Earlier this year I decided that I would try to find out what every National holiday (with a little help from Wikipedia) was originally about and I was surprised to find out how “Labor Day” was started. Anyway I wanted to share with you what I found out… Again I was surprised…
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September (September 7 in 2009).
The holiday originated in Canada out of labor disputes (“Nine-Hour Movement”) first in Hamilton, then in Toronto, Canada in the 1870s, which resulted in a Trade Union Act which legalized and protected union activity in 1872 in Canada. The parades held in support of the Nine-Hour Movement and the printers’ strike led to an annual celebration in Canada. In 1882, American labor leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labor festivals in Toronto. Inspired from Canadian events in Toronto, he returned to New York and organized the first American “labor day” on September 5 of the same year.
The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.[1] In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[2] Cleveland was also concerned that aligning a US labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair.[3] All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.
The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,” followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.
Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parades. Speeches or political demonstrations are more low-key than May 1 Labour Day celebrations in most countries, although events held by labor organizations often feature political themes and appearances by candidates for office, especially in election years. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer recess. In addition, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. The NCAA usually plays their first games the week before Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day.
I hope that you enjoyed learning something new today!!! 🙂
~Greg T
Having been there done that it’s always a little bit sad to see a business close down. Even though this one was WAY bigger than our store it is still a little sad. But, even with all that I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this. Laugh and remember my camera the next time we drove by.
~ Merriann
…there are going to be technical difficulties. During my online absence we have changed operating systems on our computer which has caused a little snag. I have to be able to post with pictures and we have to figure out how to shrink the pictures before I can post them. I’m pretty sure Greg has it all figured out but then we went on a week camping trip so my plans have been a little delayed. I have a post all typed up and ready to go except for pictures and I need pictures. So, I’m still coming back it’s just going to take a little longer than expected. :O)
~ Merriann
This post is to commit myself to updating you (and our own memories) about our summer so far. We have been busy, busy, busy and I am loving it. We have taken full advantage of our summer this year I just haven’t been on it to post about it yet. So, my commitment to you to post soon about some of our summer adventures!
A bit of mixed news came my way a few weeks ago. My Uncle Charles has pasted from this world to the next. I sit here wondering about my feelings part of me is sad to never on this earth to see him again. We are not very close but he was my uncle whom I was like a father to me when my own father left the scene. He was bigger than life to me, a man’s man you could say. He died from cancer and when he left this world I was told that the cancer had eaten most of his weight away but he still is a big man to me. He made mistakes but all were covered by the blood of the lamb.
So I am writing this letter to all of you to let you know that “I love him” and I am so sad that my own kids will never get to know the man whom was bigger than life than my Uncle Charles was…. But he knew the Good Shepherd’s voice and I am glad that he has finished the race well. I can hardly wait to see him in the presents of my Heavenly father and his son, Jesus the Christ.
His Obituary
Charles Edward Hobbs, also known as “Hobbs,” “Chas”, and “Chuck,” was born on February 23, 1953 to the union of James Alexander Hobbs, Sr. and Louise Blake Hobbs (Abston) in Mississippi. He grew up in South Bend, Indiana and received his formal education at Messmer High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and furthered his education with two years of college.
Charles accepted Christ as his Savior at an early age. He was united in holy matrimony with Jeanette Acoff on April 5, 1985 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Charles served in the United States Army Reserves for seventeen years. He was employed by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for fifteen years, retiring in 2007. He also was employed by the Milwaukee School Board as a MPS Teacher Aide. In his leisure, he enjoyed playing and refereeing several sports including basketball, baseball, football, softball, volleyball, and others.
Charles Edward Hobbs departed this life on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 2:30 a.m. Aurora VNA Zilber Family Hospice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
This is my Uncle Charles.
Greg Thames
I have been working on updating the look and feel of our family site. So please be patience with me over the next few days. The current page is the one the we like the best as of now.. But is subject to change… Meaning it will change. I am trying to figure out how to put our pictures on the top of the page. Then it would be perfect….for now! Anyway thanks for look at our site.
Greg T
We’ve been gone a long time. I cant believe we missed a whole month! (and a good chunk of another) Believe it or not I have been writing down posts as I think of them and take pictures but they haven’t made it to the blog yet. We’ve had a lot of computer (Internet) problems but we finally have Comcast! I’m very excited about it. They weren’t down our street up until a week ago. So here we go folks! I won’t promise tons of updates but I will do the best I can. :O) Leave a comment if you have a chance so I know there are people out there!
~ Merriann
Taken in 1994, here are my Sister Tessa and Brother BJ with me
It is very interesting to me that as I am get older, being a veteran means more and more to me with each passing year. Could it be that as I get older I get to see those young men and women whom where small children just a few short years ago take up the cause of service to my country, and my family’s, and friends protection? Yes, that is part of the picture. Another part is the great sense of joy it is for me to have joined and served this country, my home of the free, and land of the brave. One of the funny things about this is the change that has happened in my life after becoming a follower of Jesus the Christ, I have truly am thankful that others have laid down their lives for their families, and in turn for me, a friend. It often gives me Goosebumps to think that someone that I wouldn’t or haven’t known, and didn’t and won’t get the chance to know loved his or her country (and in turn me) so much that they would give away the one most importance thing they have on this earth, their life so that others could have the chance to live free.
Service! That is was the word veteran means to me. Service to another for no other reason than to be of service to others.
When I first joined the U.S. Navy, whenever Veteran’s Day would come around I would think that it wasn’t a big deal. I was getting paid to be there, the rewards like college funds and seeing the world, and learning a real world skill far out weighted what I saw as the poor pay, bad housing, being away from your family, and the loss of Constitutional Rights among other things. I believe this is true from most Vets that are not on the front lines of the battle. But once you go to the sword’s edge you don’t return the same. How could you? Life means more to that person than those who have never seen it snuffed out. The trade off of life for simple “stuff” changes your mindset and out look on life for good.
Service is the heaviest burden of a veteran, what does the service does cost you. It will always cost you something, free, long deployments away from family and friends, your mind, or even your life. I am one of the very lucky ones. I didn’t have to give the greatest gift, that of my life. In the movie “Saving Private Ryan” there is a scene in that movie that sums up what it mean to be a veteran in my mind. The plot of the movie was that in the military of WWI and WWII there was a policy that no family should lose all their sons to combat and Pvt. Ryan was the last of his brothers alive in active service. The scene after the squad has gotten Pvt. Ryan to safety and he is leaving the battlefield in which 6 or 7 of his friends in the squad where killed so that he could go home. In that scene Tom Hank’s character reminds Pvt. Ryan that many people died so that he could go home, and not to waste his life. That fictional character was commanded to not waste something that was very precious, something that is so precious that others gave up theirs for his. Man, there goes those Goosebumps again.
So I honor you men and women who give us your precious service!
In this time of trouble with the stock market, jobs, and war. I have been looking and trying to learn from our country’s past. I have been looking closely at the 1920’s and 1930’s because I believe that this is the closest example of what we are going through now. Well anyway I ran across the the Wizard of Oz.
It just amazes me how creative people are. We often use stories to give warnings and cautions. Like C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia to tell about Christ and his relationship with man, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to tell about war and the personal price we pay (even for just wars).
That is the case with Franklin Baum’s classic, The Wizard of Oz. Baum lived at the time of the Populist movement for the free coinage of silver and wrote a book about what was going on around him. The Populist Party was a small insignificant party around the late 1800’s to early 1900’s that was made up of mostly farmers.
The U.S.’s currency was backed by gold at the time which made it worth more and made it harder for farmers to pay back their debts. William Jennings Bryan, a Democratic nominee for the presidential election took their platform up and ended up killing the party by using that for his campaign. Being from Nebraska, he wanted to help out his fellow statesmen, and by proposing to back the currency with silver, that would devalue the money so that it would be easier for them to pay back all of their debts.
Frank Baum saw all of this and ended up writing his story based on the events taking place. Dorothy was based on a well known female Populist leader. The scarecrow was based on the farmers who were considered too kind for their own good by producing more food than was necessary. The tin man without the heart represented the bankers and merchants in the east who were lending money to the farmers and who were against helping the farmers even though they needed their food. The cowardly lion was considered to be William Jennings Bryan who was considered a pacifist because he was against entering World War I in later years and resigned from his government post because of it. The yellow brick road symbolized the gold standard and the silver shoes (changed to ruby to show up better on the movie screen) were the silver movement.
President McKinley was the Wicked Witch of the West and Grover Cleveland was the Wizard. And the Emerald City represented the “greenbacks” or dollars that were backed by the gold. The monkeys were the Philippines (country) or Filipinos (the people). President McKinley wouldn’t recognize the Philippines as being independent and used them for his own personal gain, a place to restock ships and to land. The monkeys were the witch’s servants.
Some people don’t think that the Wizard of Oz is symbol of this. But it is fun to just think about.
The Bellingham Thames 