The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-12-26

the receiving line and helped to dispense the hos
pitalfty of the home. remember
when we had more than 200 callers The custom
was TO stay n FEW moments only, chat, drink and
eat. and then go on to the next house. One of the
rooms however, was cleared for dancing and in
the late hours the callers would select partners
and whirl through a waltz, polka n schottishe.
or perhaps set of the quadrille. Every house
had a band of musicians
''The open house function was very elaborate
dress afair-the women We'd with another in
beautiful costuming and the month before New
Years was harvest for the dressmakers.
From O'Clock until late in the night the par
lors were filed with guests. The lower portion of
the house had been previously beautifully deco
rated with flowers and exotics and all who called
were made to feel perfectly at home In the din
ing room was table with all sorts of eatables
and dainties, with wines and punches. At
O'clock when the reception opened the blinds
drawn and the gas lighted. During the day
favored callers We're invited to return night for
dance"
With the gradual abandoning of New Years
calls came In the gradual growth of the eating
drinking and revelry that before the and pro-
hbiton marked New Years eve in the cities.
Here is glimpse of Philadelphia in 1894.
After the reserves and the Third district police
had taken their positions the enormous crowd
began to swell In size. In front of Independence
hall, filling the street. jostlng mob that be
nosier the nearer the hands of the clock
came to the midnight hour. Up Chestnut street
there two black masses that moved victor-
ousy toward the statehouse.
1.-The gay and comic shooter (mummer) did
not put in appearance to any considerable extent
until about IL o'clock. Then he came from all d.
rections.
1.-THE thousands packed in the roadway sent up
answering cry to the first stroke of the big
bell and the rattle of pistol Shots despite the DO
lice orders against using weapons, was like the
sound of musketry. The screams of whistles added
the din and every side through the miles that
the eyes could pierce fireworks went blazing up-
ward"
And here is glimpse of New York in 1906:
"Al New York came out to celebrate the birth
of the new year. Nothing like it was ever seen
before for numbers for enthusiasm. From the
hour after dinner until long after midnight the
celebration lasted 1t consisted of noise eatinr
and drinking with noise by far the predominating
element Men born in New York who have lived
here all their lives, looked at the carnival in wide
eyed astonishment
"At least $4,000 men and women packed Broad.
way and the side streets Trinity church from,
half past eleven O'Clock until long after midnight
To hear the chimes? Oh no. To blow horns and
whistles and spring rattes and yell and TINS
drown out the very pretty chimes of old Trinity
that welcomed in the New Year. Every fable in
every big restaurant taken weeks In advance
In 1914 the police In most of the large cities Or
dered sane New Years celebra tons In conse-
quenee there was a marked dimnuton of the
reyery; in many cities midnight closing and com
munity celebrations marked the occasion
Thus the celebration of New Years day in noise
drinking eating and calling-has grown to be a
climax and become sane" What next7