The New York herald., 1876-12-25
SLEIGHING AND SKATING.

SUNDAY IN THE PARK AND ON THE ROAD
THOUSANDS IN sIEIGHs-CRowDs UFoN THE
ICE.
There much mcrriment in the Park and on tho
avenues beyond yesterday II Was the result OF the
fine sleighing anu capital skating and It is
aggeration say that 5oo 900 persons took advantage
OF these opportunities for hour OF heathiu recrca
alton The Park with thronged with handsome
turnouts and ponds covered with smiling and chat
ting thousands. is Ike nothing else in existence It's
q world and must be and studied to be atty ap-
precated. This great panorama Of lie, gay with
s!cighs and gitterng harness, merry with healthy
looking brisk and CHEEKY people, as was the case on
this occasion, was like a parterre OF flowers. The
representatives Of all nations drv-
ing through II and about the ponds
during the day With ieet clad in steel you met besides
your countrymen, swartay Spaniards, mercurial
Frenchmen, black eyed Italians sturdy John Bulls.
mcditative Germans plodding Dutchmcn, sable Afri.
cans with here and there Greek. Turk or an Arme-
man. and now and then an immigrant from the Central
Fiowery Land Nobody would have been surprised at
eneountering Kaar or Polynesian. Il was the
field 10 the world tor the chronological student II
the ponds gay with the roads brilliant
with those gong-asieighing. The variety and mum.
Dor of the establishments were countless Nothing
except the music OF the silver bells could be heard,
and the eye bewildered In trying 10 inspect
,rotter or cutter as It dashed along.
SMILES THAT ARE BRIGHTEST.
All familiar figures aud fast steppers out and
all that great crowd that only succeeds in reaching
the road on Sundays or holidays hand early
and remained late Matchless teams, kaown to every
relnsman the city stylish, powerful and valuable
private animals, and clinkers that have astonshed
gatherings OF thousands the turf all hand;
horses that six days the week drag coal carts
pull express wagons, chatter along front OF butcher
and staud lean and ank In the shafts of licensed
vcnders' establishments, were also the road and
under the sheds OF tho houses up tho avenues
Where gay colors and artul shapes OF feminine
attire seen one sleigh, elegant In
It's polish and picked stripes OF
goods, there would be alongside the common sled with
its rough of the ruckman and aborer-sober
elegance familiar proximity with the element that
home in saloons and smoke brierwood pipes Never
was this contrast great yesterday. Tho impor-
tam looking gentleman and his daughters in u beauu
ful turnout often preceded or followed by that
fitted with big dry goods box filled wlhstraw and the
occupants blowing tin horns II their presence could
not be dispensed with. Then the smart young gentle
with 80 clipper and saucy cutter whose boast
is that he is "road beater, all excruciatngly uue
was nodded by the owner OF an ..arilhmetc Lorse
the NAL that puts down three aud one and
who could not mako mile IN SIX minutes IL
All TOO bad but it could not be heped The road was
free, the the property Of the public, and quiet
submission and discretion were better and more pru
dent than the rough retort He who knows not the
roads o! Manhattan Island sunday, under circum-
stances alike to yesterday loses the most striking half
OF their physiognomy When the democracy OF inc
city give themselves up to the same amusement the
rich and favored then the city drives present queer
most essentially New York--and New York is q world
without ''tne rest of mankind"
THE SAME TO-DAY AND FOREVER
The same drivers and the same fast horses chron-
cled in the HERALD since the sleehing carnival COM
menced as being on the road made their way through
the Park and to st. Nicnoas or Central avenues,
pleased them best. Many remained 10 luncheon and
to dinner at the we'll kept hotels, but the great
Der returned at noon and after brief rest al homo
tried II again later the day. Amusing scenes were
countless the club house; imprompIu were
INDUCED in by s,cppers OF great speed and those OF
speed at all Dexterous drivers were huddled together
with those who knew much about handling q
horse they do OF the laws oil the stars and while the
one class called forth shouts OF admiration the other
heartily laughed at tor their ignorance Yet there
was deal OF iun mixed up with the slegh,ng, aud
witbai there was great deal OF human nature The
old hands, famiar with road recrcations, entered
into the zes OF the occasion with The same spirit as
the generation Of younger men, and the idle crowds
| pretended 10 fcol like interest with them all.
The day, In Short VIII long be remembered for tho
quality Of the amusement the path
and the great variety Of the numerous turnous pre-
THE SKATING IN THR rARK.
Everybody seemed to know there was good skating
at the Park The early comers found that there had
been earlier arrivals As the morning gave way to the
afternoon the crowds increased ,enfod and at three
O'Clock the picture the several ponds was delightful
and be remembered Tho temperature de-
licous Tor the sport The healthy, life-gvng oxy-
gcnatcd atmosphere than usually cxhilarat-
ing, and it impaired feeling OF joyousncss 10 all
PARTICIPANTS Goodwill rendered the gatherings
pleasant enough Tor philanthrop,st to con-
template. They were CHEEKY, moving throngs, cease
less panoramas IN fact swift flying and varied
as Kaleidoscope glimpse. All the day and far into the
| night the sport went on Beuux aud bellies
charmed, and this class seemed early to arrive and
late depart What cared they for the cheercss land
scapes Fatigue was out OF the question. So long as
they could hand IN hand, whir from one end Of tho
pond 10 the other and laughter kept time with tho
music OF their feet they content The keen OBJ
noticed during the day that there large
number OF falls by those OF the fair sex who
/ Rad masculine and youthful attendants The
sequence of such tumbles, which necesstatcd
taking the PROSTATE girl around the waist, lift her
up and hold her until she recovered from the sudden
slock-which she was, somehow other, slow to do
seemed be a special attraction in itself Thcn too
Jolly fun that came from parties of half dozen
who old friends can hardly DO described. one
can free without rudencss, so mschievous with
Ill will, intimate without Objectionable familiar
ty and aicctionate without 'serous attentions"
well ordered and crowded skating ponds-such
those at the Park-that 1t would be difficult find
anywhere else such thorough and legitimate cuJoy-