The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-12-29
New Years Day ard Iss saturnalinn Coie-
braleOn.

good many years ago, when the fine old
KDickerbocker gentlemen smoked their pipes in
The summer season in front of their own stoops,
and in the winter before the yule log on the tiled
hearth, made to shine like the record of good
mans life, by the hands Of the fine old Knicker-
booker matrons, the custom Of paying and receiv-
ing visits on New Years day was a very lauda-
BILE, cheerful pleasant and agreeable institution in
every way. Those stout old burghers Of Peter
Stuyyesants day had business to do, and did 1t.
There was ship with schnapps from Rotterdam,
another with the products of the Orient hailing
from Smyrna, or another from the Dutch Indies
or the Coast Of Guinea II occupied long
time TO discharge vessel and sell her cargo.
Many pipes were smoked over small bargains;
pondcrous were the corporation deliberations
upon an appropriation for a new pump. Then
every citizen had an individual responsibility
felt il, and discharged il. The men were too
busy to pay visits Of form; the women were oc-
cupied with their household duties. In fact, New
Amsterdam was the model Of an independent,
thrifty municipality the purest type Of the res
| 7niJ1;co The people all knew each other; and
! when they exchanged their New Years saluta-
| tons il meant something. II was decorous or
| derly, grave and sober meeting Of old friends
Those days have passed away forever. In
place Of the trausplsnted Dutch colony with its
steady integrity, limited population and quaint
! honesty, we have now an immense commercial
city, with all the vices as we'll all the glories
attendant upon great accession of population,
commerce, emigration and material wealth. So
ciety in this city is in an inchoate state. What
| is called the aristosracy is split into several
cliques, each as jealous of The other rs can pos
sibly be imagined. The middle stratum is again
| subdiyided; and the lower million. unrestrained
by any competent authority, and given over 70
| the unbridled indulgence of their passions, are
! little better than so many Camanches. Let any
person of common sense separate himself IRON
all prejudices, and fancy what general holiday
is likely to be in such city as this then he
! will have some idea of the orgies which usher in
The happy New Year in the Empire City Of the
nation. The saturnalia begins at midnight Of
| the expiring year. Gangs Of rowdies parade
| the streets, making the most unearthly noises,
and levying upon respectable househelders
l tOhuiDuIiouo iol TIC piNicsC Va 1ulItJ SiCVp-
ing in their beds. On the next day the ladies Of
the household are expected to appear in full
! dress and receive visits. Everybody comes
people who would not dare to pay . visit at your
house at any other time stumble in on New Year S
! day. Many ladies are embarrassed by being
obliged to entertain people whom they have
never seen before nor ever heard Of.
Refreshments, including wines and liquors,
are generally provided, and Madame or Made
| moisclIe il expected to tender to the guest
| the Circean cup which, perhaps has already
beguiled and ruined the head OF the family. The
merchant receives his clerks and porters; the
master mechanic bis journeymen and apprentices;
the politician il obliged to gorge Che very scum
and dregs Of the city slums hs constituents.
| As the day wears on, the effect Of numerous
lbations begins to tell on the 'gentlemen"--
| everybody is gentleman" on New Years day.
l The gentlemen are more demonstrative to the
ladies. The gentlemen talk thickly and incohe-
| rently. The gentlemen exhalc an odor alco-
bolic to an unpleasant degree. The gentle
| men, not to put Gne point upon it,
| are drunk They are emboldened to enter de-
cent peoples houses and make pigstics Of them.
| They break the crockery, deface the plate. spoil
the carpets, spill wine upon the ladies' dresses
and altogether make beasts Of themselves
| Among the lower million, who do not visit. the
resort Is the hvoritc grog shop, where there is
generally lunch and free liquor. The result Is
always aght, sometimes riot, aud occasionally
death hy violence nobody calls such thing
q murder nowadays. All night the streets and
avenues resound with drunken oaths, obscenity
and the din Of pandemonium Satan lets loose all
his imps. Cerberus has recess. The parliament
Of Hades sits at New YORK. To some come with
the morning the station house or the Tonbs; 20
nearly all headaches and repentance. Many
man can trace his first step in debaucbcry to the
New Years cup, made fascinating Ivy tender at
the hands Of beauty. To the ladies' who are the
| principal sufferers, the custom has desenereted
70 tar as 10 be terrible bore, if not a positive
nuisance.
To The uninitiated in city Life il may appear that
our picture of the New Years saturnalia is over
drawn But the best proof Of b. fidelity Is found
in The fact that the abrogation Of an usage
which Il sanctioned by 20 many delicious me-
mories and charming reminiscenccs-a custom
made dear by being handed down from genera
ton TO gcneration-is seriously thought Of and
freely discussed among the more respectable and
refined classes Of the community. 1t has become
now to be considered that the pleasures Of New
Years day are ncntraized by IT, pains, and that
both should be done away with altogether. The
fact Il, that each clique or division Of society
has its own proper regulations a. to the paying
and receiving Of visits, which may be done at any
convenient time during the year. 1t cannot be
great luxury to receive visit from
person who comes only annually, or to be
hcnored with a square mile Of pasteboard as
delicate intimation from people that you don't
care about chat they are anxious 70 be asked