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Tr
iif
ELEBRATED by religious obBonr
anco and festlvala among tho
Egyptians, Chinese, Jews, Rom
ana and Mohammedans many
centurleB beforo tho Christian
era, New Year's day 1b BtlU tho
one holiday celebrated by all na
tions, civilized or savage. Whllo
truo that tho llrst day of tho
new year docs not fall simul
taneously In all sections of tho
globo, since all countries do not
use tho Christian calendar, It la.
nevertheless, a fact that each nation has Its own
Now Year's day. Even tho cannibals of the
South Sea Islands and savago tribes of Central
Africa celebrate tho beginning of tho new year
with some sort of ceremonies. One general
characteristic, however, marks all tho celebra
tions, and that Is the spirit of rejoicing and
feasting. Many of tho
customs aro quaint
and unusual, but still
fraught with tho spirit
of revelry and good
will.
In our country, of
course, especially in
tho largo cities, merri
ment and conviviality
hold full sway, though
the watch-night serv
ices in tho churches
appeal more to those
of scrlou bent, to
whom Uie passing of
tho old year and the
welcoming of the new
are nausea for reflec
tion, modltatlon and
tvon sadness.
In New York, Chi
cago and most other
cities the New Year's
frolic Is a veritable
bedlam of noise and
revelry. Millions are
spent in wino and
enstlv suppers, and as
tho hour of midnight
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strikes a full hundred thousand glasses aro
raised aloft in tho joy palaces, and the health of
tho New Year is drunk.
The lobster show places of New York human
and crustacean aro Jammed to tho doors, with
the tables engaged weeks before hand. The noise
and tho wlne-drlnking zone extends fully ten
miles, with every foot of It packed by a yelling,
struggling, good-natured crowd, marching In un
ondlng procession up and down tho streets. At
midnight tho din, tho roar and the rattle that
has kept up unceasingly sinco tho electric lights
wero turned on breakB loose In one mighty blast
that threatens to tear oven tho subway trains
from underground and Jar tho elevated from
their tracks. Nowhere elso in the country is tho
celebration bo blatant, so ridiculous and so reck
lessly extravagant as there.
From tho spectacular standpoint nnd the long
list of notables on dress parade no celebration
equals, porhaps, that at tho White House, at
Washington. All society of tho capital attends.
Second only In splendor of display to tho glitter
ing uniforms of tho diplomats and tho army and
navy officers ure tho floral settings. Undo Sam
furnishes tho flowers from his wonderful green
bouses nnd likewise tho music, the famous Unit
od States Marino band, that always plays at
Whlto House functions.
Evory vantage point is seized upon for tho
banking of flowers and extreme caro has to bo
taken that they will not Impede tho progress of
the 10,000 people nnd more who surge through
tho rooms at tho reception. All mantels nro cov
ered with blooms and palms and bouquets In
vases aro placed at every convenient point.
The president takes his placo In tho bluo room
and tho procession begins with tho foreign am
bassadors, headed by tho dean of tho corps, and
tho ministers nnd attaches of tho various lega
tions. Then como tho chief Justice nnd tho othor
members of tho Judiciary; then tho senators, rep
resentatives, army and navy officers nnd othor
offlclnls of tho government Later In tho day tho
president receives tho people at large, and their
waiting lino generally extends from tho front
door of the Whlto Houso out to nnd down Penn
sylvania nvenue for several blocks.
At tho present instant old 1912 changes to
now 1913, a million miles of telegraph wires
and countless wireless stations will publish the
glad tidings to overy city and village In the
country nnd to ships at sea. And this will be
official, too, for tho messago will como direct
from tho United States naval observatory at
Washington, and still more directly from an old
sidereal clock that has long held nn honored
placo In that Institution. This plain-faced old
clock la always correct. Dover varying oven one
hundredth of a second from tho astronomical
reading of tho stars. It furnishes standard tlmo
for half the world, and as tho now year is born
will send its message clear up to Alaska, to
South America, to China and to London.
Over in France Now Year'B day is not entirely
one of rejoicing; that is, unless ono is ablo to
rise abovo such mundano things as finance, for
New Year's In Franco means bills! It 1b the
universal paylng-up day of tho year. All the
dear, familiar old bills that have been Jogging
along and accumulating durlngtho year sud
denly pllo In en masse and greet tho head of tho
house on New Year's morning. It is not difficult
to obtain credit In France, provided one pos
sesses tho externals of a comfortablo compe
tence, and tho tradesmen and landlords nnd
shopkepers aro content to wait until Jnnuary
first. Then they drop tholr gentle little remin
ders in the mails or, moro frequently, present
them through representatives. Tho butcher, tho
baker, the candlestick maker and all the gal
axy of "their sisters and their couBins and tholr
aunts" nro to bo reckoned with.
Festival, banqueting nnd merrymaking like
wise hold high carnlvnl. From New Year's eve
until tho morning of the second day of tho ,now
year tho streets of Paris aro en feto. Beautifully
gowned women, In richly decorated carriages,
and groups of berlbhoned holldny-seekors form a
boulevards. Cafo llfo then Is wild and brilliant
surging, happy pageant that throngs tho spacious
and tho students from tho Latin quarter con
tribute their full quota of roistering and revelry
in tho restaurants and along tho strectB.
Tho German celebration of tho Now Year Is
not lacking in wholesomo good cheer and festive
pranks, but It is pre-eminently a decorouB one.
In Berlin elaborate musical programs aro ren
dered and everywhere anthems and festival
songs nro chanted, beginning nt twilight of tho
last day of the old year and continuing until tho
bells peal forth tho glad tidings of a now year
born unto tho centuries. There is ono German
custom that dates from tho year 1848 that has
no Httlo of tho spirit of the typical "bad boy"
In It.
On New Year's eve anyone walking along tho
streets of Berlin and wearing a high hat need
take no umbrage If a couple of Gorman students,
who may havo endeavored a trifle too zealously
to find tho bottom of tho flowing bowl, slip up
behind him and smash the aforesaid hat down
over his eyes. This Is tho penalty ho pays for
wearing such a hat at such a time and ho hns
no kick coming to him, even If his hat Is knocked
off his head and kicked until it ceases to bo a
hat.
Tho good folks in tho Rhenish provinces havo
an adaptation- of this custom that Is morn gentle
and yes loss expensive, considering tho dnm
age done. This consists of stealing up upon a
friend as ho Is walking along tho street and
whispering In his ear: "Prosit Ncujahr." Tho
friend thus accosted straightway comes across
with a little present, such as a cigar, or a drink
or nn Invitation to dinnor. In Frnnkfort-on-the-Main
tho entire city rushes to Its windows as tho
old year dies, flings them open and, glasses in
hand, drinks a toast to Father Time's latest
born Then tho windows aro slammed down, tho
merriment consos and all retire for a peaceful
night's slumber.
In England tho New Year customs aro of very
ancient origin nnd oven more generally observed
than In this country. Every English family situ
up to seo tho old year out and the new year In,
and always there Is a bowl of hot punch, etc.,
with which to drink the toasts to tho New Year
Tho custom is a survival of tho tlmo when the
head of the house assembled his family around
a bowl of spiced alo from which he and thoy
drank each other's health and tho health of tho
Now Year. Tho words used In the toast were:
"Wass Hael," meaning "to your health" Pres
ently, tho toast bowl came to bo known as tho
wassail, or wassel bowl
In Scotland tho wassel bowl Is tho center of
tho celebration, which Is a dlstrnctlngly mad and
merry ono. God-cakes, triangular in Bhnpe, lllled
with mincemeat and about a half-Inch thick, aro
eaten on Now Year'B day In both England nnd
Scotlnnd. Thoy aro sold In largo numbers and
can bo purchnBed for from a penny npleco all
tho way up to ono pound. FenBtlng Is rcnlly tho
chief fcaturo of thov Scottish colobratlon, moro
so than at Chrlstmah or any other tlmo of tho
yenr. Steaming hot wnBsel, too, is carried from
door to door and Indulged In by neighbors and
friends.
lu Russia tho .lullan calondar is still In vogue
and Jnnuary 1 thoro corresponds to Jnnuary 14
of our calondar. Tho Russian festival begins on
Now Year's ovo and lnstB until tho fourteenth
day of tho New Yenr. At midnight, as tho old
year 1b dying nnd tho now being born, tho Cznr
attends public mass, and precisely on tho stroko
of 12 o'clock a hundred cannons nro discharged
and tho revelry begins. At the end of tho colo
bratlon two weeks hence tho pooplo fnBt and
attend solemn religious servlcea, mnrklng on tho
doora of their houses, also, a cross to prevent
Satan from crossing tho threshold.
In tho rural sections tho Russlnn children
make tho day peculiarly their own, for.i armed
with pons and grnlns of vhent, they sally forth
In bands onrly Now Year's morning, stop at
every houso, enter nnd wnko tho Inmates with a
bombardmont of peas or by scattering tho wheat
over tho sleepers. Later in tho day thoy chooso
tho very finest horso raised In tho village that
year, decorate It and present It to tho nobleman
who Ib master of tho village. In return ho scat
ters small coins among them. Their elders, too,
make presents to tho nobleman, Bitch as cowb,
Bhcep and fowls. Tho strangest of nil Russian
customs, perhaps, 1b tho gathering nround a Jar
of water by each family group in the belief that,
If their faith is sufficiently strong, tho miracle
performed by Christ In Cann of Galileo when ho
turned tho water Into wino will be ropeatod.
New Year's day In Japan la picturesque to
tho extreme. The omporor holds a formal court
reception, much ns our chief exccutlvo does,
which Is attended by tho foreign diplomats and
high officials of the Japanese government. Tho
celebration among the. people lasts flvo days,
and preparations for It nro begun long bofore.
Tho fronts of all houses nro covered with em
blematic decorations; branches of pine nnd of
bamboo are planted In largo vases filled with
earth nnd placed beforo tho doors, nnd over
the projecting roofs of tho houses nro strung
garlands of plaited straw. Theso latter bear
leaves of certain trees, shell flsh and other
chnrms belloved to bo potent factors In bringing
good luck to tho household.
The people flock to tho tomples, which nre
open all Now Yenr'B night, and thoro cook their
zooml, a sort of rlco cako, nlwnys eaten beforo
tho sun has risen. Lntcr, on Now Year's day,
thoro Is much visiting and tea drinking and ex
change of good wishes for tho coming yenr. If
he can do no hotter, oven tho very porest of
peasanto wraps pieces of dried flsh In paper,
tied with a peculiar red and whlto Btrlng used
only on this occasion, nnd sends them to hla
frlendB as his Now Yenr'B gift. The Japanese
now year dnto falls simultaneously with our own,
they having adopted tho Gregorian calendar in
1872
The Jewish Now Year la usually celebrated
some tlmo In September nnd Is called Rosh Hob
hanah. also Yom Hardin, which last means days
of Judgment. New Year's, evo Is observed with
faBtlng and tlie day Itself with feasting. "May
you be In favor with God this Now Year" Ib the
Jewish form of salutation, from which the Gen
tile greeting, "Happy Now Year." Is said to bo a
contraction.
ONE OF UNCLE SAM'S MANY DETECTIVES
You havon't heard, havo you, that
In tho work being dono to nssuro you
nbsolutoly good oysters on nil occa
sions, 0110 of your most capable nld
Is a very charming young woman?
Sho Is MIsb Ruth C. Gronthouno, and
8ho Is a very important nnd busy poN
Bonago Just now that tho oyster sea-'
sou la at lta height.
Miss Groathouso la young de
lightfully bo. If 0110 wero called upon
to Judge by tho nmazlngly chlldllko
expression of her bluo oyos, tho
freshness of hor coloring, or the riot
of curly lockB, ono might say "Sho'a
about olghtoon." If 0110 woro called
to make a guess by tho very dlgnl
fled lottora of scientific degroo fol
lowing hor namo, or tho Importnnco
of tho work sho doeo, ono would
place tho figures among tho yeara ot
spectacles and gray hairs.
Mine Greathouso la ono of tho ex
pert BcloniUtfl of tho bncterlologlcnl
division of tho bureau of chemistry
at Washington, nnd hnB dono somo of lta moat important nnd ofllclont work.(
Under tho bncterlologlcal dlvlBlon comoB nil tho Inspection of oysters nnd
BhellllBh of all aorta aB well aa tho testing of tho milk Bupply. '
BREATHE THROUGH YOUR EARS
In thoso prehistoric times "When you wero al
tndpolo and I was a frog," wo breathed through
our gills, nnd If wo still did tuberculosis and all
klndrdd germs would havo a hatting average of
.000
Such aro the teachings of Dr. John G. Davis
of tho University of Virginia medical department,
delivered boforo a local body of medical students,
according to a Washington correspondent of the
Pittsburgh Dispatch.
"You enn exhnlo air through the ears now. Just
take a chest full of air. closo the nostrils and
try to exhnlo. Tho air will como out through tho
cars Muscles of this old breathing orgac havo
been out of practice for n few thousand years
and It will require somo practlco to got them In
order.
"I would advlso mothers to train their children
In this now but old mode of brenthlng. It will
greatly help against mnny troubles, as there
wuld bo no chanco of getting infectious matter
Into tho lungs or throat. After a llttlo practlco a
child will ho ablo to closo or shut hla cars Just
as a fish works his gills.
"Orlglnnlly tho noso was used for smelling
only. After a whllo man began taking long, gen
erous smells, and later developed hla brcnther
Into a smeller at the 4zponac of his 'gills.' If my
advlco were followed man would havo three
breathing organs InBtcad of two within two generations."
DECLARES THAT TURKEY IS PROGRESSIVE
Gabriel Bio Ravndnl, of Minnesota
nnd South Dakota, American consul
general at Constantinople, nnd hon
orary president of tho chamber of
commorco for tho Lovnnt, has boon
spending sovoral days In Washington
nnd Now York boforo departing for
his post. Ho hns boon in tho United
States for his annual leavo of absonco.
Mr. Ravndal states that Turkey
offorB a flno Held for Amorlcnn braliiB
and money and Is making rapid
strides in nil brunches of bualnesn.
"If I woro to toll you about nil tho
changes which nro taking placo In
tho east, Including Turkey,'' says
General Ravndal, "I would probably
bo accused of being untruthful; and
nt tho risk of such an accusation, I
want to tnlk briefly about a fow of
them.
"Fifty yeara ago, Port Said waB a
small Arab encampment; now It hnB
fiO.OOO Inhabitants. PlrneuB, tho port
of Athens, has grown In eighty yearn
from a single hut to a city of 80,000. Uolrut, tho chief Boaport of Syria, hns
grown to 25,000 in tho same time, nnd many other places ahoW an equal
growth. Thoro havo been ooveral land booms In Egypt In recent yearn.
"When 1 loft Constantinople two monthn ugo they woro tearing down old
houscB by tho hundreds to -wldon and straighten streets and make thorn'
moro sanitary."
1 r, , , ifl&vymEK
CITY OF LONDON'S NEW LORD MAYOR
Onco a year tho lord mayor of
London rides through tho Btrouta of
IiIb city, tho old city, In all tho trap
pings nnd regalia of office Ho ridco
in a gildod coach nnd bohlnd hlni
come tho city's minor officials and
morrymakora.
It was onco tho custom at tho lord
mayor's show for thoao In tho upper
wlndowB nlong Fleet stroot en
thusiastically to hurl red-hot pennloH
on tho Indignant heads of thoso on
tho streets below.
Sir Edward Durnott, tho now lord
mayor, comes to an olllco which con
sists largely of entertaining distin
guished foreign visitors to tho city.
HIb term lastn a year. In tho old
days when the king needed funds
ho had to rido to Tomplo Tar and
recelvo tho permission of tho lord
mayor beforo ho could enter tho city.
Tho mayor offered hlB hugo uword,
which tho king touched In recogni
tion of tho mayor's rights. Thlu part
of tho ceremony is oven observed today.
Although much of tho medlaoval character of tho lord mayor'o olllco Is
still retained, thoro is nt least ono adjunct to It which Iuib disappeared,
namely, tho "lord mayor's fool," a personage who filled in tho city an offlco
similar to that which tho court Jester undertook In tho royal household.
AiH. r4dK& wtJPfcXdJ
MRS. GR0VER CLEVELAND'S FIANCE
Prof. ThomaB Jess Preston of
WellB collogo, whoBO engagement to
MrB. Grover Cleveland has been an
nounced, is fifty yenra of ago and n
graduato of Prlncoton. After his
matriculation thoro, ho begnn his uni
versity studies at Columbia, which
were Interrupted on account of Ill
ness. At that tlmo ho gave up tho
Idea of completing his education nnd
went into business In which ho has,
In tho announcement mndo of tho on
gngement by his frlond, President
John Grlcr Hlbben of Princeton,
'made a rapid nnd notable bucccss,
establishing himself at the head of a
prosperous manufacturing business in
Newark, N J. After securing a sub
stantial fortune, ho closed bin active
buslnuHa enreer and went to ParlB to
Btudy for two yeara at tho Sorbonno."
Returning to America, Professor Pres
ton, then over forty years of ago,
took a special course at Prlncoton
and at tho namo commencement re
ceived tho degree of LIU. B. and M. A., a very r,n!quo nttalnmont Then ho
went abroad again as Fellow of tho Amorlcan School of Classical 8tudy nt
Romo and later won tho Fellowship of tho Archaeological Institute of Amor
lea. After tnklng his degreo of Doctor of Philosophy at Prlncoton, ho was
called to tho chair of archaeology and tho history of art at WcllB collego.
Mrs. Cleveland was graduated from Wolla and alio has nlwayo boon Inter
ested in tho studies of which Professor Preston la the cxpouont Mre.
Cleveland, who was a beautiful girl nnd young matron, is still an oxtremoly
handsome woman. Slmplo and gracious, sho won tho hearts of a'll,,A)uor
Jcana during tho two terraB of hor husband at tho Whlto Houso,
ISP' ' r ' V
