The Portland daily press., 1876-01-04
Our New York Letter.
New Seafs i'm New York.--Ths Making
ofCalis.--An Cid KnicLerboeker Gus
tom.
new YORK. Jan. 9 187n-

VI an INC VI tu6 year, new Years
is the most enjoyable to New Yorkers. Il
tho occasion of social hospitality, of greetings
among friends, of an interchange of courtesies
in cheerful, easy and natural manner, and q
renewal of intmacies which may have been in
terrupted for time by absence, sickness or
preoccupaton.
In such popul0us and busy city as this 1t
is hardly possible for a man who has the aver
age work to attend to, and who is withal rea-
sonably fond of society, to visit and receive his
acquaintances as frequently as conventional
propriety prescribes. Even the women, al.
though the majority of them have little else to
do, find it necessary to systematic this labor in
order to get through with it, and consequently
insert in corner of their cards the one day of
the week when they obligate themselves to be
lat home" They are accustomed to keep
regular debtor and creditor account with their
callers, and it wouldn't be considered at all
the mode TO 60 and see any one second time
no matter what the urgency, if former visit
had not been returned within a reasonable
space. OF course it isn't necessary they should
meet face TO face on such occasions. The leav-
ing of card answers every purpose and is
often relief 10 both parties because it caves
the fatigue of dressing TO the one and the tedi-
um of waiting TO the other So long as there
is nothing that can by any possibility be con-
strued into slight terms of amity are readily
enough maintained. And as all concerned are
equally sensitive on this point, the rules of
etiquette are generally adhered to with scrupu-
lous nicely.
But it is quite out of the question to hold
h., kIa, =
regulations. They will go and see their friends
when inclination prompts and leisure serves,
and they will omit to do SO if they cannot
spare the tine, or are not in the mood for it.
So the end of the year often finds them sadly
in arrears in this form of liability and the 1st
of January is grand settlement day when
they can pay oil such debts in one round and
begin new.
Thus it has come to pass that New Years.
is the day of days on Manhattan Island, more
cordially welcomed, more universally observed,
and productive of greater happiness than any
other in the whole twelve months.
The ladies enter into the spirit of the festival
with hearty enthusiasm. Their costumes are
elaborate in texture and ornamentation. and
they receive their guests with grace which is
all the more charming because there is SO little
of ceremony with SO much of refinement in it.
And there is so much pleasant chat during
the day, so many cl,ver things are said, such
a quantity of inspirting recollections of past
incidents and experie nces revived that the talk
gets to resembling autobiography, and you
seem to be tracing back the current of your
own life as it has met and mingled with the
great streams of humanity with which it
merged without losing its independent identity.
have never heard an objection urged against
this holiday, which was entitled to repectful
consideration. The advocates of temperance
complain of the fashion of setting a table and
supplying it with wines. But that feature of it
might be dispensed with entirely, without i'm
pairing the deectableness of the glorious old Gus
tom Of calling and receiving. 1t Is very seldom
that guest partakes of any refreshment. The
side board is suitably provided with means for
his rejection, and the hostt IS if she isn't too
busy to think of it asks him very politely if he
will take something" He answers "no
thank you" and there's the end Of it. This
happens IN four cases out Of five. At some
period Of the ten hours circuit the visitor of
course gets hungry, and choosing his own
|
uoosly provided table and regales himself with
oysters, salads, turkey, olives and all the tempt
ing viands which at ouce provoke and satisfy
the appetite. At that time he is at liberty to
drink wine or coffee as he prefers. On New
Years" more than on any other occasion the
company have their own way in all respects.
They are not the objects of neglect on the one
hand, nor unseemly urgency on the other. They
are never pressed to partake noE dissuaded from
partaking. A great many families set very
light table, with nothing but cake and wine
and a few notices and confections. Others
dispense with profuss liberalty, emitting
nothing in the way of luxurious eondiment. A
regular dinner is thing practically unknown
on New Years. except among the ''not at
homes" Consequently it is incumbent upon
those who receive calls to make preparations to
supply this deficiency.
What other exception can be taken to the Gus
| tom am at loss to conceive. 1t is so popu-
| lar and beneficial that only wonder it has not
grown into practice every where. They do it
| extensively in Washington, but not, fancy, as
we'll as we do. The state and ceremony OBJ
| served there make the festival rather spectacu-
| lar than sociable. To see the diplomatic corps
| for example in all their varieties of high
priced tailoring marching through the white
/ house is very like looking at a military pro-
| cession. 1t ministers to the sense of sight
| merely, not of feeling. And when at later
| hour the mob rushes in pell NELL and all
| is
| '.bustle, squeeze, row, jabbering and JAM"
| the whole thing grows irksome and uncomfort-
Il Oh baY ba and airCu m.
stance OF the celebration. thongh not altogeth-
er ignored, are nevertheless subordinate to the
disposition to encourage neighborly kindness
| of which it is so obviously promotive.
Now and then a person is to be found who
| deprecates the continuance of the practice in
herited from the Knickerbockers, but such
| cavilers are few in number, and weak in argu-
ment. They are mostly of the Sir Charles
Coldstream order-and ready to declare of
every sublanary observance or institution
"there's nothing in it." When a man has
reached that stage of existence, whether he
be young, middle-aged or near the goal, he
either ought to have some animation shaken
into his torpid soul or the breath knocked out
out of his pampered body.
On "New Years" the changes which have
l OCCurTeu SlnCc tuo pIcCculuS auuifCAo"iJ @Ao
brought prominently to the notice of the
callers. In some instances reverses of fortune,
in others domestic affiction or bereavement
hinder families from receiving their friends.
In such cases a basket fastened upon the outer
knob serves as a notice Of the fact to each new
conner, and be drops his card therein to indi'
cate that he has been there and wishes to be
| remembered.
The nominal hour for starting out is II O'Clock
A. NJ, but it generally gets to be about moor
before the business of the day fairly begins
What with the hair dresser and the mantua'
maker, the ladies seldom make their appear
ance in the drawing room earlier than IL. From
that hour till ten at night there is no halt il
the onward movement. At first the calls arG
made with some little assumption of leisure, and
the visitors stay till others come to take the
places. By and by, as the day wears On-ant
the hours never fly so swiftly at any other tim,
Of year-the value of every remaining mo
ment becomes magniied in the thought o
each itinerating worshiper at the shrine of hos
/ nitalifu Eonb Sunoaadin0 COLL oroxpq rnOr