The New York herald., 1876-01-01
first foot's entering step,
-. ~ thn Annr ic ,rnlcnr.1n hon I'd

this city In many countries especially IN Scotland It
was long the practice 10 await
the first foot's entering STEP
That sudden on the floor is welcome heard,
Ere blushng maids have braided up their hair
It was in the custom OF FIRST footing, doubtless that
New YEARS. calls had their origin, and this in its turn
was the outTowth OF the custom Of wassail at New
Year Some idea OF the antiquity OF wassal may be
formed from the fact that the is derived from the
ancient Saxon phrase Wass hael-to your health In
England the wassail bowl was filled with spced ale,
,omically called lambs wool and Of this the health
Of all drunk The hot pint in Scotland was prac
tcaly the thing and Immediately following the po
aton the first foot When the health OF the family
had been drunk the custom OF the elders to sally
out with the hot kettle and bearing provision ofbuns
and short bread 10 visit their neghbors and interchange
greetings. Tho FIRST TO enter friends house after
twelve O'Clock was called the first foot This custom
prevailed, not in England and Scotland alone but in
other countries and Dutch brought With
Them to New Amsterdam. II was not possible, how.
ever to conhne the custom TO the elders, and are
told that in Edinburgh the young men went
abroad with the hope OF meeting the maiden
OF his fancy at tho door and obtaining rom
her the privilege OF kiss as her first loot
In this city New Years. calls almost exclusively
Aned 10 the young the young men priding themselves
On the number Of calls they able to make during
the day the young women on the number OF callers
lhey receive We presume the present year will be no
exception and this morning soon as the early break
fast and the HERALD disposed Of the work Of the
day will begin. Nothing, perhaps, could moro itly
describe the spirit OF these visitings than Of
doggerel from an old Gloucestershire wassail song:
Be here any maids-I suppose here be some;
Sure they will not let young men stand on the told
stone;
Sing hey 0 maids, come troll back the pin,
And the iaireSt maid in the house let US all in.
After New Years calls the custom OF bestowing
NEW YEARS
is the most interesting, and its observance is even
general In spite of its antiquity however be
derived as is said from the Romans, is falling tito
lesuetude. AS with Jus turkey is the usual Thanks
giving gift so in the sixteenth century the tenanry
accustomed to present their landlords with a
capon; and, earlier st, gloves customary New
Years gin. When pins first invented they BE-
came very acceptable as presents Money was sone-
times given instead and thus obtained the phrales
'glove money" and ''pin money" 1t is almost impis-
sibe conceive this day how general the giving
OF presents on New Years in the past Not only did
the make gifts the landlord and the subject
the prince, but even judges and magistrates received
ihem A story is told Of SIR Thomas More which H.
lustrates this curious subject. lady whose ftsor
he had decided cause sent him New YEARS. 1eir
of gloves with forty gold angels them. Sir Thofas
returned the gold with the following note:-
Mistress, since it were against good manners to C.
fuse your New Years gift, am content TO take yoar
gloves, but as for the lining utterly refuse it,
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth especially, iie
practice of presenting New Years gifts the sowr-
eign carried to exravagant height upon ie
Restoration the custom revived. Now whel-
ever New Years presents are made at ALL it is only
friends and relatives and aside from good wishes
for the future the day have lost all distinguish
Ing features.
THE HRw
1t has been remarked a somewhat singular renec,
ton appropriate New Years Day. that ''to but few
does 1t seem to that the day is a memorandum OF
she subtraction Of another year from the little sum
life With the multitude the top feeling is desire to
express good wishes for tho twelve months
perience of their friends and be the subject of similar
benevoence the part Others to see this inter-
change of cordial feeling take place far possible
festive circumstances This sentiment is even better
expressed by the poet
The aged and the young, man. woman child
Unite In social glee; stranger dogs,
Meeting with bristling back, soon lay aside
Their snarling aspect, and In sportive chase
Exclusive scour, waow in the snow
With sober cheerfulness the grandam eyes
Her offspring round her. all in health and peace
And, thankful that she's spared TO see this day
Return once more, breathes low a secret prayer
That God would shed blessing on their heads
Such is the mpaence Of mankind to speed the laps
Of time that the dying year has but few to regret its
departure. We are ready rather to welcome the new
year in than to sing drges the dead body Of the
past In England 1t is customary TO hail the birth Of
the year with the merry ringing OF BELLS and few
families retire to their beds on New Years Eve, but
prefer to await the ushering in OF the happy morning
vestige Of this custom is preserved to US in the
chimes of Trinity, and what is perhaps peculiar to
America is the watch nightn OF the Methodists on
the last night in the year the churches OF that faith
are open for worship and the religious exercises arc
kept up until midnight The hymns and songs arc
mostly OF the Moody and sankey order and the last
one is sung kneelng the clock strikes the hour OF
twelve The custom is generally observed in
Pennsylvania and the West where the German element
pedominates than in other parts OF this country In
Germany New Years Eve is season Of much iollity
and great good humor and in France especially in
faris, the purchase and presentation Of bonbons Is
universal In all this except in the devotions OF tho
Methodist joy in the advent Of the year takes pre-
cedence over every other feeling and even in those
sections where the Methodist practices arc most strictly
enforced the profaner parts Of the community busy
themselves in shooting on the old year. such is the
anxiety OF some people to make sure that the past s
gone beyond recall that they blaze away with guns and
pistols and Chinese Crackers II to prevent the Old
year from lingering in The lap OF the new
AND rHE NEw LvAY
Despite the Joy over The advent OF the new year few
see the old year depart without aaking strong resou
uons for the iuture 'pst men lost 10 all that s
good desire to over leaf vith the new wear
The drunkard reforms New Yours BAY. The
spendthrn resolves upon frugalty and he idler prom
ises himself TO become industrious or habits are
broken up and new course Of life be All sorts OF
expediens are adopted, and, absurd many Of them
are they are all resolved upon for good purpose
Men begin TO put money in the bank on this day and
schoolgirls blot the virgin page Of diary destined to
be discontinued before the month is out II onehsr
Tho resolutions which come with the new year were
kept the liquor stores would soon be closed the ails
emptied and the whole human family enriched and ele.
vaied- Unfortunately, the new leaf withers and the
Eand r.-nlul.nn. VII h-ch a.ca.....a......