[meteorite-list] OT: Thanksgiving in Bernd's 1956 (!) English textbook when he was 11 :-)

From: bernd.pauli at paulinet.de <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: 22 Nov 2007 19:25:01 UT
Message-ID: <DIIE.0000009200002312_at_paulinet.de>

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate this day!

Bernd


The First Thanksgiving

Early one August day in 1620, a ship set sail from Plymouth with 101 souls on board
- men, women, and children. The ship was the `Mayflower', and the travellers were
Puritan Pilgrims. They were leaving England to make their home in a new country
across the ocean, where they might worship God as they wished.
The 'Pilgrim Fathers', as they were called later, had a hazardous voyage. They had to
bear many a hardship. The small vessel was in diffi?culties almost daily. Huge waves
crashed violently against its wooden sides, and one storm followed another.
The terrible voyage lasted very long, fully sixty-three days; they sailed at a rate of about
60 miles a day. At last the 'Mayflower' entered the present harbour of Plymouth behind
Cape Cod. Here the Pilgrim Fathers fell upon their knees and blessed God who had brought
them safely across the great waters.
The next day a landing-party of pilgrims and seamen went ashore to look for a suitable place
where they could settle down. After a long and fruitless search, the men returned to the
'Mayflower'. They had found no suitable place on the wild and bleak coast. They went to sleep
that night very tired and disappointed.
In the morning they set out again, and this time they went a little way inland and found a good
site. The joy of the pilgrims on the `Mayflower' did not last long, however. During the next night
snow fell and the ground was covered more than a foot deep. But nothing could keep the men
from their task. They found the site again, shovelled away the snow as well as possible, and began
to build huts and a strong fence as a protection against wolves. That first month many of the settlers
died through sickness and famine. They never knew at night where they would get food for the next
day.
The Pilgrim Fathers soon became acquainted with the native Red Indians, whom they treated
in a friendly manner. One of the settlers was a doctor, and he saved the life of an Indian chief.
The Indians were so grateful that they did everything to help the settlers, and taught them
how to grow maize.
When autumn came, the harvest was plentiful enough to give the Pilgrims food for the whole
winter. They decided to thank God for this mercy by a special thanksgiving. The men went out
to hunt, and shot many ducks and turkeys, for they wanted to have a real feast. They also invited
some of the Indians who had been kind to them. Before the meal the Pilgrims returned thanks to
God for all His goodness to them. And then the Thanksgiving festivities began. They lasted for
three days, and each day they went to church and ran races and played games.
Nearly every year since that time, Thanksgiving has been kept in the country that has grown into
such a great nation - The United States of America.
Received on Thu 22 Nov 2007 02:25:01 PM PST