New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-01-22
(From our regular correspondent
PARIS, December goth, 1873.

Everybody who has visited France
towards the close of December knows
what grand preparations are made in
view of the ''Jour de PAN" It is
not only that shops exhibit their
finest wares, but servants, children
and all other human beings on the
lookout for et,'e,anis put on their best
manners, as if conscious that the
value of the gifts to be made them on
the morrow of St. Sylvester's de-
pended on the amiability of their
men during the preceding week.
There is an agreeable side to this
universal pleasantness of feature,
but also an Objectionable one. The
custom of bestowing etre,anes has
grown by degrees till it has luxuri-
ated to the proportion Of an enor-
nous abuse. Formerly man owed
New Years gifts to the members of
his family, to his servants, and to
persons like the postman, dustman,
sweep and waterman who rendered
him casual service in the course of a
year, and the tokens Of affection la.
Wished upon these divers individuals
represented a pretty fair total in
money. But nowadays man must
carry tokens of his good will ON the
occasion Of the New Y ear to acquain.
tances who are not even friends, and
to the servants of these acquaintan-
ces. Etiquette requires that if you
have dined at a house in the course
of year you should presentiits mis-
tress with box of bonbons, and one
or more of the servants with a piece
Of gold or silver. l have noticed
that gold is more welcome than
silver. Likewise in the restaurants
and cafes the walters who generally
earn far more than your Government
clerks at home, make point Of Of
fering gilt cornets of bonbans and
little parcels Of cigars tied with gay
ribbons to habitual customers. The
nfomer may refuse this homage,
and evade making the usual return
for it, but if so the best thing he can
do is to change his cafe thenceforth,
us otherwise he will stand chance
of being very i'll attended to during
the ensuing twelve month. The
proper thing to do is to pocket one
Of the parcels Of cigars, which cost a
halfpenny apiece and are all vile, and
to tender at least 5 Fl. piece in ex-
change. All this may be easy
enough for people to whom a dollar
is small matter; but there are many
Frenchmen to whom this sum is
equivalent to couple Of dinners,
and it has always been wonder to
me how these unfortunates manage
to weather that fearful cape Of the
Jour de Pan. If you 60 into one of
the large confectioners shops to buy
New Year sugar.plums, you find
that the cheapest presentable box Of
these edibles costs 20 francs. The
price Of toys for which Partisan
youngsters will say ''Thank YOU
has risen in the same proportion.
! No little French girl endowed with
| any self.respect will care for a dol
unless it be clothed in silk attire
and has bonnet sof the newest
fashion; and if you sound a French
boy touching the kind Of st,enne that
would best please him, he glibly
suggests a complete military equip
ment, consisting Of KEPT. epaulette
sword, and a rifle capable Of firing
off caps and frightening the domestic
cat. | must say that I sincerely pity
Il the young Partisan who goes great
q deal in society and likes to do things
I Handsomely at the New Year. III
cannot possibly acquit himself Of hi,
3 dues under fifty or sixty dollars, ane
ssfts Is be at all large minded his ta1
] may amount to double that. Their
] of course he has, his years bills K
pay; and considering that the money
(which French men draw from salariiee
4 posts IS not large insomuch that TIL