People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1894 — HOLIDAYS IN COLONIAL TIMES. [ARTICLE]

HOLIDAYS IN COLONIAL TIMES.

Public Officials Took Life Easy When Now York Was a British Colony. Public functionaries performing official duties in halcyon days of old New York, when it was a British colony, had a pretty easy time of it. Their pay was liberal and was sure. His majesty, the king of Great Britain, was careful of his servants, and there were plenty of holidays. A contrast between ths number of these and the number legally observed at present shows how much more time for pleasure and recreation the old-time officials were permitted to enjoy. The legal holidays in the New York departments are New Year’s day, Washington's birthday, Decoration day, independence day, Labor day, election day. Thanksgiving day and Christmas day—eight in all, exclusive of the Saturday half holiday. These are the eight days observed in the city and in the federal departments of New York. Hero is a list of the holidays observed at the New York custom house in the last year of English rule: New Year’s day, the queen’s birthday, anniversary of King Charles’ execution, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Lady day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday, St. George's day, King Charles’ restoration, king’s birthday, Whit Monday, Whit Tuesday, prince of Wales’ birthday, powder plot anniversary. Christmas, Christmas holidays (three days), Fast day, Thanksgiving day, election day, ’college commencement day. These were the stated holidays. Special ones were added from time to time as occasion seemed to justify, as “holiday in token of the safe arrival of a packet,” holiday “in commemoration of the king’s safe return from a sea voyage,” “holiday in commemoration of the opening of a new street,” “holiday in commemoration of the repulse of the Indians,” and other similar occasions of public office closing. The English officials in New York believed above all things else in having a good time. They did not regard a public office as a public trust They disliked pernicious activity, and, above all, desired plenty of time for recuperation from their arduous duties. Some of the pretexts for abandoning work seem, at the present time, very quaint A clerk in charge of one of the government departments closed it abruptly one morning, leaving this sign to account for his absence: