The mirror., 1920-01-01
New Years Gifts

1
speaking ruler to make capital out Of New
Years gifts. During the reign of Eliza
beth the custom rose to its greatest extra
lvagance The Virgin Queen, who appar-
emily never lost an opportunity for ex-
tracing money from her subjects, practi-
cally ordered an astonishing collection Of
gorgeous presents of all kinds. The donors
ranged from the highest officers of state
down to the very street cleaners.
Sums of money, costly ornaments, cas-
kets studded with jewels, necklaces, brace
lets, gowns, looking glasses, fans, and Gu
riosities from the newly discovered CONT
nents of North and South America were
among the presents.
Another story of New Years gifts con-
Germs Archy Armstrong, court jester of
Charles I, which appears in "The Ban
quet of Jests," printed in 1884. Archy
was given few gold pieces by certain
nobleman from whom he expected lar
ger gift. He turned them over discon-
tentedly in his hand, muttering that they
were too light.
The nobleman, who would undobtedly
have made success in modern business,
remarked: "Prithee, then, Archy, let me
see them again; and, by the way, there
is one of them which would be loath to
part with" Archy, expecting a larger
gift, returned them to the nobleman, who
pocketed them, saying calmly: II once
gave money into the hands of fool who
had not the wit to keep it."
Mosques in which the youngsters took
part were often given New Years eve. An
old writer says of the performance: "For
this purpose they don old shirts belonging
to their fathers and mount mitre- shaped
casques of brown paper. Attached to
this is sheet of the same paper which,
falling down in front, covers the whole
face except where holes are made to let
through the point of the nose and afford
sight to the eyes and breath to the mouth.
Each is, like knight of old, attended by
sort of humble squire, who assumes the
habiliments of girl with an old woman's
cap and broom stick and is styled 'Bes-
sie.'
Bessie goes before her principal, opens
all the doors at which he pleases to exert
| singing powers and busies herself during
the time of the song with sweeping the
floor with her broomstick or in playing
any other antic that she thinks may amuse
the indwellers. The common reward for
this entertainment is a halfpenny, but
many churlish persons fall upon the un-
fortunate guisers (masqueraders) and
beat them out of the house. Let such
persons, however, keep good watch upon
their cabbage gardens upon the coming
Hallowe'en's eve!"
There were also curious dramas which
were generally given in the kitchens of
the "great house," but often the family
as well as the servants were present. Sir
Walter Scott insisted on having a New
Years play in his home every year.
In some cities of this.-country it used
to be the custom to fire off cannon and
muskets. The ringing of bells is a re-
suit of the religious side of New Years.
After the midnight services were started
the ringing of the church bells followed
as natural sequence and was intended
to remind absent members of the congre-
gatilh that the year was passing.
Many superstitions are connected with
New Years day in all lands. In Hart
fordshire, England, the peasants believed
| that if woman was the first person to
enter the house on the first day of the
year the whole twelve months would be
unlucky. 1t was supposed to be unlucky
to meet lame or blind man, a monkey, a
weasel or a rat.
In the north of England, if child was
christened on New Years day little boy
was engaged to meet the baby as it was
taken from its home, so as to avoid the
possibility of meeting woman first. The
boy received cake and cheese wrapped
paper, for his services.
And so when you hear the bells ring
out this year, whether you hear them from
your bed, pew in some church, an easy
chair by smoldering fire or chair at a
restaurant table, don't think that what
you are doing is anything new. You are
watching year die and hoping or pray
ing for the year which is just born.
And back through the ages, through a
thousand generations men and women
have done the same and left some trace
of themselves in some half-forgotten Gus
tom as you may do, quite unconsciously
when 1920 makes its bow to the world.