The times., 1900-12-30
TIMES FUNERAL Chimes
Resonant PeaIs That Tell Of
Another Year Gone.
Hcraiding the New While BIddins
Adieu to the Departed-More Merry
Time Turns Over . New Leaf IN
the Vast Volume Of Eternity.


Lamb. most solemn and touching Is the
peal which rings out the old year" It
has always been the custom among North
| ern nations to see the old year out and
| the new one in. with the highest demon
strations Of merr.ment and conyiviality.
To but few persons does It seem to occur
| that the day is a memorandum OF the sub
traction Of another year from the little
sum Of life. With the multitude. the main
feeling Is desire to express good wishes
for the next twelve months experience OF
their friends. and be the recipients OF sim
liar bcnevolence on the part of others. and
TO see this Interchange Of cordial feelings
take place. as far as possible, in festive
circumstances.
Says certain writer: Every mrst OF
January that we arrive at. Is an imaginary
milestone on the turnpike track of human
lie. at once a resting place for thought
and meditation. ard a starting point for
fresh exertion in the performance OF our
journey. The man who does not at least
propose to himself to be better this year
than he was last must be either very good
or very bad indeed And only to propose
to be better is something; If nothing else,
1t is an acknowledgment of our need to be
so. which Is the first step toward amend
ment. But, in fact to propose to oneself
to do well, Is In some sort to do well, pos
itiyely; for there is no such thing as a
stationary point in human endeavors; ne
who Is not worse today than he was yes
terday. is better; and he who is not bet
ter. Is worse"
France and Scotland are tire countries
in which New Year Day is observed most
heartily. In the former. all distinctions
Of rank are laid aside, and the titled lady
greets the servant or mendicant with An
embrace. The custom Of New Year calls
derived from France. The spectacle. how
ever. of the canny Scotch unbending to
the extent they DO on the first day of
the year is. perhaps. even more rem Tx
able. II almost appears as IT, on this
occasion, the general gravity of the PEOPLE
was imperi1ed to break out in a half
mad merriment. Every fact is bright
with smiles: every hand ready with tho
grasp OF friendship. All stiffness aris-
ing from age profession, and rank aiye
way. The soberest feels entitled to take
license on that special day.
The old ceremcnials of New Year. like
those OF Christmas. have, to a great ex-
tent. died cut. 1t was the custom in
England for the head of the house to as
sembfe his family around a bowl of spiced
ale. comicaily called lambs wool. from
which be drank their healths: then pass
ed it to the rest, that they might drink
too. The word that passed among them
was the ancient Saxon phrase, "Wxss
hael." meaning ITO your health. Hence
this came to be recognized as the was
sail or wassail bowl The poorer class
Of people carried q bowl adorned with
ribbons round the neighborhood. begging
means Of filling 1t, that they might. too,
enjoy wassail as we'll as the rich. In
their complications they had songs suisa-
BILE to the ocasion-
The custom of wassail at the New Year
was kept up in the monasteries as well
as in private houses In front Of the
abbot. at the upper end OF the refectory
table. was placed the mighty bowl. styled
in their language "Poculum Caritatis."
and from 1t the superior drank to all,
and all drank IN succession to each other.
The corporation feasts of London still
preserve custom that affords a reflex
Of that of the wassail bowl. double
handled fagon full of sweetened and
spiced wine being handed to the master.
or other person presiding. he drinks
standing to the general health, as an
nouneed by the POSTMASTER: then passes
1t to his neighbor on the left hand, who
drinks standing to his next neighbor,
also standing. and SO on it goes, till all
have drunk. Such is the well-known cere-
mony of the LOWING cup.
On the passing away of she old year. and
at the approach OF II o clock, not pint,
as 1t was called. was prepared-that is.
kettle or fiagon full of warm. spiced and
sweetened ale. with an infusion of spir
its. When the clock had struck the knen
OF the departed year. each member Of the
family drank of this mixture "A good
health and a happy New Year and many
OF them" to all the rest. with a general
handshaking. and perhaps dance around
the table. with the addition OF a song
The elders Of the family would then most
probably sally out. with the hot kettle.
and bearing also competent provision Of
buns and shortbread. or bread and cheese.
with the design of visiting their reigh-
bors and interchanging with them the
same cordial greetings. II they met BY
the way another party bent upon
similar errand, whom they knew, shey
would stop and give and take sips from
their respective kettles. Reaching the
friends house. they would enter with vo-
cirerous good wishes, and soon send the
kettle circulating. II they were the first
to enter the house since II O'Clock. they
we're deemed as the first foot" and. as
such, 1t was most important. for luck of
the family IN the coming year, that they
should make their entry. not empty-hand-
ed. but with their hands full OF cakes and
bread and cheese: Of which. on the other
hand, civility demanded that each indivtd-
ual in the house should partaxe.
To such an extent did this custom once
prevail that the streets in certain large
cities were more thronged between - and
1 o'clock in the morning than they usually
were at midday.