Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-01-01
.,ss4444xH+x4E4xNs i; New Year $ Calling :
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 { How t Originated and Is 7 ] Carried On :;

V VENT to Christmas the most joy ous annual festival has been
 VI the advent of the new year.
 4 This has been so ever since the Christian era. As far back as the history of man can be traced the New Year day has been an occasion of feasting and rejoicing. From the old est authentic record it has been trans mitted down to our times and is still observed The feast was instituted by Numa and was dedicated to Janus who presided over the new year Jan 1, 713 E. c.
 In the middle ages it was religiOnsly observed by the flow of wine and the eating of baked meats. The chieftains of the European tribes appointed it as the day of receiving their captains and vassals Their chief was not ad- verse to receiving some token of re- gard from his people to remind him or them during the remaining 364 days. The people soon learned to consider 1t good form as well as good policy to bring with them substantial remem- hrance.
 Queen Elizabeth made New Years day general court occasion. in which she greeted her loyal subjects and re ceived their gifts. It was customary to present Queen Bess with the finest raiment proc,lrable. All the courters tried to outdo each other in selecting the most magnificent textures for their royal mistress. Sir Walter Raleigh one New Years morning outstripped them all by presenting her majesty with q pair of woven silk hose. the first ever worn in England.
 In northern climes the New Year has always been one of the chief gala days of the season. The town folks always call upon the chief magistrate and drink his health. The idea of paying New Year calls in this country in q general way for Nears was confined to New York state. though other states adopted it and practiced the custom to a moderate extent. The early settlers of jolly old New Amsterdam made tn" advent day of the coming year the hap pieSt of the :nnuS. In those primitive times everybody knew each other from one end of Manhattan Island to the other. After paying their grave re spects to the governor they visited each other. -tc. sttte...,t z..,t When the English came to New York they continued the ancient custom. ! which helped to cement the good fel | lowShip that has since prevailed be 1 tween the two races. For years the popularity of New Year as q day of feastiny became so, prominent that Christmas was lost, sight Of Year by year the calling custom grew in favor. The young women. would try < to out do each other in the sumptuousness of their table and elegance of their toilets
 In the beginning of the last century
 the young maidens took pride, ill the fact that the clothes they wore and the
 tables they set were the work of their
 own hands. The, gallants would start
 out early and go over list of a score or more. paying their respects. to the
 matrons first and winding up at the
 home of their chief attracter. Every
 body who was anybody in those days
 drank -1 ', In fact. 1t was considered duty he
 owed to society and to his hostess tc drink whenever he was asked and fil
 the bumpers up to the brim. As thf city increased in size the custom in