Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-12-27
yEw YEAR DAWN PARFs.
How AdOip!ae Dresses Das ci1g
The Eseggar~- On the
Street, etc.


si0les more tight-ftting, his crayat more
glaringly vari-cOlored, his hair more
bunohy than ever. He wears his short,
iaunty hat at about the angel at which
the towerof Eisa is supposed to lean
and his boots are so small that only by
many hereulean struggles and lurches
has he been enabled to encase his feet IN
them. Follow him as he struts briskly
of down the street, swinging his cane
and putting the cigarette he has Just
been busily making in the doorway.
He leads YOU through seemingly end
less labyrinte of narrow streets and
dark alleys. SO that you soon lose all
points of the compass. finally, he
stoDs at a little house in the suburbs,
and disappears a moment thrAtyh the
close little court. He spee&ns re
sppears. but not alone A dashy, ly
curly. bright-eyed, tastily-dresseJsss 10
ouettish demoiselle is leaning on hls'e m,
talking and gesticulating, and Struggling
her shoulders, and lifting her eyes-brows,
and looking up sideways, and tltterng
in the silliest furry OF excitement and
exDcetation. Itish "amie;' all students
have "amics" and Adolpho Is student
of students. Another apparently IN
terminable wandering through streets
and lanes and squares; another pause,
this time before large building, whence
COME sounds of laughter and merrlment,
contention of voices and tramping OF
many feet. mingled with intermittent
rawlings of trombones and wild sereech-
ino of fiddIes. Adolphe and his "amle
catch the sounds, and are infected :;
uamie" begins to sing, and both 90 hop
ping up the stairs with impatient giee.
The door swings open, and there, IN
large. light hail, profusely decorated
with paper garlands and evergreens,
YOU behold a hundred giIdy counter
narts of Adolphe's "amie. AS they
enter. a roar of ''bon jours greets them ;
they are surrounded by an indefinite
number of enthusiastic hands; and one
Jumps on a table. with a huge goblet OF
wine. and drinks welcome, amid wild
plaudits, to the new comers. Adolphe,
seizing somebody's else's "amle, goes
sweepinr off into a Wild and unrythmic
waltz; his own partner has meanwhile
been taken possession Of by a prlm
seutb with a long nose and solemn coun-
/ tenance and the two couple come bump
aoaipst each Other in an incredibly short
/ time at the other end Of the hall, -Four
chivalric-looking, dark men, with nous
taehes a la Napoleon and artistic-look-
/ ing hair, are propped on a table opposite
/ the door-the musicians these, seeing
I the spirit begins to move, striking up
one of Strauss last with artistic zeal,
bobbine their heads aud growing very
red and earnest in the face. PshaW we
never see dancing in America How
they vhirled and leaped; how the hun
dred Adolphes swung their airy partners
bigh above the foor; how the hum OF q
hundred voices. now and then inter
rupted by a scream from a demoiselle or
op ecstatic shout from one Of the men
kent mace with the inspiring music
how they all got red, and their hair flew
over their faces, and rosettes ana ribbon.
! fell over the parquet in all directions
and some subsided, exhausted on the
benches. and others kept desperately Vi
in saltatory rivalry what Wild, reck
less. infectious seence it was-can only
be imagined By one who has witnesse,
II. this New Years festival, among tn
students of Paris University
With these merry folks the New Yea
is ushered in By dancing, singing, an,
= making merry and after spending tn
day thus. they wind up with 4 graa
feast at night. Adolphe makes 4 speech
of course he drinks to the ladies, to tn
Republic, to the University, to has ieI
.low-students, and to everything else
which toast may be made applicable
His sallies are received with roars {
laughter, and he has to pause many time
in the current of his harangue TO receiy
/ the embraces Of his boon companions
both sexes. Finally, they all dan'
noisily off home, and AdolPhe creeps u
to his ffth-story box, practices feeb
awhile on his flute, and pumps into bC
with drinking song on his ilps and wi
most roseate thoughts in his mind.
New Years day is the beggar's ca
nival The majesty of Imperial law f
once unbends, and Monsieur the g
d'arme on this day passes the mendiea
without word, and lets him pursne h
lowly trade in peace. We're you to
out day or two before New Years, u
on any Of the great highways viii
converge from every direction to {
le capital, you would see troops Of iorlor
crippled, blind, ragged creatures wen
., inc their difficult way to the city, WIN
''' they almost think is made Of gold. I
.yoar de Tan is the only day Of all
year when they may beg, dance and 81
without molestation. There are Pc
nile with all sorts Of misfortunes, visiI
z and invisible there are merry begga
young beggars and old, organ-grind'
re and asomething-ean" singers, danei
beggars and monkey y-show begga
Here they are, lining the long streets
=. far as eve can reach, raising the yerl
hubbub of papdemonium with tn
harps and cracked voices, their cat
wauling and drumming. They hay
''1 mighty harvest, poor souls for the p
We ple are ali kindly on this day, I
centime pieces rattle down generou
49, from the windows Of every story. \
r. there are not few contracts on this
which bear a romantic tinge and show
claring colors how wonderful are
inu Ticissitudes Of life. That stout, gaud
dressed old dame whom you saw da
inc down the Rue de Rivoli in CO
faa and livery, on her way to call on
-. t1 Countess de la Potfeuillc, was, tive
~ Years ago. a chestnut woman on
'oi' corner Of Rue Vivienne, and has II
/, ooodly fortune out Of that pieb
,rk hut paving trade. Bat here, under
It's, windoR. as you gaze out upon the hu
! of New Years kaleidoscope, totters an
,ter broken-down. shattored-to-pieces, Mt
J in wreteLed looking woman, her gray
!, styeaming disordered about her ye
;,Ise and wrinkled face, her miserable boI
med awry and her ragged garments GOV
the with dust. She, too, once rode ~
r carriage and livery, and made iasi
sber able calls on countesses, and had
,T q lofty house in Faubourg st. Germ
;ts nav II was said she had been press
st of Al the court of the patriarehal
;l:-ra and eould show descent