Show the joyous new year ho es avancing over the snow ake the child in and make him H s oft I 1 atle feet all bare and rosy cozy open the door though the wild winds take him in a hold him dear blow he Is the wonderful new year the early christians also consid ered the vernal equinox the proper time to commence the new year the chinese and most indian nations corn mence the new year with the first new moon in march the persians in june and the egyptians early in the autumn or the first day coinciding with the rising of the dog star among the saxons the new year was ushered in by friendly gifts later this custom of making gifts was carried to a ruinous excess henry III of england extorted costly gifts from his court queen bess car ried t to such an extreme says or drake that her costly wardrobe and lewelly was supplied in this way when henry VIII was receiving costly presents from his courtiers we read that honest old latimer handed him a bible with some pertinent chapters marked much to the burly kings disgust dr drake tells us that in the six century prince and peasant alike celebrated the new year with regularity and parade much as made of the wassail bowl at this fr it was carried from france decreed that in accordance with the roman calendar the year should begin on the first day of janu ary christmas with them is a religious festival but the new year Is a domestic festival and holiday the day corn bences at an early hour with an ex change of bonbons and visits among friends and rela tires I 1 somewhere saw an estimate that one hundred thousand dollars was spent upon bon bons alone every new year s in paris the french revolution brought new year s day to this great prominence with the first empire it was one ot the most brilliant festivals ot the court as it vaa also of the second em pire new year s day w as a great day in new york with the early dutch set tiers it was ushered in by the ring ing of bells and firing of guns wash ington irving in his humorous knick er bocker s history of new york gives a delightfully amusing account of the observance of new year among these netherlanders the whole corn he tells us was deluged with randy pure holland was very prevalent in moat 0 the large cities of the united states tor a long while many gentlemen making many as forty and fifty calls on that day this custom has been gen orally discontinued except in wash ington city here the and wife assisted by the wives ot the cabinet members hold a reception at the white house all the morning it is a most brilliant spectacle as all the diplomatic corps and the army and navy are in full uniform both houses of congress also pay their re aspects to the chief of the nation and then the general public are admitted charles lamb one of the kenderest ten derest of english essayists says of all sounds of all bells the most solemn and touching Is the peal which rings out the old year they take a per bonal color not childhood alone but the young man till thirty never feels practically that he Is mortal he tella us that every man hath two birth days two days in every ear set him upon revolving the lapse of time as it affects nis mortal duration bis own birthday and the birthday of the a v ib |