El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1896-12-31
REFLECTIONS ON NEW YEARS.
Calling Gradually Falling Into COndi-
ton of InnOcuOus Deseutude.

ant, but the custom is rapidly fallip
into a condition ofinnocuous deSeutude
as it were, or words to that effect. On
great occasion for this falling off ha
been the fight made against it by man,
people on account of the demoralizin!
about 9 o'clock on New Years night
find it utterly impossible to distinguish
between the street lamps and tn,
window lights across the street, ant
are undecided as to whether the trol
| ley cars are running crisscros
throughout the streets or over the top
of houses. Then there is a marked
| tendency to apostrOphize the moon
especially if she chances to be full
though of a different kind of full
than her apOstrophizers. Policemen
liners dummies and cigar makers
Indians are hugged with an en-
tire absence of discriminating
taste-a performance quite shocking
to the aesthetical sensibilities. Then
about 10 or II p. m there is marked
disposition to make the best of the sit
uation, by a failure to differentiate, as
it were, between the snow covered
curb stone and the feecy counterpart
of ones bed. The young New Years
caller is perfectly willing to sing his
''Now 1 lay me down to sleep" in the
gutter, on doorstep, or wherever it
may suit his disorganized fancies. If
he has accompanying friends, they
perhaps manage to boost one another
up by an ensemble embrace regardles S
of the continuance of head gear, Or
whether their cravats are back of their
necks or on the tops of their heads: aud
finally the entire outfit bundle them
selves into the room of one of their
TO in nGl af,,1
drunken sleep on the floor or wherever
else comes handy.
In the case of lone inebriated New
Years callers, the unfortunate most
likely falls into the hands of the ''rol-
ler'; who relieves him of the trouble of
such very earthly things as
jewelry, for season. Or the young
man falls into the claws Of the Cyprian
who reaps a rich harvest on New Years
night, or into the clutches of a police
% an who hies the champagne soaked
,alIer TO the jug for undisturbed refec-
ion until morning doth appear.
This sort of thing got to be very
nonotonous in the larger cities, as the
lear ladies thought it tout lie from
tge," dontcherknow, to offer all their
gentlemen callers just sip of wine for
rood luck, good health, and lots of
,ther things supposed to be good, but
which in this connection are invaria
,ly marked by badness in an inverse
alto to the goodness so ardently desir
ID by the lovely hossesses aud their
Iemoralized admirers. Drinking
chemicals for ''here's to good luck"
When paralysis of the mucous tissue and |
lervouS prOstration are sure to follow,
Gems to be a fallacious fad that has |
ong marked man as most inconsis-
ent creature.
Moreover, young men elegantly |
ressed, but in the hight of reckless |
wandering into fine drawing |
ooms in condition of mental chaos, |
,ecame more and more of a common |
light: and the dear ones, bless you IN
ophisticated reader, they were so |
Ireadfully shocked, dontcherknow, at |
uch really Dire a-dfui thing, |
ntirely forgetful that they were the |
ause of it all. Well, the number of |
men rolling and reeling |
round the streets and in and out of |
mansions, became such a disgrace that |
he temperance societies and other |
took a hand to stop it, |
nd finally found the best plan would |
,e to frOwn on the custom of New Y ears |
aling itself. Then it is nuisance to |
he ladies anyway to stand around |
irst on one leg and then one the other
III day, and gable, though it be ever
o prettily, on the weather, and other
Utterly inconsequential things. So
Iew Years calling is becoming one of
he relics of the past, and in a few years
t IS expected to disappear from sight
to the great grief OF the
aterers and livery stable keepers.
The day will continue, however, to
,e a legal holiday, and a day for
swearing off, for the following week
n ten days, or perhaps in special cases
or a whole month. But the day will
sher in this year, a special month of
rayer in the eastern churches for the
piritual welfare of this country, and
he conversions of souls from the way
b at leadeth to destruction to the way
yhich leads to eternal life. There will
lso be special prayer services under
be auspices of the Y. NJ. G. AS.
the land, as well as week
f prayer for colleges and institutions
f learning. Mr.. Moody intends to
lake unusual effort the coming month
o start a revival of religion that shall
weep over the United States; and the
ines are just in that condition to help
i'm in marked degree.
LOT