New Britain herald., 1920-12-31
NEW YEARS DAY IS
 NOT WHAT IT WAS
Celebrations Have Changed Much
 With the Ages

New York. Dec. 31.-New Years Day isn't what 1t used to be. This is in a small way attributable to the dry reading matter. In still greater part 1t is because the international obsession for celebrating whenever Father Time takes a fresh start in piloting the earth around the sun is thousands of years old. The manner of observing the day has changed greatly through the centuries.
 The urge to give presents at least once a year was felt even before Christmas and Santa Claus came into the scheme of things, and the an- cient 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 subjects on these days and liked it so we'll they began extorting larger and larger sums. This practice got so bad in Rome under the Caesars that Claud- ius called a halt.
 It 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 a minimum Tn those days the celebration of New Years Day had become world wide. With variations to suit all na- 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 Jan. 1, 1493. he enjoyed a sumptu- ous dinner with two savage monarchs on the island Of Haiti. After this meal. history says. the discoverer of Amer ica had his first smoke of tobacco Whether he enjoyed it is not record cd. but he left it to a later genera ton. Sir Walter Raleigh is gener- ally credited with the function-to introduce tobacco in Europe.
 The Pilgrim Fathers and the first families of the older states of the Union enjoyed a quiet holiday as each year came around. They feasted. but not until they had attended religious services. In the 18th century people with big houses flowing sideboards held open house on New Years Day and from all over friends came afoot. on bicycles and in surreys and stan hopes to pay short visits and sample the contents of wine cellars. Then they went off to call on other friends. Popular maidens in those days wit messed traffic jams in front of their homes. so prevalent was the pen- chant for short calls on young wom- en during the afternoon of the years first day. This custom began to pass out quietly with the dawn of the goth century. automobiles, and cabarets. It was succeeded by nothing but wine" habits amid the thousands who fre- 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 prohibition, the celebration in New York became noisier and more expensive each year. Thousands used to crowd into places of merrrment while Broadway was packed with surging throny of mer- rymakers with squawkers. clappers, bells. ticklers and confetti.
 Every hotel and most of the res taurants were jammed with gay diners. In 1908 it was estimated that s1.000,000 was spent in the white-light district on New Years eve. After that 'statsticians gave up trying to figure out the sum.
 The din and probably the cost of the celebration was greatly diminished under wartime prohibition in the New Years demonstration of 1920. Old timers said all the ginger" had departed with John Barleycorn.
 The cupid of 1921 will be the first to make his bow under Constitutional prohibition. In New York he will find that times have. changed.