The Elbert County tribune., 1919-12-26
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guns and beating of drums. :"
This is the beginning of one of the muny New
Years proclainntons Of Peter Stuyvesnnt. director
general of New Netbcrlands-his furm. the
'I;ouwerij." on Manhattan island gave the Bowery
Its name--by which he hoped TO 'prevent more
Sins. debaucheries and calamities' In New Am
sterdam during his II years OF administration.
16f764 For IT WIS in old New York that the
American custom of New Years calls had its be-
ginning. And when the fun got boisterous old
Peter would come stumping along on his silver
banded wooden leg and try to make unwilling
raite7watch enforce his proclamation.
New Years day the holiday par excellence
in old New York 1t dny 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
emsysss Let us glance Mt the New Amsterdam OF
tlii't day on the first day of the new 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 honor Ever
since daybreak noisier element has reveied up
nfid down the narrow lanes and by the banks of
the cann fnow Broad sreet), shouting greetings
beating drums. firing muskets. blowing horns
Sinking "rumbling-pos" and drinking rivers of
clumsy firearm. n snaphance or a 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 as 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 was n favorite day for shooting
mt mark, for shooting for prizes, and target
companies" of very respectable citizens early
in tto for Eor
deemed most selfish and rather dlsreputable for
n nun to spend the entire day in such shooting.
lie could go with his target company" In the
morning, but he must pay n 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
ench man We'd with the other In boiserous delight.
Shops were lighted, windows garlanded streets
crowded. Great vans-stages with four and six
horses-were crowded with groups Of men. often
group of kinsfolk old neighbors, or hilarious
mob of allied in politics--or some target
company" "band of old fremen" The
uunintances of each called upon In turn.
1t was about the beginning of the nineteenth
century that the change from nelghborly OBJ
seryance to of pure fashion began in all the
large cities The younger women of such house
holds us had daughters were hostesses and great
was their rivalry, with another. in respect to
richly londed refreshment tables and elegance of
toilet. The dudes of those days-they called them
"beaux' and "dandles" and "galants'-attired
themselves in their best and started out early in
the morning their calls.
1t not until about the middle of the century
that the abuse which finally led to the customs
decline began For years the dandes of New
York md other large cities rivaled one another In
the length their calling lists and the calls
came to be nothing more than hasty stops-mere
rapid gorgings of cake and gulpngs of wine-in-
stead of the old-time friendly cas of men upon
the families of their friends and acquaintances.
Then the ladies-the matrons as well us the
young women-began TO vie with one another in
the number of their callers. This led to the
most extraordinary practices. Callers were re
cruited indeed much customers are drummed
up by dealers in soap. Cards announcing TINT
Miss ThIs-or-That would be "at home on January
/ were sent out almost indiscrimInately.
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
fo he besIeged by numbers of men whom the
ladies had never met heard OF and desired
never to meet again Men would go calling In