During the Thanksgiving season we often hear that the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation was given by Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. on October 3, 1863. What the northern history books fail to mention is that Lincoln, bowing to political pressure, copied the President of the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis actually had made the first national Proclamation of Thanksgiving two years earlier in Richmond, Virginia. Here it is:

Proclamation of Thanksgiving, 1861
by President Jefferson Davis

WHEREAS, it hath pleased Almighty God, the Sovereign Disposer of events, to protect and defend us hitherto in our conflicts with our enemies as to be unto them a shield.

And whereas, with grateful thanks we recognize His hand and acknowledge that not unto us, but unto Him, belongeth the victory, and in humble dependence upon His almighty strength, and trusting in the justness of our purpose, we appeal to Him that He may set at naught the efforts of our enemies, and humble them to confusion and shame.

Now therefore, I, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, in view of impending conflict, do hereby set apart Friday, the 15th day of November, as a day of national humiliation and prayer, and do hereby invite the reverend clergy and the people of these Confederate States to repair on that day to their homes and usual places of public worship, and to implore blessing of Almighty God upon our people, that he may give us victory over our enemies, preserve our homes and altars from pollution, and secure to us the restoration of peace and prosperity.

Given under hand and seal of the Confederate States at Richmond, this the 31st day of October, year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty one.

By the President,
JEFFERSON DAVIS

(Thank you to the English Friends of The South Facebook page)

The only question about handwriting styles used to be “Palmer” or “Spincerian”. Today, the question is whether children should be taught cursive writing at all – and that is a sad commentary on our culture.

During the trial of George Zimmerman, one witness took the stand and famously testified that she could not read the letter that she said was sent by her but written by a friend. The reason she gave when cross-examined? “I can’t read cursive.” Have we descended that low? Has the cold, sterile printed word replaced the smooth flowing character of cursive? Will the next generation be incapable of reading anything that doesn’t appear on the screen of the latest digital gadget? If Common Core Curriculum is allowed to take root, then the answer will be “yes”. Cursive writing is nowhere to be found in that indoctrination system masked as education.

It wasn’t until just a few years ago that I “rediscovered” cursive writing. Coming from a technical background, printed characters were the standard. One of my early jobs out of college was designing material handling equipment for the textile industry. At that time, drawings were done on paper, using a T-square, pencil, and drafting instruments. In college, we were taught exactly how to print in the Drafting classes, and that’s how it was done on the job.

The text on technical drawings was always printed in a very standardized style. Now, however, I try to use cursive writing whenever possible, and almost always with a fountain pen. I started by paying close attention to my signature, and then using that same care in notes and letters. Since I now make my living writing software, there is little room for cursive other than making notes to myself, but I still use it whenever I can.

Among the collection of home schooling books that we have for our grandchildren is the Spencerian Penmanship book.

While the primary Confederate Colonel interest in this video is the shift from agrarian to industrial society, he brings an important message about why Common Core must be opposed and stopped. For our part, we choose to home school and completely bypass the government indoctrination system.

In addition, this is a good time to point out another project that I am working on – The New Southern Agrarians. From the home page of The New Southern Agrarians:

What is Southern Agrarianism? Who were the Southern Agrarians and what did they believe? Does Southern Agrarianism have a place in today’s society? More importantly, does Southern Agrarianism show us a better way – a new path to take as we walk away from the rubble of a collapsed civilization built upon that which the Southern Agrarians warned us about? Those questions, and more, are what this web site hopes to answer.

The New Southern Agrarians is little more than what is quoted above at this time. It is, however, something I consider to be an important project and one that I will be working on.

Scoutmaster – by Norman Rockwell

The Boy Scouts is no more, but there are still boys. There are still vast woods and lots of sticks with which to build fires. There are still plenty of good men who want to introduce boys to manhood. One doesn’t need a corporate-funded super-organization to take a pack of boys into the woods and learn about survival. It’s time to begin anew.

I have titled this post “Boy Scouts Version 3.0″ to identify what comes next. I was fortunate enough to have been a Boy Scout during version 1.0 – before political correctness did what it always does and destroy the traditional culture. I was in Scouting in the early 1960’s. What we are seeing now is version 2.0, but it won’t be long before 2.0 will be so different from 1.0 as to be unrecognizable as the same organization. In time, the Boy Scouts will be much like a church that decides it is more important to please Man than to obey God. The good people begin to leave as the worldly people take over. The process accelerates until it becomes little more than a social club for nice people.

What happens to those who leave because Scouting has become what it was intended to protect boys and young men from? The Thinking Housewife is correct:
• There are still plenty of good men who want to help boys become men.
• There is no requirement for a massive organization and corporate sponsorship.

It is time for the Scouting equivalent of Home-schooling.

A very dear friend of mine has a granddaughter who will be seven years old in a couple of weeks. I carefully selected her gift to be something age appropriate and that encourages girlhood from a Biblical perspective. I’ve written her a letter to include with her gift but I felt the need to share this letter with other young girls and their mothers.

Dear Sweet Hannah Grace,

Happy Birthday! Seven is such a wonderful time in a little girl’s life. You have already learned so many things but it’s just the beginning. There is a whole world full of wonders out there waiting for you to discover them.

For your birthday, this is my special prayer for you:
That you will always love God – He always loves you.
That you will love and respect your parents.
That you will love and protect your baby brother.

I know you may not understand all of this right now but one day you will. Do not be in a hurry to grow up. Ride horses, swim, sing silly songs at the top of your lungs, swing as high as you can on a swing, run, play, catch lightening bugs in jars on a summer night, spin around until you get dizzy, make daisy chains, share secrets with your friends and laugh until you get the hiccups. Hang onto the sweetness that every day of this precious time in your life holds.

I also want you to know that you are surrounded by family and friends who want only the best things in life for you and will always love you.

These activities might seem immature to some but they are the activities that filled my own summer days in the South when I was a little girl. I long to see my grandchildren experience these things for themselves.

Let’s stop encouraging our daughters (sons too, for that matter) to grow up too fast. Encourage them instead to do the things I wrote above to this sweet little girl. Help them to maintain their childlike innocence just as long as possible. For once innocence is lost, it can never be recovered.

This short video illustrates a boy’s entry into manhood; it requires no words.

The Hazardous Journeys Society (HJS) was founded to give glory to God, not man, as part of an exciting effort of world exploration. The purpose of the HJS is to provide teams of intrepid adventurers, photographers, students, scientists, journalists, and naturalists with an opportunity to engage in journeys of discover around the globe and to interpret their findings from a perspective that honors the Creator.
External Links

www.hazardousjourneys.org

An awareness of ancestors who prevailed in a time that was far more demanding than what we face today serves to inspire us to excel in our own lives.

There is something that is built into all of us such that we don’t want to disrespect the family name (and by extension, the family heritage). Think of the genuine disappointment and disgust that many feel when we see members of the British Royal Family engaging in behavior that any decent person would be highly embarrassed and remorseful.

This is a repost from the United Families International site – part of my daily reading schedule. It was written by Greg Barlow.

I’m not qualified to offer an opinion on the details or validity of this theory but it does provide an interesting opportunity to reflect upon how our lives might leave an imprint upon our posterity, not just for immediate generations but for undetermined numbers of generations well into the future.

BYU TV offers a very interesting series called ‘The Generations Project’. Each episode features a person who is seeking to gain context to their lives by researching the life experiences of their ancestors. It is fascinating and instructive to watch the process of discovery and the power of meaningful connections that are made with ancestors of earlier generations.

My eldest granddaughter bears her grandmother’s maiden name as her given name. Interestingly, even though a young girl, she feels a special obligation to carry her name in a manner that would please her great grandfather whom she has never met him. She is also always interested in learning more about his life. Is her interest and sense of obligation genetic or is it just curiosity? I don’t know, but clearly there is a connection that bridges the restriction of mortality and it helps form her understanding of who she is.

The idea of ancestral experiences having a impact upon our lives seems a universe removed from our current culture in which 40 percent of all children are born out of wedlock with little, if any, prospect of connecting with a father – let alone distant forbearers.

In the headlong rush to redefine marriage and family in ways that accommodate the here and now of sexual and lifestyle preferences, it may do us well to be mindful of the value of the past and future of family bonds and parental influence.

The Survival Mom blog is part of my daily reading. She recently had a post titled, “8 Vital skills to teach your children that will trump an Ivy League education” . This is a must-read post for anyone interested in providing future generations with the skills they will need to succeed in life. Here are the main points:

1. Communication skills
2. Creating a vision
3. Setting and achieving goals
4. Courage in the face of opposition
5. Confidence
6. Ability to encourage others
7. Honesty
8. Decision making

This was, of course, never intended to be an all-inclusive list – it is a way to shift our thought process away from what is just a current trend and toward those timeless skills that will always be in demand. I have just outlined the main points here. Survival Mom includes concrete examples of how to instill these skills in your children and grandchildren. Be sure to read the full post. Once you start thinking this way, I am sure you will come up with your own skills to add to this list. When you do, please post a reply and share your ideas along with ways to teach those skills.

Created by: College At Home

Ten Ways to Teach Your Children a Biblical World View is just what the title says. Be sure to read the entire article, and consider making Raising Homemakers a part of your regular reading list – especially if you have daughters. The ten points are:

1.   Start at the starting point:  Read the Bible–a lot.
2.   Read literature/history texts written by authors who have a biblical worldview.
3.   Eat together at least once a day and talk about current issues around the dinner table.
4.   Watch movies that encourage conversation regarding issues/how the Bible relates to those issues.
5.   Use a course or materials specifically written to teach worldview.
6.   Consider sending your older child to a worldview camp or conference or attend one as a family
7.   Create an atmosphere in your home that honors biblical thinking.
8.   Attend a church where the Word of God is consistently, faithfully taught.
9.   As your child gets older, transfer spoon-fed biblical teaching methods to self-directed bible study
10. Choose an education that backs up what is being taught/has been taught at home.

Here at Confederate Colonel, we mainly concern ourselves with Southern culture and how to preserve and defend it against an ungodly and hostile world. There is a reason that The South is also referred to as The Bible Belt. While there have always been plenty of non-Christians in The South, even they generally understood that Southern culture is firmly rooted in The Bible. Christianity and Southern culture are inseparable.

Take full advantage of resources such as this to make sure that your family understands the precious gift of God’s grace. That understanding is not magically absorbed from parents – it must be taught. Of all the things that parents and grandparents can pass along to the next generation, the love of God is the single most important thing. The eternal fate of your family – and of all mankind – depends on it.