a rubber-stamp wagon for a Sansome-street firm. He is bright, in- telligent, active and has worked for his present employer something like ten years or more. He is known as “Sammy’’ and is a gen- eral favorite. Heisalways good-humored and witty, and is considered a good busi- ness man. He cast his vote ior William Jennings Bryan, and it was just as biga vote as that cast by any other man in the The Smallest Voter. City. One of “Sammy’s” big brothersis a well-known insurance man in this City, and the contrast in height between these two is something ludicrous when they are seen on the street together, which sometimes happens. “Sammy” lives at 41 Langton street. He is 31 years of age and has dark-brown hair and eyes. For one so small he has remarkable phys- ical strength and endurance, and thoagh his le:s are comparatively the shortest part of him yet he is quick-footed to a de- gree and as spry and active as many a normally fashioned man. While “‘Sammy”’ is the smallest voter "in San Francisco he also enjoys the distinction of being the smallest man in the City, and probably in the whole State. He is, however, only small in stature. He is’a kind-hearted man, honest and intelligent, and really, in a true sense, @ much bigger man mentally and morally than many of those who tower way above him physically. ————— There are but 45 steamers with a higher speed than 19 knots, of which 25 belong to Great Britain, 7to Belgium, 5 to Germany, 8 each to Holiand and France, and 2 to the American line. This list does not in- clude war vessels and river and lake steamers.