\ PAGE 18 - PLAINDEALER-TUESDA Y, NOVEMBER 25.1975 Thanksgiving, 1975 Our American Thanksgiving Day dates officially from 1863 when the nation was locked in a sectional struggle. At that time Mrs. Sarah J. Hale, who had been propos ing a national day of thanksgiving for decades in Boston and Philadelphia as a magazine editor, wrote to Presi dent Abraham Lincoln--who in October of 1863 issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation. There had been earlier thanksgiving days; some date the American observance to the days of the early set tlers of the nation--who gave thanks for their food sup ply and the opportunity America offered. The first prob ably occurred in the Plymouth Colony in 1621. There have also been observances in other lands but few countries had adopted annual thanksgiving days prior to the American custom. An international thanks giving day was held in Washington in 1909, having been conceived by the Rev. Dr. William T. Russell of St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Thus,Thanksgiving Day, the 27th, is uniquely Amer ican. We can all give thanks for the many blessings all Americans enjoy. In doing so, we can resolve to build a better community and a greater nation--for in spite of our blessings and accomplishments, there is still much to be done in the building of our country. from HISTORY'S SCRAPB00K D A T E S A N D E V E N T S F R O M Y E S T E R Y E A R S November 28.1520-Magellan enters the Pacific Ocean on his way around the world, the first European to sail that body of water from the east. November 29, 1963-President Johnson appoints a seven man bipartisan commission, headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren, to in vestigate the assassination of President Kennedy. November 30, 1782-Preliminary peace agreements ending the Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain are signed in Paris. December I, 1913-The world's first drive-in gasoline station opens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. or0^ .ao DR. LEONARD BOTTARI 1303 N . R ichmond Rd. ,W\cHenry Eyesexamined Contact Lenses G lasses f i t ted Mon, Tues , T h u r s , F r i 4 6 p m . T u e s , T h u r s , F r i 7 9 p m Sat , 9 :30 to 3 00 P h 385 4 151 or 385 M62 EARL R. WALSH & JACK WALSH INS. Fi re , Auto , Farm. L i fe . Represent ing RELIABLE COMPANIES 4410 W Rte 120 , McHenry 385 3300 DENNIS CONWAY A U T O L I F E F I R E State Farm Ins. Co. 3319 W E lm St McHenry , I I I 385 7111 HOUGHTON HEATING ^ Air Conditioning • Gutters PHONE 385-5476 McHENRY McHENRY LETTER SERVICE Paging Serv ice Now Ava i la t Mimeographing Typing Address ing Mai l ing L is ts 3509 W Pear l St . McHenry P h 385 0258 . 385 8020 Monday 1 th r y Saturday McHENRY COUNTY OFFICE MACHINES SALES SERVICE & RENTALS Mon Sat 9 5 30 Fr iday t i l 9 00 93 Grant St . . Crysta l Lake Ph 459 1226 ••aoaMSLSS. j I a l t o b s Farm Equipment George P. Frennd.lne. Case - New Holland 4102 VV. Crystal Lake Rd. McHENRY Bus. 3854420 Res. 385-0227 Halm's WONDER LAKE FUNERAL HOME 815-728-0233 3932 W. Rt. 120, McHenry "GATEWAY TO YOUR FUTURE" CALL US <8151 385-4810 l l R E L L I RADIAL TIRES FOR ALL CARS Europa Motors Inc 2318 Rte. 120 8 1 5 3 8 5 0 7 0 0 ED'S STANDARD SERVICE F.XPERT TUNE-UP ATLAS" fires Batteries. Accessories QUALITY American Oil Products PH. 3850720 3817 w. KI M STRKKT * RADIATORS * Cooling System Specialists •k AIR CONDITIONING * Trailer Hitches Fabrication it STEEL SALES * Welding & Ornamental Iron WORK OUARANTI IO 30116 U. Rte. 120 McHenry ADAMS BROS. .Jho- Hi H.J ( \ c \ i t o ( . e m C l e a n e r s ) ConuU: ML at our new q Important Correspondence Accounting Records Invoices & Statements Project/Product Specifications quick-action copy cantor. Inventory Sheets Order & Bid Forms Catalog Sheets & Bulletins Promotional Letters & Flyers Try This Convenient New Service Soon! McHENRY PRINTING SERVICES 3909 W. MAIN 385-7600 §*$y-to-use XEROX* •qulpmant! % "IT'S BEEN POSSIBLE ONLY THROUGH THEE" Thanksgiving Day Bicentennial Reflections Thanksgiving day, 1975, will be celebrated in many American communities with special Bicentennial observances. Sturbridge village in Massachusetts will prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal in the village buildings. In Phoenix, Arizona, there will be an old fashioned Harvest festival at Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum. In Dallas, Texas, the Thanksgiving Square foundation is preparing and preserving early Tlianksgiving documents for future generations. Churches everywhere will conduct special Thanksgiving services, including a colonial candlelight church service in Philadelphia's historic Trinity church. Looking back, Americans will find that Thanksgiving celebrations have filled an important role in the nation's history. They will also find that the manner in which the day is kept has changed remarkably little over the original versions. \ ^ A tradition of thanks and prayer pervaded the early Colonies, especially at harvest time, because these early men and women derived their life and sustenance from the soil. By the time of the Revolutionary war, official days of Thanksgiving were common in the colonies. On Nov. 4, 1775, the legislators of the colony of Massachusetts Bay passed a Thanksgiving proclamation appointing Thursday, the 23rd of November, as a Day of Public Thanksgiving. While the custom of proclaiming a day of Thanksgiving was more than a century old, the Revolution had added a new element-the traditional "God Save the King" was replaced by the bold amendment to the proclamation: "God Save the People." General George Washington had just taken command of the troops at Boston. Soldiers had arrived from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island for the siege of Boston. General Washington- issued an order to his troops to observe the day designated in Massachusetts "with all the solemnity directed by the legislative proclamation and that all officers, soldiers and others are hereby directed with the most unfeigned devotion to obey the same." Thus, Nov. 23,1775, became the first colonial Thanksgiving observed by the representatives of many colonies in an official way. « It wasn't until December of 1777 that he could order his troops to observe the first Thanksgiving day for all of America ordered by the Continental Congress as a result of the victory at Saratoga. His army observed it on Dec. 18, the day before he marched into Valley Forge. Washington was the first President to issue a Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789 when he designated the fourth Thursday in November as the national Thanksgiving day, As to how Thanksgiving was celebrated, a quotation from John Adams is revealing, as it rhapsodizes a feast he partook of in Germantown, Pa., in 1775. It contained, "a turtle and every other thing, flummery, jellies, sweetmeats of twenty sorts, trifles . . . with a dessert of fruits, raisins, almonds, pears, and peaches. A most sinful feast again!" As many Americans travel home for the holiday in 1975, they might reflect on comments by George Washington in a letter to Joseph Reed on Nov. 20,1775. The general thanks Reed for his frequent mention of Mrs. Washington, saying: "I shall be much obliged in your particular instructions and advice to her .. as the roads are bad and the weather cold, her stages must be short.. by the time she gets to Philadelphia, she will have performed a journey of at least 450 miles." Mrs. Washington reached Cambridge on Dec. 11. Then and now, it was custom for families to gather to give thanks for blessings bestowed on the new land. During the past year the Scouts, school children, churches and other friends of Goodwill contributed over 35,000 hours of volunteer time in collection drives. Abilities Center Goodwill Industries, the oldest and largest evaluation center in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, is a non-profit, non- sectarian agency, locally controlled and operated ser ving only the area disabled. PUBLIC PULSE (The Plaindealer invites the public to use this column as an expression of their views on subjects of general interest in our community. Our only request is that the writers give - signature, full ad dress and phone number. We ask too, that one in dividual not write on the same subject more than once each month. We reserve the right to delete any material which we con sider libelous or In objec tions 1 taste.) ON WIRETAPPING "Editor: "There is not now, nor has there ever been, anything 'secret' or 'hidden' about Illinois Bell's practices in connection with discovery of illegal wiretaps on 'a customer's line. The com pany's policies have been lawful, open and above board, with information on these practices freely given in response to any inquiry. "For many decades, illegal wiretapping devices and associated records have been kept by Illinois Bell for at least a two-year period. This policy was freely enunciated to anyone requesting specific information about the com pany's records retention practices. "Allegations by the Cook county States Attorney's office that a lack of such records hindered a grand jury in vestigation are false. Any of ficial request for such in formation would have been complied with. "Wiretapping is illegal in Illinois by anyone except Federal authorities who have obtained specific authorization under v federal law allowing place a tap. When an Bell employee under v f \ them to Illinois Thanks-For-Giving Month At Goodwill November is the national "Thanks-for-Giving" month for Goodwill Industries. Abilities Center Goodwill Industries is grateful to the McHenry community for support during the past year. The disabled clients have received financial contribution, clothing and materials donations which have helped them to help themselves. A total of 2,676 tons of materials were donated in 1975. Without this support, the Abilities Center Goodwill In dustries could not have provided jobs, training and evaluation for 600 handicapped and disabled people or paid nearly $400,000 in wages to these workers. Are You New In ! McHenry Area ? ************ Do You Know Someone new? WE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND A ROYAL WELCOME TO EVERY NEWCOMER TO OUR AREA ! MM CALL I0AN STULL 385-5418 • • • • The easiest way to fin ish a hard job is to get to work. After the start is made the finish is near at hand. discovers a wiretapping device on a customer's line, the em ployee immediately reports the existence of the device to a management person. Following notification by this person, the company's security department investigates the situation. "Company records are checked to determine if the device is one of the very rare legal wiretaps placed by a Federal agency under Federal law. If the company has in formation that it is a legal tap, the customer is notified that the tap exists but that the company will not remove it. If the customer requests further information about such a legal tap, the company suggests that the United States Attorney's office be contacted. "Every year Illinois Bell discovers about twenty wiretaps which are not covered by Federal law. In these in stances, the company notifies the customer, the States At torney, and the FBI that an illegal tap has been found. The device is left on location 24 to 48 hours in order to give law en forcement agencies an op portunity to examine the device before it is removed. "This policy is parallel with that of the twenty-two^ other telephone companies which together with Illinois Bell make up the Bell system. "Following removal of the device under direction of a law enforcement agency, records associated with the case are kept by the security depart ment for two years and then destroyed. If an investigation in connection with an illegal tap is continuing at the end of the two- year period, records are retained for six years. If the company is requested by the law enforcement agency to retain custody of the wiretapping device, it will do so. "Prior to August of this year, Illinois Bell's policy differed slightly from that of the other Bell system companies. The company reported the existence of an illegal wiretap to the customer, and retained both the device and associated records for two years. However, the prerogative of reporting the existence of the device to law enforcement * It * * * * * * * * EDITORIALS Advocate Less School A former U.S. Commissioner of Education, Harold Howe II, says U.S. schools provide more formal education than many students need. He would like to see high school and college reduced by a year or more. Howe also believes adults should attend school--free school, for a year or two later in life, which could mean the same total number of years of study. The U.S. schooling system of keeping most students studying from age 6 to age 21 is admittedly imperfect in 1975. Today Students can learn faster with television aids and other modern aids than they did years ago. Thus they cah accomplish in a year less, perhaps, than their elders accomplished before them--if they apply themselves and if there's order and discipline in school, and good teachers (some big if s). Even if they cannot, because of deteriorating climates in any schools, the Howe suggestion remains attractive. Many students idle away years not knowing what they wish to do in life and sixteen years of constant classrooms often leaves them fed up, as Howe says. * No other western democracy [dans so much schooling for its youth--and most of them provide a dual level of study, technical and general. And those technically inclined in this country could probably specialize in a trade or skill and be adequately prepared by age 18 or 19. Tracking Tornadoes Scientists trying to discover the secrets of the tornado's origin have come up with an exciting theory--a theory they feel may prove to be the solution when confirmed. The first clue came in 1973 when weather experts studied a special radar chart--the trade of a storm that spawned a tornado in Oklahoma--and noticed something different. At the time of the storm, near Union City, scientists didn't notice anything special or different but afterwards, studying the chart intensively, they thought they could discern the tornado forming in the center ewe of a thunderstorm. It was not until June of this year, when special radar was again used to track a thunderstorm which produced a tornado, that the 197$ finding was confirmed. This tornado, near Stillwater, Oklahoma, also formed in the core of a thunderstorm. Both tornadoes framed very rapidly, apparently resulting from two swift air currents moving in different directions which met and turned into a vertical swirling column several miles in height. If this finding is indeed the "signature" of a tornado, the theory about air currents, which had been a prevalent theory for decades, is confirmed. Radar watchers will very likely be able to track these unpredictable storms with more accuracy--if they happen to be scanning a thunderstorm which forms a tornado--in the future. Because torandoes form so quickly, and also disintegrate rapidly, and because every thunderstorm cannot be scanned by radar, many will continue to strike without advance warning. But the basic key to a warning system has now apparently been fashioned--in an exciting development in the study of the weather. Unpaid Bills Comptroller Sees $50 Million State Backlog If the trend of state spending in excess of revenues continues through the next eight months, a backlog of more than $50 million in unpaid bills will develop, Comptroller George W. Lindberg said today in his monthly financial review. Lindberg said the state's cash flow crunch will remain until new revenue sources or spending cuts modify the trend which saw the state spending $266 million more than it took in for its day-to-day operations during the months of July, August, .September and Oc tober. In/the wake of October's financial pinch, Lindberg said agencies was left to the customer ̂ and the device was removed immediately. "The company did not report the d|scovery of the devices directly , to law enforcement agencies because it felt that the customer was the aggrieved party and should have the right to take whatever action was deemed appropriate. Since the majority of such illegal devices involve domestic situations in which members of a family are attempting to gather in formation about other mem bers of the family, it was felt that notification of the customer served the best in terests of all concerned. It was assumed that any customer who felt that a law enforcement agency should be notified would take such action. "Devices were removed immediately because the company felt it was necessary to restore the customer's privacy of communication as rapidly as possible. The devices and associated records were, however, kept for the two years and made available for any lawful investigation. "The company always has and will continue to comply with any lawful requests for specific information on wiretapping from any agency or government body. "StanJozwiak "Area Manager" the Governor's agencies have begun a slowdown in paying those who do business with the state. Those affected are doctors, hospitals, nursing homes and other commercial enterprises.' "Such a slowdown, if it continues, will have the effect of shifting the cash flow problems of the state to the private sector, thereby allowing the state to partially abandon its fiscal respon sibility," Lindberg said. "That's bad news for businessmen." "To keep the state from becoming a 'dead beat' on paying its bills, we have to face reality. Very soon we must either cut spending or find new income." Lindberg's,report also: Showed that spending from the state's general funds is running 20 percent higher in the first third of fiscal '76 than in the same period last year. Indicated that revenues to the general funds are up 10 percent so far this fiscal year over last. Pegged the end-of-October general funds available balance at $49 million, down $266 million since June 30. Showed that spending for road building is up by 24 per cent from July through October over the same period & year ago, public aid grant spending rose 21 percent and school distributive aid 17 percent in the same period. GOOD W0 from the Hible < And he brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Acts 16. 30-31 +o % V % MOW WELCOME * * J KNOW YOUR AREA-ROYAL WELCOME DOES IT BEST * * * * * * * * * J } * % * * * K0ENEMANN Country Made Sausages, Hams and Bacon GERMAN IMPORTS AND CHEESES A Full Line Of Delicatessen Just east of Rt 12 815-385-6260 V0L0 For Your Information Dear Friends, Let your excesses be of kindness for other persons and a sensible striving for personal excellence in whatever you do. These are the tonics that will truly help you to live a full and happy life. Isn't this what we are all aiming for? HAPPY THANKSGIVING Respectfully, PETER MJUSTEN & SON FUNERAL HOME McHenry, Illinois 385-0063