The New York herald., 1879-01-02
How the First Days Account with
the New Year Was Opened.
MANHATTAN'S SOCIAL CUSTOMS.
Congratulatory Visits Made
in a Snow Storm.
MAYOR COOPER AND MIR. ELY
The Day in Brookyn-Mr Beechefs lhIr-
teen Hundred Callers.

Eighteen hundred and seventy-nine broke its first
promise yesterday afternoon, when the snow began
to darken the air for morning more beaut-
fully and peacefully born than the first day OF the
new wear Harmonious chorals of gratitude for ia
vors past and of petitions for mercies to come hlied
the churches and the great bells rang out cordial
welcome as the silver moon burst from out the clouds
and shone upon calm and sleeping city.
FOND ANIIcIPATIoNs.
Knowing that there prospect for an old
fashioned New Years Day. with snow and sleigh bells
and other expensive outfttings, Young America In
vested heavily in fancy head gear English usters
and, generally, yellow gloves. with switch canes.
Gotten up regardless of expense and often of TASTE
the gay and festive portions of ctys people sal
lied forth very early in. the morning to ''do So
ciety. Pinning faith to the weather reports that
predicted occasional snow, the wary livery men
paid attention to their sleghs but had every
coupe and carriage. every horse and driver, put IN
apple pie order. Many of them were pre-
engaged for the entire day at prices to suit
the times, say from So to $40 an hour;
and others were held in readiness for the men
who make up their minds at the latest moment to
pay calls and then, of course absolutely need car
riage So far householders controlled the matter
the streets were clean. Each housekeeper sent his
man servant or maid servant with the cleansing
broom to make clear the street before the door, and
had the gentlemen in public life to whose tender
consciences is given the duty of removing ashes,
garbage dead cats and occasional horse been half
as active as the domestics were New York might have
been sweet and clean yesterday as it was on the
occasion of a once noted funeral Such was not the
case however Many OF the downtown streets and
scores of cross streets positively filthy and
disgrace to a third rate Podunk.
The hour of ten. informed by tb, organs Of
fash nd fhe of
picious moment when the most fastidious hand may
pull the bell or touch the indicator. Prior to that
hour the BARRIERS of the city too busy to talk.
Their shops thronged by hurried, worrying,
naggng customers. Their chairs were filed, their
morning HERALps in demand. their patience about
exhausted. As one of them under the st. Nicholas
Hotel said, 81 never such beast as is man on
New Years. when his list is 100 and it's ten in the
morning" And so it appeared. Bootblacks
shared the general excitement and did
the ladies'. Probably in thousands of homes.
ordinarily well regulated, there more
pad temper manifested yesterday morning than in
the entire preceding year. The oysters were late the
of course had not come, the fruit behind
hand and the birds and the cenrepeces were sent to
the wrong number Then the children were not
ready Their hair had to be curled over again. Blue
ribbons put on when red stockings demanded
red ribbons. The sashes would not go easily into
bows. There too much fire in the furnace and
the pine knots in the deep paror CRATE threw cnders
on the rug. To crown all, the horrid men began to
CALL in many instances before anybody any thing
ready, and the consequences were really dreadful
THEY CELEBRATED
As all things fortunately have end. so there
an auspicious moment when the final fixing
fixed and the arms of society open for the fond
embrace. AS was suggested in the HERALD yester-
day, be there many laws as would fill book.
every house viii in the end be law unto itself. and
It was The customs of No. 26 are different from
those Of No. pa it's from those. OF No. 80.
OF late years embarrassing custom has
grown up. by which callers are COM
peeled to face group of women of
whom they know but one. Ladies not in the habit of
entertaining much. and who have but few acquaint-
ances club together it and receive together
In houses yesterday friends calling to Mrs.
A. found with her Mrs. b., Miss O. and the Misses D.
and on. till the half circle of aweinspirng fem
ininity completed. This may be very pleasant
for the ladies, who have nothing to do but bow and
and criticise but it is decidedly rough the
caller. who desires simply to pay his respects and
after brief interchange of courtesy to retire.
Another traverse of the good old time domcsticity
of the day is found in the growing habit of card in
vitations. Ladies who desire long list crush and
O crowd. issue cards week prior to the LIST of
January "a virtual invitation to the party receiving
them to call on New Years. The consequence is that
Tom, Dick and Harry pull the bells of houses they
never before. greeted by ladies they
may may not know, and are. as rule.
prepared to meet their hostess on just such
terms her unsolicited acquaintance and
advances would apparently warrant. This is
on par with habit some very young men have of
'poong their lists" Mr.. knows twenty ladies. AIR.
the same number, Mr.. thirty and Mr.. ID twenty
five The quartet hire a carriage together, put their
lists in and rush frantcaly from house house,
each introducing his friends to his friends in turn.
AS happy mode of showing just how many times a
backbone may be made to bend this social system
may be useful but part and parcel OF the good old
fashioned custom it is not in harmony. However
these incidental matters may appear. 1t is certainty
that the ls of January 1879 red letter day far
extensive preparations for calling and for calling
itself concerned. For purposes of social inter
course now that the ceraintics of the elevated road
more than counterbalance the uncertainties of the
ferries, Brooklyn and Jersey City identical with
New York Hundreds of residents of thcse several
cities left their homes by nine in the morning util-
lied the elevated roads and were thereby enabled TO
do what tney had never done before-can over
the entire metropolitan district. Police officers sta
toned at the ferry gates say that there hasn't been
year in their recollection when the holiday travel
tquaed that OF yesterday. Gentlemen. with lists in
their hands hurried from city to city and late at
night the scenes varied in this only that many of
them were attended 10y member of the Barleycorn
family and were disposed to be facetious, not to say
drunk
SCENES on THE AVENUES
Human nature Fifth avenue s first cousin to
human nature on Baxter street. and New Years Day
means quite as much in one place as the other. The
grand dame of Madison avenue, whose husband paid
$500 for her reception dress and $1,000 for her New
Years table. had more TO do with the social OBJ
scrvancc of the great holiday than the humble
washerwoman Of Cherry street whose husband is on
the Island whose dress is shilling calico and whose
spread consisted of cheap dccantcr of bad sherry
aud bottle of kerosene labelled "Monongahela
whiskcy." In other words, while there was con-
tnuous professional crowd in the best parts of the
nv and
revived among the fashonablcs in its pristine royalty
60 in the poorer portions Of the city, ia the un
cleaned streets and in the back alleys there was
busting excitement going and coming that be
tokened that ''somcthing going on
AT two In the afternoon Fifth avenue, Madison ave
nue. Park avenue, Thirty-fourth street and, in fact
ali that section of the city above Twentieth street
between Eighth and Lexington avenues, was aliv
with hurrying pedestrians and spcckled coach
,,en.-f,o suecks being flakes of snow Ever,