Evening star., 1933-12-31
Fifty Years Ago
in The Star

Fifty years ago the custom of MAX
New Year calls was much i'll vogue in
Making Ready On the the eve os-c Of + that
For New Year. GIeat cay 1Tepsrati65; 3ne5s Te5s
for its observance. The Star Of Deem
Der 81, 1883, says:
This is the day Of preparation and
the gentlemen are looking over their
cravats and gloves, making their lists,
revolving the question of hack hire and
praying that It won't be sloppy. The
ladies are seeing that the cake is baking
nicely and that the new dresses fit. Two
annually recurring questions are veXirg
people Of uncertain minds. One is that
of the gentlemans dress. Here the
voice of authority is explicit. New
Year call is a morning call and should
not be made ii full dress, The victim
of fashion in this matter is, however.
not universally followed even by those
who are supposed to know what's what
The second question involves the char
acter of the refreShment to be set before
guests. And here again fashion has pretty
much made up its mind that II Is not
true hospitality to turn ones house into
a bar room and furnish free intoxicating
drinks to those who call. Few people
had alcoholic sideboards last New Year
day and the tendency is toward abon-
ton altogether as feature Of the days
entertainment In this matter fashion
is on the side of morality. comfort and
common sense. If the New Year call is
a morning call in the matter of dress,
it is logical that it should be also in
that of hospitality, and punches and
liquors are not included in the enter
tainment lady offers a gentleman
caller at such time"
Hopes for an agreeable and clement
day for the beginning Of the new year
Bad Weather were disappointed,
On New Year. nITeya5l folloWing IS parae siae
graph at the head Of The Stars report
of the days doings January l, 1884.
reveals:
The man who had long list Of calls
to make stood aghaSt when he looked
out this morning to find that the new
year had opened on one of TIE most dis
agreeable mornings which it is expected
the year will furnish. Mud and slush
in the street and a chilly, misty rain
offered discouragements. to which any
but a gallant New Year caller would
standing the uninyiting weather, 1t IS
thought there was a more general
observance of the custom of making
New Year calls than in any previous
year. AT any rate, there were more
ladies who kept open house than has
been noted in any former year."
Somewhat in contradiction OF the
judgment expressed above is the follow
Calling Custom Star s Of January 4,
In a Decline. 1894; s.r,,o o,,s.on, Of
making and receiving New Year calls
seems to be going to disuse throughout
the country generally and it is likely
that in few more years it will be
largely counted among the things OF
the past. In New York, where the
custom may b1 said to have had its
origin, there w@t marked falling al I on
on Tuesday, as compared with all former
years, and comparatively few hous">
were open to visitors. Washington vas
perhaps an exception to the rule in this
respect. The indications were that call
ing would be more general here this
year than ever before, but the bad
weather, which lasted throughout the
day, sadly interfered with all pre-
arranged plans in that direction. and 1t
is altogether likely that the many dis
appointments arising from this cause on
more than one New Year dsJ lately sill
have the tendency to do away with the
pleasant custom in private circles in this
city, too-as well on the part of those
who have been in the habit of extending
open-house hospitality as with those
who have heretofore enjoyed it-though
for obvious reasons it will doubtless con-
time to be observed in Official life -