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Show Now Year's Day In Old New York. Julia Ward IIowo in tho Atlantic Monthly: Among tho festivities of old New York the observance of New Year's day held an Important place. In oyery house of nny pretension, tho ladies la-dies of the family sat In their drawing-rooms, drawing-rooms, arrayed lu Iholr best dref6es, and tho fjentleinon of their acquaintance acquain-tance made short visits, during which wlno and rich cakes were ollerod. It was allowable to call as early qs 10 o'clock In tho morning, but the visitor sometimes did little more than appear and dlsippear, hastily muttering something some-thing about tho "compliments or tho season. " Tho gentlemen prided them-selyps them-selyps uppn the numher of visits paid, the ladles upon the number received, pirls at school vexed each other with emulative boasting 'Wo hud Ufty callers on Now Years, dny." "Ob' B"t WB n!ul sIx'y'flVQ.' Tills pot functory performance grew very tedious by i'o tlmo that the call-, Ing bouts were ended, but apart from this tho day was one on which tho families were groetwl by dllant teja-1 live rarc'yseen. while old frlMid- met mid revived thell' pleasant memories. In our house iho rooms wi-re nil tluoun open ami bright llres humeri In the grates. I recall a New Year's day, early In iho '30V, on which r yellow eharlot stopped before our door. A sinui, elderly gentleman descended from It and eamo In to pay Ids compliments compli-ments to my father. This gi'iitlemaii Aas ,Iohn Jneob Aslor, who was ill ready knowu to bo possessed of gnat wealth. The pleasant auslom Just rlcvserlhed was said loliavu orlglnnled with the Dutch settlers or Iho o jlen time. a' the city gicv In flzo It bepiinie riilll-cult, riilll-cult, and well nigh Impossible, for gentlemen to nuikotbo iieeosiiW number num-ber of visits. F nally a number or young men of the city look it upon themselves to call lu squads at house which Ihpy had no right to mob hi, consuming thu refreshments provided ror other guests and making themselves them-selves disagreeable In various ways. This otlenso applnst good manner led to the dlscinilnti'iptp, by common ton scut, of the New Year's receptions. |