The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-12-31

The air is still laden with the happy
memories OF Christmas. the heart aglow
with the warmth and good cheer that the
season brought and scarcely has the last
echo O, the Merry Christmas" died away
before The bells ring out the old year and
in the aew.
There is always Joy in the hailing OF
new year, across the threshold OF which wa
step with wiling feet and as the curtain
drops behind us 1t shuts out all the sor-
rows and disappoirtments of the past
The Old Years 5ookl We have read 1t
Leaf after leaf and day after day.
We have turned It's pages. both | and you
What it has tolt us we may not say,
But each for himself the story has read
New Year has been termed the queen o.
all the holidays and it has been written
That Of all sounds, of all BELLS. the mos
solemn and touching is the peal which
rings out the old year.
New Years is the young peoples holi-
day.
Aside from It's religious 0bservances, the
principal features of ChriSmas are tht
family dinner and gift bearing>Xhile New
Years has become almost as muENa daS
OF present. giving with many 1t is a
question whether this custom does no
suggest the idea Of after-thought If the
recipient was overlooked on Christmas
Day. At any rate. a New Years gilt bears
no significance. There are certain SET
features in holiday entertainments viii;
are as well left unchanged, as they give Q
pleasant distinction to the season.
For the yourg people. old fashioned
games, charades. pantcmime and similar
forms of entertainment are always pop
ular. No more delightful way to en- e.
tain your holiday guest and intimate
friends can be thought of than mas
querade dance, the less informal the bet.
ter.
The custom OF New Years calling once
so popular with the society element. 4;
and becoming a passing fashion. In many
sections of the country it has been ea-
tirely abandoned. but in the South, proven
bal for its hospitality the open hons,
custom still fingers as peculiarly typ, Al
of the people. The custom. like many
others, has been brought into disrepute by
it's abuse. by carrying what was intended
as friendly ceremony TO an extreme tlat
introduced a temptation 10 intemperan e,
that was almost irresistible. To mnim-
lie this objection to the observance of the
day the society element of Houston has
struck upon the plan this year OF con-
centrating their forces at fewe' points.
hence there need nor be SO much re-
peating" and the compliments OF the sea-
son may be exchanged with the elements
Of danger and fatigue very materially
eliminated,
The simple sending of courteous re-
minder OF ones thoughts for a friend,
embodied in appropriate verse, or senti-
ment on card, is rapidly doing away
with the custom of New Years calling.
Whether this be the final yea or not
Of this wonderful century. matters little.
The progress that the world has made
since the JOY bell rang In the Nineteenth
century has been wonderful to contemplate
and the present generation is slow TO he
lieve that greater and more wonderful
things viii be accomplished In the century
TO come.
~
New Years dishes and decorations DIFF.
fer little from those Of Christmas. What
Is seasonable and appropriate for one is
quite as much so for the other Roplar,
the roast beef with a crown of lamn
however. and dispense with the plum mud
u'hg having lighter, more delicate das-
serts. Inc same decorations may be used
encep' m'stletoe, which is only appro,
pirate for Christmas