The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-12-31
PROHIBITION HAS
MADE MANY CHANGES
CELEBRATION OF NEW YEARS
ARRIVAL UNDER DRY RE-
CINE is MORE QUIET.

NEW YORK-(By A. P.)-New
Years day isn't what it used to be-
This is in a small way trributable to
the addition to the Constitution of
some dry reading matter In still
greater part it is because the inter
national obsession for celebrating
whenever Father Time takes fresh
start in plotting the earth around
the sun is thousands of years old.
The manner of observing the day
has changed greatly through the CEN
turies.
The urge to give presents at least
once a year was felt even before
Christmas and Santa Claus came in
to the scheme of things, and the
ancient Greeks, Chinese, Egyptians
and Romans rendered their gifts to
one another on the first day of the
year. Kings got into the habit of
receiving extra gifts from their sub
.jects on these days and liked it so
well they began extorting larger and
larger sums This practice got so
bad in Rome under the Caesars that
Claudius called halt.
1t spread to other countries, how
ever, and the English had their New
Years celebration spoiled annually
by rapacious sovereigns until Queen
Elizabeth's modest demands of her
subjects cut gifts down to mini
mum. In those days the celebration
of New Years day had become world
wide. With variations to suit all ma
tionalities, it consisted everywhere of
eating, drinking and motley merri-
ment.
Christopher Columbus, so far as is
known, was the first white man to
jubilate on New Years day in the
Western Hemisphere. While his
ships were undergoing repairs on
January L, 1893, he enjoyed sum-
ptuous dinner, with two savage
monarchs on the island of Haiti. At
ter this meal, history, says the dis
coverer of America had his first
smoke of tobacco. Whether he en-
joyed it is not recorded, but he left
it to a later generation. Sir Walter
Raleigh is generally credited with the
function to introduce tobacco in
Europe.
The Pilgrim Fathers and the first
families of the older states of the
union enjoyed quiet holiday as each
year came around They feasted, but
not until they had attended religious
services. In the 10Th century people
with big houses and flowing side
boards held open house on New
Years day and from all over friends
came afoot, on bicycles and in sur
reys and stanhopes to pay short I
visits and sample the contents of
wine cellars. Then they went off to
call on other friends. Popular maid
ems in those days witnessed traffic
4
prevalent was the penchant for short
calls on young women during the af
ternoon of the years first day. This
custom began to pass out quietly
with the dawn of the Goth century,
and cabarets. 1t was
succeeded by nothing but wine"
habits amid the thousands who fire.
quented cafes and grill rooms in the
cities on New Years Eve.
For 25 years up to the dawn of
1920 and the era of wartime prohi-
bition, the celebration in New York
became noisier and more expensive
each year. Thousands used to crowd
into places of merriment while
Broadway was packed with surging
5hrong of merrymakers with squawk-
srs, clappers, bells, ticklers and con-
setti.
Every hotel and most of the res
,aurants were jammed with gay
liners, In 1908 it was estimated
hat $1,000,000 was spent in the
white light district on New Years
Eve. After that statisticians gave
Up trying to figure out the sum. y
The din and probably the cost of
he celebration was greatly diminish
ID under wartime prohibition in the
lew Years demonstration of 1920.
I'D timers said all the sginger" had
eparted with John Barleycorn. f
The cupid of 1921 will be the first t
o make his bow under Constitutional t
In New York he will 7
ind that times have changed. c
r
lRY LAW INFRINGEMENT t