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

couples and parties and even in droves of 80 or
more, remaining short time at each stopping
place as possible and announcing everywhere how
many calls they had already made and how many
they expected to make before they finished
At every place they drank. The result was a
most appalling assortment of ''jags' long before
shutdown.
Late IN the ffties the abuse came to be great
that the newspapers and the ministers took it up,
and many were the editorials written and many the
sermons preached against it. This crusade speedl-
ly brought results.
1t not many years before the smart set OF
young men in most cities stopped calling. The
hospitabe door that had been open from morning
to evening was adorned with basket for cards.
Gentlemen driven all over town depostng
their visiting cards in these baskets. In year or
so servants delivering these cards. Then
the baskets disappeared and the mail carrier de-
livered the few cards sent out. OF course this
process was not at all uniform. 1t was fast in
some cities, slow In others.
A belle of the eighties. sitting in her easy chair
thumbing old scrapbook filled with faded
cuttings from the newspapers of those days; her
husband Il beau of the same PERIOD IN Shippers
and dressing gown, smoking and listening as she
spoke and read, and then noddins his head
and smiling at some memory recalled; and the
daughters of the house, planning for the watch
party festivities of 1920 listening with curious in
tcrest and laughing aud chatting about how odd 1t
all seemed now-such scene was doubtless to be
witnessed in many city all over the country
with the closing days of 1910.
1--WE didn't go in much for the watch parties
in those days" the matron said. "The whistles
blew and there was some noise. 1t is true, among
the downtown folk. but girls. rule, retired
eariy--we had to save ourselves for the trying
ordeal of the next day. for New Years day was
the great social event of the year. 1t was recev-
ing day In all the homes OF the town. we called
it Keeping open house
SIT was day of lavish entertainment and the
doors were supposed TO be open to everybody that
called whether friend stranger. We prepared
for 1t weeks in advance. 1t was period of great
conviviality Aside from the fact that the con-
vivialty was somewhat overdone, at times. that old
custom of the New Years open house was quite an
old-fashioned, sincere expression of good fellow
shin to friend and neghbor and visiting strangers
opening the portals of the New Year, as 1t
were with a greeting md home welcome And
AS q social function, it was most delightful-it
helped to bring people together.
at was the fashion to give each of the callers a
souvenir to carry away with them and all sorts
of ingenious little devices were used. Some had
silk badges with the names of the girl painted on
them: some had dainty metal souvenirs specially
struck off others ornate cards with notices, and
some went in for the oddities, like the clay pipes
that papa tells about remember the gentlemen
used TO wear these souvenirs pinned or tied with
ribbons to their coats-as the knights of old wore
their ladies' favors-and late In the evening the
callers looked like foreign diplomats. with oil their
decorations perhaps Ike South African chiels
would be the better smile.
..Of course only the gentlemen called-they
xrare never accompanied by ladies' The ladies re-
NAMED in their homes TO receive them The gen
t1emen were supposed to be In full dress-the
Younger set wore swallowtails and crush hats, AMI
the older gentlemen Prince Albert coats ana hsh'
gray pn-strped trousers-that was the vogue
The old timers / remember, did not take very
kindly 10 the crush hats. And everybody. OF
course had to have hack or a sleigh
1.-THE hostess of the house usually called 10 hef
assistance bevy of tho rNrng girls VINO mihe ur