The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-12-26
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guns and beating of drums. :"
This is the beginning of one of the many New
Years procamations of Peter Stuyvesant director
general of New Netherlands-his farm, the
"Bouweri1" on Manhattan island gave the Bowery
its namely which he hoped to prevent
sins. debaucheres and calamities' in New Am
sterdam during his II years of administration.
1647-64 For it In old New York that the
American custom of New Years calls had its be-
ginning. And when the fun got too boisterous old
Peter would come stumping along on his silver
banded wooden leg and try to make unwilling
rattle-watch enforce his proclamation.
New Years day was the holiday par excellence
in old New York. 1t day peculiarly ded
Gated to family congratulations and the renewal
Of friendships In expressions of sympathy and
good will, which, following closely the sacred
festival of Christmas inspired all with peculiar
significance. Washington Irving has said New
York was then handy town. Anyone who did
not live over the way to be found round the
corner" So the making OF New Years calls was
easy. Let us glance at the New Amsterdam of
that day on the first day of the year.
The sober. older citizens, sturdy figures, richly
and warmly clothed, walk, slowly smoking, to the
fort to render New Years wishes to the officers
of the garrison and then to the White Hall by the
Battery to do the governor the same honor Ever
since daybreak noisier element has reveed up
and down the narrow lanes and by the banks Of
the canal (now Broad street,, shouting greetings
beating drums. firing muskets, blowing horns
shaking "rumblingpots" and drinking rivers of
beer group Of young burghers, with some
clumsy firearm, a snaphance murtherer, have
gone from door to door of each corbel-roofed
house firing blank volleys, gathering recruits
drinking more beer, till all repair to Beekman's
Swamp (known to this day in New York the
Swamp) to fire at target
Noise and New Years continued to be closely
connected In the days of the American colonies
New Years day favorite day for shooting
at a mark, for shooting for prizes and target
companies" of very respectable citizens rose early
In the morning for these contests. For it
deemed most selfish and rather dsreputabe for
a man to spend the entire day in such shooting
He could go with his target company" In the
morning. but he must pay round of calls to the
fair in the afternoon.
In the days of New Years celebration in New
York In the first half of the nineteenth century
the town seemed great family reunion, in which
each Wed with the other in bosterous delight
Shops lighted, windows garanded. streets
crowded. Great vans-stages with four and six
horses-were crowded with groups of men, often
group of kinsfolk, or old neighbors, or hilarious
mob of allied in politics-or some target
company" 'band of old firemen." The
quaintances of each were called upon in turn.
1t was about the beginning of the nineteenth
century that the change from neighborly OBJ
servance to one of pure fashion began in all the
large cities. The younger women of such house
holds as had daughters hostesses, and great
was their rivalry, with another, in respect to
richly loaded refreshment tables and elegance of
toilet. The dudes of those days-they called them
"beaux" and "dandies' and "gallants"-attired
themselves in their best and started out early in
the morning their calls.
1t was not until about the middle of the century
that the abuse which finally led TO the customs
decline began. For years the dandies of New
York and other large cities rivaled another in
the length of their calling lists, and the calls soon
came to be nothing more than hasty stops-mere
rapid gorgings of cake and gulpings of wine--in-
stead of the oldtime friendly calls of men upon
tho families of their friends and acquaintances.
Then the ladies-the matrons as well the
young women-began to vie with one another in
the number of their callers. This led to the
most extraordinary practices. Callers
cr,iited indeed much as customers are drummed
up by dealers in soap. Cards announcing that
Miss This-or-That would be "at home" on January
were sent out almost indiseriminateiS
Then the Sunday papers of the time began to
print lists of those who would receive and the
houses of those mentioned in the lists were sure
TO be besieged by numbers of men whom the
ladies' had never met heard of and desired
never 10 meet again Men would go calling in