New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-01
HAIL TO THE NEW YEAR!
WELCOMED WITH THE USUAL VOLUME OF
TERRIFIC NOISE DOWNTOWN.

| WELCOMED WITH THE USUAL VOLUME OF
TERRIFIC NOISE DOWNTOWN.
Owing TO the influence OF generations OF poets and
comic weekles the general public has come to re-
gard the advent OF the new year pictoriay. froU'
ably nine out OF every ten people who read these
lines had identified the passage OF the old year win
the vision OF Father Time. white OF beard ana har'
with bowed form and weary steps. sinking away IN
the distance carrying his scythc deectedly over his
shoulder, while the infant new year. cherupc III
FORM regards the disappearing figure with wide
eyed wonder. This vision they see year after year
with small change.
The passage OF this panorama this year VIII be
observed quietly by the city OF New-iorK
than for many year past. New Year celebration
has been growing less and less every year oil iate'
To-day the city will he as comparatively quiet
This result Is likely to be brought about by variety
Of Many people are still out OF town ior
the holidays: they are ut their country houses OF
their country clubs. whittier they went Tor CHRIST
mas and where they intend TO pass the holidays as
has long been tire custom among fashionable people
In England. Many OF them returned to the city
after Christmas but many OF them remained away
The old and time honored Knickcrbockef custom
OF New Years calls has beer as dead as JULIUS
Crsar for a numbe: OF years now. That Is, II mas
beer socially dead. During the last few years the
wives of certain political leaders have received on
New Years Day for political purposes only. brf
almost no fashionable people have continued to
do 1t. There are many people now living IN New
York however. who can remember the time when
the custom still! ut It's height. There were
great goings on then and no mistake. Every
body called on every body else There was scarcely
a family OF any means at all that did not keep
open house on the. first day In the year.
In the old days there used to be deal or license
extended by the public 10 itself In the matter OF
drinking. There was vast deal OF 1t In this city
and In Brooklyn. Men whose conduct was unim-
peachablc the rest of the year looked to excess
upon the wine or that one day Great latitude
was extended In the matter Of eligb, callers. 100
II was not N all uncommon for one man who was
know1 TO family to brir'S to call there hal:
dozer who unknown.
wrought It's As the size Of the two cities IN
creased. too the calling Fists OF Fashionable people
recognized bore Certain people began to hang
baskets their doors TO receive the cards OF cal-
hint the, trai was all tha. was wanted. SO the
custom fell gradual. into the innocuous desuetude
whe-e II now rcposes.
LAST NIGHT CELEBRATION.
II wonder" said who looked intelligent
but who acted like idiot. he took a tinhorn
from his lips az Broadway AMI Co.tlandts'. Just
bofor. mdnIGn. las, night. why many thou
sand people come away down here 10 hear the
Trinity chn'es New Years Evc and Their do
their best to kee, from hearing them wher they
His question no, answered. Perhaps there
to the persons referred 10. But last night was no
exception to those that have gone before 1t In
other years Soon after 10 o'clock the crowds be-
gan to MI lower Broa iway ard the adjoining
streets MS they fled only one night every
year. The fakirs who live upon the whims OF the
public had laid In big stock OF horrs. and they
sold them all. Almost everybody In the vast tlIroig
tina, blocked Broadway from Exchange Place to
Futon-st. had q horn. Those who didn't have
them enjoyed their neigh bors. Everybody was
generous with noise The ,wA a mixed one.
Most of It's component parts belonged TO the fami-
lies that have long given to Cherry Hill and SINH
lar districts of .hc Eas. Side the tone that has so
distinguished them But there were a larg" num-
Der Of we-dresi ed and compIa cent-looking people
In the multitude. and they made as much noise
anybody else.
A goOdly number OF the assemblage were IN
various stages of the condition that precedes
swearing off. and there were incpient nghts
galore. The watchword of the evening sec neI
T. be noise and enthusiasm. The majority. OF
thu crowd seemed bent upon driving Itself deaf or
pistols which they dsch ,recd in.o the air without
let hlndrance from TIE police To add 20 the am
a few steamers ferrybo,ts and tuGboatS In me
river let themselves loose just before midnight
II Is said that the chimes q Trinity we're play ID
and the imaginative who had read the announce
mer,s of the programme could distinguish now
and then n note Or two Of "Bonnets OF Bonnie
Dundee or some such thing. But the crowd
didn't go 10 hear the chirnes. II went TO prevent
itself from hearing the n. though WHY IL should
Tot HI We achieved this object by staying AWAY is
another thing thar does not appear There was
brief lull in the din at about midnight but II
lasted only a moment and hr oke forth worse than
ever. The CT wd certainly rh w 'he"S'NrS a-'
.g.vht .,I mis-