The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-01-05
NEW YORK CELEbRAT TED
NEW YEAR UNDER DRY
LAW, BUT HOW DRY

New York, Jan. 5,-New Years Day
wasn't what It used to be- This is
in small way attributable to The
addition to the constitution OF some
dry reading matter. In sdll greater
part It is because She international
obsession for celebrating whenever
Father Time takes fresh star in
plotting the earth around the sun IS
thousands or years old The manner
of observing the day has changed
greatly through the centuries
The urge To give presents at least
once year was felt even pfore
Christmas and Santa Claus came into
the scheme OF things, and the ancient
Greeks, Chinese, Egyptians and Rom
ans rendered their gifts 10 one an
other on the first day OF the yeaa
Kings got into the habit of receiving
extra gifts from their subjects on
these days and liked it 80 well they
began eXtorting larger and larg y
sums. This practice got SO bad ia
Rome under the Caesars that Claudils
called a halt
1t spread to other countries, how
ever, ahd the English had their New
Years celebration spoiled annually 10y
rapacious sovereigns until Queen Eli
Zabeth's modest demands OF her sub
jects cut gifts down to minimum
In those days the celebration Of New
Years Day had become worldwide.
With variations 10 suit an nationali-
ties, it consisted everywhere Of eat
ing, drinking and motley merriment.
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 January
/, 1888 he enjoyed sumptuous jim
ner with two savage monarchs on the
island of Haiti. After this meal. his
tory says the discoverer of America
had his first smoke Of tobacco Wheth
er he enjoyed it Is not recorded, bat
he left it TO a later generation-Sir
Walter Raleigh is generally credited
with the function--to introduce tobacco
in Europe.
The Pilgrim Fathers and the first
families Of the older states of the
union enjoyed 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 and flowing side
boards held open house on New Years
Day and from all over friends came
afoot, on bycycles and in surreys ana
stanhopes 70 pay shor. visits and
sample the contents OF wine cellars.
Then they went off TO call on other
friends. Popular maidens in those
days Witnessed traffic jams in frcnt
of their homes, so prevalent was The
penchant for short calls on young
women during the afternoon of the
years first day. This custom began
to pass out quietly with the dawn OF
the goth century, automobiles. ana
cabarets. 1t was succeeded by moth
ing but wine" habits amid the ehom-
ands who frequcnted cafes and grill
rooms in the cities on New Years
Eve.
For 25 years mp TO the dawn cf
1920 and the era Of wartime pro-
hibition, the celebration in New York
became noiser and more expensive
each year. Thousands used 10 crowd
into places OF merrimeut while
Broadway was packed with a surging
throng Of merrymakers with sauawk.
ers, clappers, bells, ticklers and CON
fetti.
Every hotel and most OF the res
taurants We're jammed with gay dun
ers. In 1903 it was estimated that
Sl,OOO'OOO was spent in the white.
light district on New Years Eve
After that stausdcians gave up t.y-
Ing TO figure out the sum.
The din and probably the cos. o;
the celebration was greatly diminished
under wartime prohibition in tho
New Years demonstration OF 1920
Old timers said all the ginger" had
departed with John Barelycorn.
The cupid Of 1921 was the first 20
make his bow under constitutional
prohibition. In New York he ia al
legged TO have found that times had