The Portland daily press., 1874-01-01
(From Harper's Bazar.l
New Years Day.

New Years day seems in tbs country to
have special significance, and to be- well
coined more warmly than any other merid
ian-to be anticipated and to be enjoyed in a
manner peculiar to ourselves. Other people
have their special high days ard holidays
the English making an exceptionally eat
festival of Christmas, for instaDce. the Rus
SLAMS OF Easter. the Italians of half the days OF
the year; and though the ii e that has been
set apart mme norially for praise and thanks
giving would seem to have some inherent
claim upon Americans, in view of the diD-
gers and difficulties overcome in the cruel
preparation of the blessings they now eljov,
vet New Years Day. a voluntary festival,
merely poeiical anniversary, and one that al
frs. sigh. seems to have no reason for its
celebration at all. has, in some unaccounta-
BILE manner taken the precedence OF all Others
with by far the greater portion OF our citi-
zens, and proved its right 10 be by the delight
it sives.
But for the'northern portion OF New Eng,
land, we observe this day universally hom
the Atlantic to the Pacific with giving and
visiting AID banqueting. We disguise its
chill with the genial warmth of hospiiable
houses and under tropical luxuriance Of hot
house blossoms; beauty arrays herself among
hel subtle webs in ner most glorious auieole
to make the day more charming; her sallants
are there to help h.. greet it; and the whole
round of its splendid hours rolls away in one
long wave OF tnerriment from morning till
midnight. Long before the day arrives
mothers begin 10 look after their tables,
fathers begin to groan, maideDs begin to
select their choicest dresses, lovers begin to
develop great connoisseulship in jewelry;
and when the day dawns at last, pretty
pictures it sees in every house, where
the young girls, lovely in all the mod
ern accessories to lovellness, have paused
midway in their distiacling toiet'es and run
down to put the finishing touches 10 the
sparkling snowy boards, where pearly finger
tins twinkle among purple grapes, aid the
roses and violets are less rosy and less blue
than the dimpled cheeks and the bright eyes
of the fair expectant dausols so busy among
theL., a, d who, while they make pictures of
gayaty and pleasure in the rich man house.
have not forgotten with their bounty to make
them beforehand in the poor mans house as
y ell, till the dawn sees everywhere such
scenes of jubllation that IL might look upon
this orld, So tar at least a is Western Hem
iSnhcre is concerned, as no'hipg but world
of happiness!
Anu cer.a My we need not marvel at this
manifestation, for it is something so entire
in consonance with the spirit OF or people,
with its gay enterp ise and eagerness to go
ahead, t a. it carries its explanation on its
face-a spirit that is instantly 'torcetting
hose things which are behind aud reachiE.
forth unto those things which are before and
which halls the first day OF the unbruken year
as the gate irto great possibilities, great
achievements, great enjoyments. It IS in Old
,sa ahu. ,r, ua.,s, tue primitive land OF eadv
habits that they may regret the departure of
the old year:
.rul kuee-desp lies the winter INV,
And the winter are weari >ishing;
Toll We the church be sad and slow,
AMI tiead softy and speas lew,
For the Old Year lie a-d, ing.
Old Year, You must not die:
Ypn me readily,
You lived with us 8, seaily,
Old Year, you shall not die"