The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1920-01-02

the receiving line and helped to dispense the hos
pitalty Of the home. remember one season
when we had more than 200 callers The custom
was TO stay few moments only, chat, drink and
eat, and then go to the next house. One of the
rooms however, cleared for dancing and In
the late hours the callers would select partners
and whir through waltz, polka or a schottishe
or perhaps set of the quadrile. Every house
had band Of musicians
THE open house function very elaborate
dress aifair-the women We'd with one another IN
beautiful costuming and the month before New
Years harvest for the dressmakers.
from O'Clock until late In the night the par
lors were filled 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 rare wines and punches. AT
O'clock when the reception opened, the blinds
drawn and the gas lighted. During the day
favored callers invited to return at night for
q dance"
With the gradual abandoning of New Years
calls came in the gradual growth of the eating
drinking and revelry that before the war and pro-
hbtion marked New Years In the cities
Here is glimpse of Philadelphia in 1894:
After the reserves and the Third district police
men had taken their positions the enormous crowd
began to swell in size. In front of Independence
hail. filling the street. was jcstling mob that be-
came to the midnight hour. Up Chestnut street
there were two black masses that moved victorf
ously toward the statehouse
sThe gay and comic shooter (mummer) did
not put in appearance to any considerable extent
until about IL o'clock. Then lie came from all d.
rections.
aThe thousands packed in the roadway sent up
an answering cry to the first stroke of the big
bell and the rattle of pistol Shots despite the po-
lice orders against using weapons, was like the
sound of musketry. The screams Of whistles added
TO the din and every side through the miles that
the eyes could pierce fireworks went blazing up
ward"
And here Is Il glimpse of New York in 1900
"All New York came out to celebrate the brit
of the new year. Nothing like it was seen
before for numbers or for enthusiasm. From the
hour after dinner until long after midnight the
celebration lasted. 1t consisted of noise eating
and drinking, with noise by far the predominatinr
element Men born in New York, who have lived
here all their lives looked at the carnival In wide
eyed establishment.
AT least $4,000 men and women packed Rrond
way and the side streets Trinity church from
half past eleven o'clock until long after midnight
To hear the chimes? Oh To blow horns an,
whistles and spring rattes and yell and thu,
drown out the very pretty chimes of old Trinit,
that welcomed in the New Year. Every table I,
every big restaurant was taken weeks in advance
In 1914 the police In most of the large cites or
dered sane New Years celebrations In cnnsp
quence there marked diminution of III
revelr:'; in many cities midnight closing and con,
munity celebrations marked the occasion
Thus the celebration of New Years day in noise
drinking. eating and cang-has grown to be
climax and become "snne." What nextP