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Thanksgiving Proclamation

William S. Jennings

1904

God, in His infinite goodness and mercy, has so bountifully blessed the people of Florida that it is meet that we should devote a day to sincere prayer and thanksgiving to Him for the blessings that He has vouchsafed to us in continued health, abundant harvests and steadily increasing prosperity. Under His guidance we are rapidly developing the resources of our fields and forests, our mines and the waters in and around our State, and His care has shielded us from plague and pestilence and from great disasters of fire and flood. He has made the blessed rains to fall on the land, and the storms to pass us by unharmed. The enterprises to which we have turned our hands have yielded rich returns and all classes and conditions of our people are prospering as never before in our history. The universal contentment of citizenship, the happy course of our public affairs in general are evidences of Divine beneficence toward us.

Our forefathers, recognizing the hand of the Almighty in the blessings accorded them, established this beautiful and purely American custom of devoting one day especially set apart to thanksgiving and praise. Adopted by each succeeding generation, it has become a sacred and beautiful obligation to acknowledge our duty to the Giver of all good and to devoutly supplicate their gracious continuance in the future.

Now, therefore, in conformity with the established custom and with the proclamation of the President of the United States of America, I, William J. Jennings Governor of the State of Florida, do most earnestly recommend the observance of Thursday, the 24th day of November, A. D. 1904, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to the Great Ruler of the Universe for His mercy and goodness to our State and our people. On that day let us lay aside our business affairs, repair to our usual place of worship and there give earnest and hearty thanks to God for the blessing of good government, good health, good harvests and the rich prosperity so bounteously bestowed upon us. And at the same time humbly and fervently beseech Him to preserve us from the arrogance of prosperity; to imprint upon our hearts a deep and solemn sense of our obligations to Him for them; to remit all our offenses and to incline us by His Holy Spirit to that sincere repentance and reformation which may afford us reason to hope for His inestimable favor, and that the blessings of peace, freedom and pure religion may be speedily extended to all nations of the earth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed. Done in the City of Tallahassee this the twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and four, and of the independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-ninth.

William J. Jennings,
Governor.

By the Governor, Attest:
H. Clay Crawford,
Secretary of State.

Source:
Library of Congress
"State of Florida. Thanksgiving proclamation. William S. Jennings. 1904."
http://www.loc.gov

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