The first thanksgiving a playlet in four scenes

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Part of The Young Citizen: The Magazine for Young People

Title: The first thanksgiving a playlet in four scenes
Year: 1940
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Fulltext: Novemhtr, 1940 THE YOUNG CITIZEN THE rmsT THANKSGIVING A Play/et in Four Scenes By ANGEL V. CAMPOY•. CHARACTERS A GROUP OF PILGRIMS (any men and women THEIR GOVERNOR FIRST PILGRIM PILGRIM GUARD PILGRIM MOTHER PILGRIM GIRL in this scene would he spoken in the Jnnumber),' dian language, hut it is give~ in English in this play/et.) A GROUP OF PILGRIM CHILDREN (any number'i, boys and girls A GROUP OF FIRST INDIAN (.Pointing toward the hay): Look! A ship! A large ship! It is anchored in our bay. · SECOND INDIAN (pointing toward the shore) : And see! White men I There are white men from the ship. Even now they are on our shores. Shall we permit them to adAMERICAN r----------:i=------------. van c e, 0 r I N D I A N s shall we at( any num- tack them? ber), men J ND I AN only CHIEF: If the THEIR CHIEF white men FIRST INDIAN c o m e a s SECOND IN- '" friends, they DIAN are welcome TH IR D IN- ·to Jive among DIAN I us. But if they COSTl'MES come as enP i lg rim emies, we and Indian shall fight. costumes sim- TH.IRD INilar to. those DIAN: Yes, if shown in the Tiu Pi/gl'im Tlil/age they come as illustration on enemies, we this page. SCENE I Place: Forest on the shores of Massachusetts. Time: A morning in 1620. (Enter Indian Chief and Group of American Indians. They carry hows and arrows. Of course the Indian dialogue •Formerly Head Teacher, Maslog Primary Schaal, Sibulan, Oriental Negros. shall fight. ALL THE -INDIANS : yes, fight I Kill the white men! INDIAN CHIEF: Now braves, let UI go. back to our wigwams. We will let our people know that the white men have come. (The Indians leave. After they are gone a Group of Pilgrims-men only-: and their Governor enter,) GovERNOR: At· last we have come to THE YOUNG CITIZEN November, 1940 a place where I think we can live in peace. Here we can have our homes and ,worship God as we wish. FIRST PILGRIM: But it is cold here and there are no houses to provide shelt.er for our women and children. GOVERNOR: We can endure the winter's cold. And we shall build log houses for our women and children. We shall make a Pilgrim village. These tall trees of the forest will furnish material from which to build our houses. Let every man do his part. Now, all men to the forest to cut logs for our needed buildings, while the women and children stay aboard the ship. (The Pilgrims leave.) CURTAIN SCENE II Place: Same as Scene I. Time: A very little later than Scene I. (Tiu Pilgrim men are seen in tht forest pt·eparing to cut logs for their houses. 4 Pilgrim Gu11rd, gun in hand, stands keeping <fi.•atch.: Suddenly the guard appears to be looking in the distance.) PILGRl~I GUARD: The Indians! The Indians! The lridians are coming. They .: re ca-rrying their bows and arrows, GOVEilNOR: Let every man take up his gun. If the Indians shoo1 at·us with their bows and arrows, we must fight. But let us try to make them our friends, so we "can di live in peace. (The Indians are heard in the ditfatice g1uing war whoops. These sound louder as the Indians come nearer. The Pilgrims get in position with their guns ready to fire.) (The Indians enter •u:hooping and rush fpward the Pilgrims.) GOVERNOR (As the Governor speaks he· indicates the meaning of his words by means oj signs): Stop! We are your friends. We do not wish to kill you unlesg you attack us. INDIAN CHIEF (who understands and speaks a little English) : Me understand talk of Chief White Man. This our land. These our trees. White men steal' trees. Steal land. Indians kill white men. GOVERNOR: We are Pilgrims who have come from a land far away across the big sea-water. We want only enough of your land so we can 'build homes for our wives and children and ourselves. We want to be friends of the Indians and live in peace with them. We want to worship God, the Great Spirit of the white·men, as we wish. There in yonder ship (po inti) are our women and children. They need houses to protect them from the winter's ·cold: May we have a small tract of land and trees from your forests with which to build houses, so we may live in peace with our Indian brothers? We will pay you for the land and trees. INlllAN CHIEF: Chief White Man speaks well. If you come as friends, you . may stay. These trees belong to Indians. This land belongs to Indians. But our white brothers may have land, cut trees to make heuses. We all live as friends . (To the Indians): These men (poi11ti11!J to the Pilgrims) our friends. Our white brothers. Indian braves no kill white men. Indians go back tc wigwams and · squaws. Tell other Indians we all friends with white men. GOVER!<OR: Brother Indian Chief, we are grateful for your friendship and help. We hope that in this land we shall all find peace, plenty, and happiness, and all live together as brothers. . lN!JIAN CHIEF: Chief White Man speaks well. Let us smoke peace pipe. (Please turn to Pa_ge 434.) 434 THE YOUNG CITIZEN FARMER JUAN'S DINNER GLASSES {Continued from page 41 I) (Continued from page 426) "Where are you, Turkey people whose eyes are seemLurkey ?"he called. "Come ingly very good, ,Yet for here. I'm ready for you. whom the use of properly What a fine Thanksgiving fitted glasses would prove a dinner I shall have!" relief from nervous strain. Then he looked up and There are multitudes of down with his flash-light. people whose imperfect In the tree and around the sight prevents them from tree and most everywhere. seeing things-which make But no Turkey Lurkey was life beautiful and worth to be found. Then he looked while. There are many in other trees. No Turkey others for whom properly Lurkey. chosen glasses are the neces"Where can that turkey sary means for correcting November, 1940 FIRST THANKSGIVING (Continued from page 416) (Produces a long. pipe which he puts to his lips as if smoking it. He then hands it to the Governor.) This is Indian peac'e pipe. Smoke it, brother White Chief, as sign of friendship between Indians and white men. (The Governor places the peace pipe to his lips as if he were smoking it.) CURTAIN be?" said Farmer Juan. reflex nervous trouble, and SGENE III "Well, anyway I'll cook whose headaches, indiges- Place: In a field at harthat fat squash for my tion, neuralgja, or dizziness vesnime. Thanksgiving dinner." pass away with the relief of Time: Down .to the garden he eye strain. later than went. He looked· in the But there ·are also many scenes. Some months the previous corner where the squash people whose eyes are per- (Piles of cornstalks may had been growing. Susana fectly normal, who are en- be seen in the background. Squash wasn't there. He tirely comfortable without There are also some pump1ooked and looked. No wearing glasses. For these, kins or squashes. Pilgrims squash. glasses are wliolly unneces- -men and women-are Finally he gave up, sary. busy gathering the corn and walked· to the house, and If you are in doubt as to pumpkins.) went to bed. whether or not you should GOVERNOR (entering): And on Thanksgiving wear glasses, go to a good My friends, God has reDay what do you think eye physician, and then do warded our toil with a Farmer Juan had for his what he advises.-Con- bountiful harvest. We have Thanksgiving dinner? dense d from "Good corn and squashes ·and dried Did he have squash? No. H ea/th." wild ,fruits. We have veniDid he have turkey? No. son from the forest and fish He had only some camo- 3. What more did he in- from the streams. Wild tes. tend to have at his Thanks- turkeys and other fowl are QUESTIONS giving dinner? in abundance. These are I. W fie n was Farmer 4. How did the turkey blessings from our Heaven] u an going to have a and the squash escape from ly Father. Let us all give turkey dinner? Farmer· Juan? thanks to God for his kind2. Why did he feed rice 5. What did Farmer ness. Let us have a day of to his turkey? Juan have for dinner? (Please turn to page 439.) November~ 1940 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 439 FIRST THANKSGIVING (The Indians and the BOOKMAKING (Continued from page 434) Pilgrims sit on long benches (Continued from page 436) thanks. We will have a at the table. As soon as all books were usually very Thanksgiving feast and ask are seated, Indian Chief long, often covering an enour Indian friends to be rises.) tire page. with us. INDIAN CHIEF: Chief Gradually there came to PILGRIM MOTHER: Yes, White Man, white friends be a wide variety of sizes let all give thanks· to God and brother's, ·we Indians of books. The smallest of for His blessings. very glad to eat with you these were no larger than a GoVERNOR: With all my like friends and brothers in postage stamp, and the heart. Now we will return great thanksgiving feast. fargest were certain church to our cabins and prepar.e a We want friendship always. books in Spain which were great Thanksgiving dinner GOVERNOR: So say we six feet high and four feet to be enj9yed two days all. (The Governor rises). wide. hence. (Pilgrims leave, car- Indian Chief, Indian broth- At about the beginning rying corn and pumpkins.) ers, and members of our of the 19th century, printCURTAIN own colony, we have set ers began to make much SCENE IV this day aside as a day in better books. Better paper which to give thanks to God was used, and the old hand P!Tac.e: TheTPilgrdim villlage. for the bouniiful . harvest printing press gave place ime: wo ays ater · d than Scene Ill. He has given us. We are to the large cyhn er pr~ss. (Under a large tree near now about to partake of a As the art of bookmaking a log cabin a big table is Tha~ksgiving din_ner. Kind has advanced, so has t~e. spread. On it may be seen Providence has given us of demand for boo~s, until roast turkeys and all things I the bounty of Heaven, and no"'.' the produc!1on and needed for a very bountiful to a gracious. Heavenly relhng of, books .'s one. of feast. As the curtain opens, Father we offer thanks. ~e the worlds great mdustnes. the Pilgrim men are stand- are grateful to o~r l~dian To continue Thy guiding about talking with each br?thers for their friend- ance and care. other, a group of Pilgrim ship and help. !"et us now We thank Thee for friendchildren are playing, and bow our h~a~s m a prayer ship and kindness, the Pilgrim women are ar- of !hanksgivmg. (All bow For the beautiful land ranging things on the tabie. their heads.) . . . that we see; · The group of Indians and (A small Pilgrim G_irl God grant we may have· their Chief enter.) steps forw~rd and recites peace and plenty GOVERNOR: Welcome, the following poem as a In the land of the brave friends, welcome to our prayer 0 1 thanks.) and the free. Amen. festive board. This is a PILGRIM GIRL: ALL PILGRIMS: Amen and feast of thanksgiving. Sit Dear Father in Heaven, we amen! at our table, one and all, thank Thee · (As the curtain closes Indian brothers and our For a bountiful harvest SLOWLY, the Pilgrims and own people, and let us par- this year; the Indians begin to partake of the food which God Our Father in Heaven, we take of the Thanksgiving has given us in abundance. ask Thee dinner.) CURTAIN