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Show ctsttb. HE seeing of "the Old fT i Year out and New f Year in" throughout I 1 the world is generally I j accompanied by much . (,..,:J .n, merriment and some-N some-N Wy times with much II y II noise. But whereas y JLi. in some countries the ( i V "wild" night has dis- v I appeared and has y been replaced by cele brations more in keeping with the passing of a year of past opportunities, and the making of new resolutions for the coming year, on this continent, at least, the night has been given up to revelry Etrongly condemned by right thinking people. At one time New Year's eve In Berlin Ber-lin was a time that mighl have gladdened glad-dened the heart of the tf.ost exuberant exuber-ant undergraduate, being from dusk to dawn a succession of practical jokes and good-natured "ragging." But nowadays now-adays the town shows a more sedate temper, and if in a very German way a beer or a wine "journey" (to give the German expression) often reminds one in the small hours of what used to be seen at the same time of the year in the ancient world, the days seem to have passed by when it was uusafe for a cabman to show himself in tjr.e city before dawn, for fear of haviiij; some joker ride away on his unharnessed "Polly." In those times the Bilk hat was mere worn than today, and still more often was crushed in or thrown across the street by some of the more ram pageous. It Is said that one could then buy a cheap edition of the silk hat that had a gloss that would last through the evening, and at a price that made its disappearance quite suf-ferable. suf-ferable. Today such practical jokes have dropped into the background. Berlin and the rest of the empire indulge In a celebration of the New Year that has something of the French reveil-lon, reveil-lon, something of the Scottish festivity, festivi-ty, and also some reminders of April Fools' day and Gunpowder Plot day In England, and the Chinese New Year's "Feast of Lanterns." New Year's day in Germany Is the day for sending the jokes and would-be would-be jokes that are generally held over until April 1 In France and England cigars that might seem to be burning, burn-ing, references to such rarities as the peacock's eggs, and all the "sells" that can be thought of. Then, as the English Eng-lish of the North may eat toffee and "parkin" on the eve of the 5th of November, the Germans have a special fare of pancakes and jam, with punch. The rattle reminds one of the Orient. It Is the article of the day, or rather of the night. Even the biggest stores In the capital head their weekly catalogue cata-logue with a list of the styles of rattles rat-tles that they have to sell, and no self-respecting Berliner Is without one when he sallies forth late in evening to make a round of the town before saluting the emperor with the guard in front of the palace in the Lustgar-ten Lustgar-ten at nine o'clock. The occasion also offers another example ex-ample of the extraordinary powers of endurance in the matter of entertainment entertain-ment that the Berliner possesses. Although Al-though business begins at eight, and in some offices even as early as half-past half-past seven, there are as many in the cafes between two and three in the morning as one would see, for example, exam-ple, between one and two in Paris a much more leisured city. And on New Year's eve the company com-pany does not go home to bed with the milk, as in the French capital, but sees it out until it is a question of whether luncheon shall come before be-fore or after the sleep. - Supper in the better-known restaurants restau-rants In the center of Berlin and In Charlottenburg's fine avenue of Kur-furstendamm Kur-furstendamm is much on the lines of the Paris reveillon. There is no mention men-tion of the traditional "Boudin avec puree de pommes," but in return the pancakes and sirup get their place, and there Is always some punch in the making. New Year's eve Is marked at the Court of Vienna by a ceremony somewhat some-what reminiscent of "Hamlet" without with-out the chief character. The diplomatic diplo-matic body Is invited to the Hof-uurg Hof-uurg to wish the emperor the compliments compli-ments of the season, but his Imperial majesty never attends to receive Ihem. Since the days of Maria Ther-usa Ther-usa it has been the custom for the grand master of the court to deputize depu-tize for his sovereign on this occasion, and no member of the Imperial family Is ever present. This ceremony, which is commonly known as "the homage to Gessler's hat," is so strongly resented by some diplomats that they purposely absent 'hemselves from Vienna at this time if the year in order to evade it. At Queen's college, Oxford, besides j: ; -. -mptu y$ t ; & yy-vtWsw-iiiW. y,.yyyy mm:ykyyy mymByyy :::: f V; : - ; . yyyyyyyyy yyyyy "s- -i , i:y. i " : .:: yy--yyy--yyyyyyy WiyWymWyW&WXy-yy y-,yy'yWw&myy :yy ';: mmyyyyyyyyyy yyyy. Hyyy yi4 ' yim ' n:y--y mmyi:mmmmmm yyyyyyy yyyyyy-yyy y t, " yyyA S , & y&'y'y-" WftyyWy' :yymmMm the picturesque procession of the boar's head at Christmas, a quaint but less known custom for Xew Y'ear's day has been retained. After dinner on this anniversary the bursar presents pre-sents to each guest a needle threaded with silk of a color suitable to his faculty, and prays for his prosperity in the words, "Take this and be thrifty." This word "thrifty" has no connection with the philosophy of the late Samuel Smiles, but is, according to Doctor Magrath, the retired provost, pro-vost, the old English for prosperous. To "grow thrifty" in the sense of to thrive was used in America within living memory. The ceremony Is a practical Norman-French pun (aiguille et fll) upon the name of Eglesfleld, the chaplain to Queen Philippe, who was the real founder of the college. A picturesque ceremony marks New Year's eve at the court of Dresden. A reception Is held in tho evening generally one of the most thronged of the year during which the king Instead In-stead of -receiving the guests In his ordinary manner, plays cards with his suite. Those Invited file past a group of card-tables, all the players at which are Intent upon the game, except the king, whose aide-de-camp stands behind be-hind his chair and whispers the card j for him to throw, so his majesty can I devote his attention to acknowledging the greetings of his Oourtlers. The king plays a card, thin bows as a ' curtsying lady catches his eyes, then j another card, another bow, and so on, ' until the long procession has passed, i The little Scotch fishing village of Burghead, on the Moray Firth, keeps up a strange survival of pagan ritual, the burning of the "Clavie." This is a sort of rude spaked wheel or tub made from half a herring-cask and half a tar-barrel, knocked together without the use of a hammer, for which a smooth stone is substituted. The blacksmith supplies a long nail. This contrivance is borne flaming on the shoulders of a succession of bearers to the town boundaries, and then to the "Doorie," a sort of stone altar, on a small hill. The "Clavie" Is then smashed and the crowd scrambles scram-bles for the pieces. The custom defies de-fies explanation and is immemorial. The great Scottish festival of Hogmanay Hog-manay is celebrated in "the wee, sma' 'oors ayont the 'twal" with unusual zest among the Caledonians. In every corner of our far-flung empire, wherever the Scot has carried car-ried his accent and his Robert Burns, the festival of the Celtic race will find Its earnest, if decadent, expression expres-sion in good wishes and good resolutions resolu-tions for the new-born year. If you have taken part In the festival festi-val in Scotland Itself you will be ahle to conjure up what the Saturnalia was in the classic days. The modern Italian carnival bears little resemblance resem-blance to that great festival in which the worker in the field expressed his whole-hearted delight that one year of toll had ended, and that a new, and perhaps a better, year had dawned. Hogmanay is the Saturnalia of Scotland, and If the Bacchanalian ele- j ment at all events In the far North-Is North-Is a trifle strong, It cannot be doubted doubt-ed that enmities are ended and friendships friend-ships strengthened In the general rejoicings. re-joicings. So then, every Scot, wherever and whatever his 1st Scots Wha Hae and Scots Wha Hinna will raise the glass to the New Year, and his heart will turn to the Mecca of his hopes, the home of his poet and prophet, Robert Burns. Writing to an English friend from Scotland in 1802, Henry Bickersteth aays: On December 31 almost everybody every-body has a party, either to dine or sup, the company almost entirely consisting con-sisting of young people. They wait together till midnight strikes, at which time every one begins to move, and they all fall to work at what? Why, kiselng! Each male Is successively succes-sively locked in a pure Platonic embrace em-brace with each female. This matter Is not at all confined to those, but wherever man meets woman It la the privilege of this hour. New Year's gifts have taken many different forms at different periods from the eggs exchanged by the Persians Per-sians and the sacred branches of mistletoe mis-tletoe of the Druids down to the fat capon which the tenants in many English Eng-lish counties were expected to present pre-sent to their landlods. In the sixteenth century, gloves were often given on New Y'ear's day, and there is record of a certain Mrs. ; Croaker, In whose favor Sir Thomas More had decided a case, sending the chancellor a pair of gloves with 40 gold angels therein. 'Mistress," wrote More, returning thu money. "Since it were against manners to refuse a New Year's gift, I am content to take your gloves, but, as for the lining, I utterly refuse it." What precisely is "Hogmanay?" Etymologically, it has been derived from the French "au-gui-menez," "come on to the mistletoe." The Norman Nor-man French "a-gui 1'an-neuf," also an association of the New Y'ear and mistletoe, mis-tletoe, seems likelier. Can anyone tell us precisely, what was the origin of the custom in some parts of England, oi the going to the parents' bedroom on New Year's morning with new snow (if it can be had), and the song, New Year's day In flip morning The cocks begin to crow Opun tlie doora find lot me In And I'll give you some New Year's snow. |