Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-01-06
(coRRgsroyDgscR OF Tug FREE PIEss.l
NEW YORK, Dec &c, 1858.

NEW YORK, Dec 26, 1895.
They say Christmas comes but year but
this year it seems to have como three time, in this
City, or rather it has taken it three days to come
once. To-day is the day generally recognized
the holiday, which by the way is observed much
more generally than ever before. All the public
olhccs arc closed, the Custom House and the Post
Office, &C., or are open but short time tho Courts
have all adjourned and though many stores open
in Broadway, yet in the business part of the town
the streets show like Sunday. Yesterday was
Christmas day in the churches, and there were here
and there scattering celebrations of the day on
Saturday. l attended one at the Girls Industrial
School in the East part Of the City, one of those in
s.itutons for the borefL Of the poor children Of the
City, which have been brought into existence or at
least yivifcd by the success of Mr.. Pease's estab
lishmcnt at the Five Points. This one is under the
charge of company OF ladies, who employ teachers
and hire rooms, and receive into them during the
day some hundred and fifty children, who arc
taught to read &C., and to work, and are fed and
clothed also. The ladies 20 there by turns and
teach them, besides their regular teacher. was a
little late, so lost the opportunity of seeing them
all fcasting the good things which had been pro-
vided for them, but the Christmas tree part Of
the ceremonies They had two hemock bushes which
reached quite to the ceiling, and hung full with dolls
and rattles and monkeys and cats and dogs and birds
&C. toys of all kinds, and here and there little
colorcd wax CANDLE for it was thought best $50
through all the notions" though it was in the day
time A large part Of the poorer population of that
part of the City Germans, and therefore it was
evidently best to make the show rs much aftor the
German fashion possible.
When every thing was ready, the children vcro
admitted, marching in procession, They were sup
posed to stand along close by the walls, but the trees
exercised too powerful an attraction, and the circle
would keep growing smaller and smaller in spite OF
all the efforts of the teachers. Some remarks were
made by Dr. Chcovcr who was there, and the chill
drcn sang several songs, though many OF them were
too much occupied with the toys &c, even to sing
But when the distribution once commenced, 1t wn'
an amusing scene enough. Hoy they crowded
around the distributors and held up their hands and
wanted this and that and chartered and laughed
and made the dogs bark and the birds squeak, and
the whistles squea and the horse ddlcs rattle anc
would not be kept in any sort of order in spite O
the continued Sh-sh-ing of the teachers and Tho
gingling of small bell, until the confusion filled
the room clear to the ceiling. They had eleve
young Irishman to get off the toys that hung on thu
highest branches, and he made lots of fun for then
by setting the dolls sstride his neck aud pretending
to pocket some bright red bird, or making monkc.
turn a most extraordinary somerset as he handed
him down, and when in pulling oil something o
other the tree was pulled over and fell down brush
ing the faces of of the visitors, then the gle
$ was at its height Tho children will long remembo
that Christmas and so shall |. There were NOR
I substantial gifts distributed after left, shoes nn
stockings and hoods and various other articles TO
those who needed, but still the tree, and the t..