The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-01-08
Old Time New
Years Customs
Setting Up" in Years Gone BY.
The Dutch and Their Calls. 3 .
Coin to sit up tonight?"

Coin to sit up tOnight?"
II reckon-yes, I reckon I will. Nuth-
In i'll it, y know, but lots O. fun and
fresh cider"
Such a conversation might nave been
heard In n rural region Of the CEN
trail west some forty years ago on any
New Years eve. And the setting up
was the one and only point in which
New Years observations differed from
those of Christmas. The Knickerbock-
ers have so far impressed themselves
upon American life that most of the
present generation think calls and
congratulations" have always been the
great feature of New Years.
Know then, innocent youth, that as
late as fifty years ago New Years
calls" were an unknown institution in
three-fourths of the United States.
But in the border states, especially the
southern sections Of the states just
north of the Ohio, the practice Of
watching the old ear out and the
uuliar to New Years. Wonderful things
were to be seen at hat hour. Cows
fell upon their knees, fowls went
through a sort of r~everential perform
ance, the wild animals lost their fear
of man, and certain plantsgof a mys-
ferrous nature sprang up in the door
yard.
nave Idu llle ClllluIeH pun ana lay
on my lap shoots as long as my hand"
was the testimony of one good old
lady, and, for aught any hearer could
ever discover, she honestly believed it.
A little later, when the old superstition
died out, watch night" became a re-
ligious proceeding. The ordinary even
ing meeting was followed by a song
aud praise" session. A few minutes
before midnight the members of the
church gathered around the ALTAR
ut was merely the space in front of the
pulpit, but the old name remained) Inc
sometimes Joined hands in a circle.
AS the minute hand of the clock
reared the XII mark the most pro-
found silence was observed-every
Christian was supposed to be In silent
prayer for pardon for the sins of the
new year began, all broke into a glad
song, often mingled with Shouts" in
Methodist or United Brethren churches,
and after the song closed the members
pledged cath other to renewed devotion
and greater faithfulness to duty for
the coming year. The negroes, always
quick to adapt their old African Gus
delight In this one, adding many fanci-
full features, and it still survives in the
far south as walking Egypt
But what Of the original watch
night?" Well, all we can say is that
some Of our ancestors brought it from
Scotland with them, and, as they told
of the wonderful things that had hap
pened In Scotland, SO their children in
Kentucky nj Indiana told the same
things as having happened in Mary
land, and by and by their children in
Illinois nj Missouri told of them as
occurrences in Maryland or Kentucky,
and SO the superstition lived on in
many neighborhoods even to the out
break Of the civil war
Strange to say, the custom of calling
on New Years day grew most nearly
universal among the Chinese and
Americans. The former celebrate the
new year through three days, during
which they cali on their friends, e.
change greetings in the streets, beat
gongs, offer prayers and make a
Fourth of July of 1t in fireworks.
In the days when a little group 81
frame houses with gable ends of Dutch
brick clustered about the fort adioin.
Ing the point called the Battery In
New York, Mynheer and Vrouw, to-
gether with their children, the youths
n maidens of New Amsterdam
would go about making visits to each
other. celebrating the day as only 8
primitive people could celebrate 1t, the
elders smoking their pipes and the
youngers making merry and all On
towing themselves heartily.
But III burghers OF New Amsterdam
as aEeW generations came on waxad
isrich. BroadWay passed the old rope.
walk near the present site OF the Aston
Helsel saes over Union kolsst, and