The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-01
INV YEARS IN HISTORY.
suAsoN FOR FEASTING AND
FORGIVING.

=, account of How Our Citizens in
mer Times Kept the Years
l'-.rdav. with a Glance at its OBJ
lance and its Attributes in Other
Is Notably in Scotland and Eng
land vi. o..
Nav Years day observances have greatly
s,sd since the Dutch progenitors of our
--1;.}arbocker families annually opened
houses and their hearts to their friends
Ioooraintances; and the changes wrought
hat period of our history are very re-
rsrkable.
mich was published fifty years ago, is in
.-ostinr as descriptive OF New Years day
his city at that time. He expresses the
-..+est surprise at the unusually crowded
s,,1ition of the streets with people who
-.-a all intent upon making calls All
y..crinrions of persons were visiting each
80 houses, and even if staying but
~onent. they scrupulously fulfilled their
l1ysjmnosed tasks. Cold meat, cake, con-
s.,ioDeries, and wine were laid out upon
Nv tables. so that all callers might partake.
The inference drawn by the writer was
not those friends who did not call on the
fr,t day Of the year were not very anxious
- continue their acquaintanceship, The
Tmitstions to this rule appear to have
-razed Mr.. Stuart, for, after eudeavoring
isoTave them explained, he seems to have
.bsndoned the effort and to have conteuted
sinsalf with stating that the practice of
sling was very general indeed. He speaks
ii the manufacture of great seed cakes at
Nc neriod of Christmas and New Year. and
avs they were thought such curiosities that
'jyerlisaments were issued inviting the
rnblic to go and look at them. One enter
ssrising confectioner of the name of Palmer
lad cake on exhibition weighing 1900
pounds
The old-fashioned method in vogue in this
ctv was for the ladies of family to remain
,t home. much as they do now, while the
rantleraen were all abroad. The visitor en-
isred shook hands, took a seat, conversed
M q moment or two, and. after partaking
REFRESHMENTS Of which boned turkey and
ricked oysters were the staple dishes, and
sherry and whisky the most popular drinks,
had another handshaking, and so terminated
his visit.
The custom is of Dutch origin, and, like
many other Dutch customs, has salutary
influence on friendly intercourse and home
interest. With them the first day of the
wear was considered day of kindness and
Teconcihation, on which all petty divergen-
ces Of opinion arc forgotten a d small iu-
uries forgiven. Between friends misun-
derstandings will arise, and from a small
sense Of pride concessions on one or both
sides are neglected or declined, and families
| Otherwise in harmony are permanently
estraoged. On New Years day, where
good feeling obtains an ascendency over
obstinecy, a call from one or other of the
husbands causes all old grievances to be for
gotten.
At the next casual or prearranged meet
ing the old friendship is renewed, very
often, upon a more secure basis than here
tofore.
In England the observance of New Years
day by the bestowal of gifts dates from
the Caesars. In the seventeenth century it
vas customary for the English nobility to
send purses of gold to the king. The reason
prompting this custom of gifts arose from
belief that it was message drawn from
the first things met with on the beginning
Of day, week or year, and, of course,
nothing can be more pleasing than a gift.
A rejoicing with friends at their escape
from the years dangers, joined to mutual
congratulations for the future, by
presents and good wishes, for the
happy continuance of good fortune, is a
proper view of life and It's duties. In olden
times hospitalities were renewed by offer
lngs called xenia, which was the name
bestowed upon New Years gifts, as serving
. renew friendship, one of the greatest
blessings impaired by heaven to man, a
blessing not fully appreciated by the COM
munlty at large at the present moment
The Dutch had evidently brought their
good old-fashioned ideas of friendship with
them when they landed here, and they had
acquired them before quitting their native
land from pretty nearly the same sources as
oteer nations.
In France the Roman practice of gifts is
carried out to an amazing extent. Indeed,
so general has it become that it forms a
@rous item to people with even liberal
incomes. Every one who, during the year,
has had anything to do for or with the
household expects to receive a present.
friends give and receive extremes, or New
Years gifts, and it is most embarrass-
mg thing to know the exact value of
[ae article which ought to pass from one
0and TO the other, according to the
respective social positions of the parties.
me Snrewd Partisan ShopkeeDers know this
80 thoroughly that they manufacture gifts
especially TO be sold as New Years offer
NgS' and the ingenuity of makers is very
severely taxed to produce goods which are
most attractive in form, of very fragile
character, and which have yet the
appearance of being fully worth
one enhanced prices asked. This
combination of characteristics is neces-
s@fy, because New Years day has a
strangely fixed habit of recurring annually,
ana II would rever do for a Partisan store
Aeeper to offer anything like the same
o aIucie more than once. Our New York
SYoIekeeperS are very quick at taking this
a anl otner Shrewd hints, and the result is
mat an enormous quantity of beautiful but
ss:eFiy useless articles are yearly exhibited at
s slIs season II their windows. No matter how
.Sll7lFe or expensive the goods may be,
o IRE are generally purchasers enough to
S.'Saf out the stock; indeei, the difficulty
s.lnslimes appears to be to find goods costly
y ruIgSn TO satisfy the plethoric purses of our
I1llOnaires
new Years day here has consequently
90. oogone more Partisan than with the French,
otd with the change the old-fashioned habit
I. uaElng tremendous number of calls
as as oeen altered to making calls only upon
~ T1Iose most closely allied by social habi S.
-, .e way IN former years of one caller pro
ffaelng troop Of his friends, and his
a'7uu friends, before his own friend, is
c1o iionger permissible among persons of any
it 1lu % breeding, and the only class where
raj = s StIl hngeringly practiced is the politi
oAe' where votes may be gently coerced
az gugG hand-shakings, champagne cup,
ol4 picked oysters.
bo no. IS also noticeable that the practice of
e earlng ladies' calling day upon the second
10y OF he year is going out of fashion. if,
IL G1yNrsNA