The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-31
NEW YEARS DAY
LOSING ITS GLORY
Before Advent of Santa
Claus 1t Was Great Gift
Day of the Year
PILGRIM FATHERS {
-.... ATTEND CHURCH
In 10Th Century Big Houses With Flow
ing Side Boards Attract Crowds-New
Years Eve Demonstrations Later De-
vplODment

velOpment.
NEW YORK, Dec. 31.-New Years
day isn't what it used to be. This is in
a small way attributable to the addition
to the constitution of some dry reading
matter. In still greater part it is be
cause the international obsession for
celebrating whenever Father Time takes
a fresh start in plotting the earth around T
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 Christ I
mas and Santa Claus came into this
scheme Of things, and the ancient
Greeks. Chinese. Egyptians and Ro-
mans 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 well they began extortlng
larger and larger sums. This practice
got so bad in Rome under the Caesars
that Claudius called halt.
1t spread to other countries. however
and the English had their New Years
r celebration spoiled annually by rapa-
cious Sovereigns until Queen Elizabeth
modest demands of her subjects cut
gifts down to a minimum. In those
had become worldwide. With Varla-
tions to suit all nationalities, it con
sisted everywhere of eating, drinking
and motley merTiment.
CHRISTOPHER Columbus 50 far as is
known. was the first white man to jubi-
late on New Years day in the western
r hemisphere While his ships were I'M
dcrgoing repairs on Jan. l. lE93. he
, enjoyed a SumptuouS dinner with two
t. savage monarchs ON the island of Haiti.
p After this meal, history says. the discov-
> ercr of America had his first smoke of
r. tobacco Whether he enjoyed 1t is not
4 recorded, but he left it to a later gem
+ cration-Sir Walter Raleigh Is gener-
ally credited with the function-to IN
y troduce tobacco in Europe
g The Pilgrim Fathers and the first
G. families of the older states of the union
: enjoyed quiet holiday as each year
X came around. They feasted but not
: until they had attended religious Serv-
$ ices. In the 18th century people with
t big houses and flowing sdeboaTds held
, open house on New Years day and
Il from all over friends came afoot, on BIZ
IS cycles and i'm Surveys and stauhopcS to
Z pay short visits and sample the con-
tents of wine cellars. Then they went
of to call on other friends. Popular
maideus in those days witnessed traffic
iams in front of their homes, 50 preva-
- lent was the penchant for short calls
on Young women during the afternoon
is of the years first day. This custom
Is began to pass out quietly with the dawn
e., of the 10th century, automobiles. and
H. cabaretS. 1t was succeeded by moth
III ing but wine" habits amid thousands
" who frcquented cafes and grill rooms
in the cities on New Years eve.
$, For - years up to the dawn of 1926
Is and the era of wartime prohibition. the
% celebration in New York became noisieI
lie and more expensive each year. Thous
ie ands used to crowd into places of mer
~ riment while Broadway was packed
III with a Surging throng of merrymakerS
IL with souawkcrs. clappers bells. tick
'erS and confetti.
n Every hotel and most of the restaur
" ants were damned with gay diners. II
- 1905 it was estimated that 81 000.00(
10 was spent in the white-light district OF
New Years eve. After that statist
o. clans gave up trying to figure out tn,
-, sum.
m The din and probably the cost of tn,
celebration were greatly diminished un
der wartime prohibition in the New
Years demonstration of 1920. Old tim
er's said all the ginger" had departed
with John Barleycorn.
In The cupid of 1921 will be the first tt
make his bow under constitutional pro
hibition. In New York he viii find thai
O. times have changed.