Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-12-30
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Political - christmas shopping -. Pie.
turcs-"iare Things"-Tke Trouble In
Husiness-The Movements In Morals
The weather.

Observation-Disclosures, ,sh"pp!ng5,.;;P Pie :,
Business-The Movements In Morals
The weather.
The feeling has almost entirely
: subsidized in tho cily. Either peo
) pie are too busy buying Christmas
presents, and in arranging for the
holiday festivities, or they have
grown tired of the agitation. l,
/. has settled down to this, Hayes is
elected, and is going to be inaugu.
rated, and almost everybody is glad
of it. The row was raised princi
pally by respectable Democrats who
expected foreign missions under Til
: den, and by the professional rats
. who wanted sinecures in the Gus
tom-house and pOSt'otlice. They
= found it TO their interest to raise a
rumpus, and demand ''Tilden OF
blood'-the blood being always I'M
derstood as somebody else's-but
the steady going citizens who voted
. for Tilden don't see any use in keep
ing up an everlasting clatter for the
benefit of these insects. They have
their own business to attend to, all
the bowling now being done don't
effect them. The politicians meet
with very little encouragement, and
the frantic appeals Of Hewitt, and
his paid gang, fall on deaf ears. |
believe that half the Democracy of
the city, and half that is worth list
ening to, are glad in their hearts
that Hayes is elected, and il fought
at all, would fight to place him at
the head of the government. 1t is
a fact that the expressions in Indi'
ana were inspired from New York,
and that the expenses of the meet
ings were paid out of the Democrat
ic treasury here. But it will fail.
Every business man knows and
feels that what the country wants
now is peace, and lasting one.
And they know that it is not
safe to entruSt the government to a
party controlled by Southern rebels,
especially when it is loaded with
corruptionists of New York city.
They will not countenance anything
of the kind. and as for blOod-the
South won't fight, the Office seekers
never did fight. and the people who
did, and those who paid for it, got
quite enough of it twelve years ago.
There is no occasion for fear.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING.
The stores are crowded till buy
ers must wait by the half hour some
times for the chance of being half
served, getting the hasty attendance
which is all that hurried statesmen
and women have to give each of
their hundred customers. One would
say there was no lack of money,
judging from the goods and the
money that is passing. But it is
seen that people are buying the
trinkets that cost least, aud more
match safes, and ash trays, and such
miserable little traps will be sent
this season than ever. TO see Christ
mas in something of its old hearti.
ness, one should visit the east side
of the city, in the crowded quarters
that do shopping on Grand street.
The. sidewalks are perfect booth
of holiday vendors, and children do
a thriving trade in wax tapers and
trinkets for the Christmas tree.
Figures of old Santa Claus with his
cloak and snow frosted beard are
common as dolls, and the best choice
OF toys to really please children is
found out of doors in tie hands OF
the cheap vendors, and not in the
ligh-priced stores. There it is a
hardship to find anything for chill
dren to amuse them after the first
blush of novelty is worn off. What
use is a fifty dollar elephant that
will wag his trunk to a child the
day after Christmas 4? The delight
of seeing the animal wag his pro.
bocs in the nature of things can
not be elevating. Children want
something they can use and take
some part in with their own ingen-
uity, a trait which the toy.makers
steadily ignore. | noticed in one
store an assortment of toys, the low
est of which were thirty dollars, and
they run up in price to $3.50. And
singular as it may seem, there are
people who buy and pay for such
things. The wealthy Spectator who
made his money by lucky stroke
in stocks, has it to spend, but I'M
fortunately he has not the judgment
to get the most out of it. His chill
dren won't get half the delight out
of the elaborate toys that the labor
er's baby will out of the ten cent
monstrosity which its poor mother
buys, The streets present splen-
did appearance, however, and the
poor people have just as much en-
joyment out of the shop windows
as the wealthy who buy.
John Tayler johnson was a very
wealthy man, who lately came to
grief in the depreciation of stocks.
He was the possesor of the finest
private collection of pictures in the
country, and he was compelled to
bring them to the hammer. The
collection brought nearly 100000,
some of the pictures bringing enor-
nous prices, Turner's "Slave Ship"
sold for $4,000. Church's "Niag.
ara" $l2, 500, and several Nelson,
iers, very small ones, not over six
by eight inches, sold as high as
$4,000. These pictures were bought ;
by such people as Garrett, the Pres ,
dent of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company, and the great
banker: COrcoran of Washington.
II is curious fact that Mr.. John
son, who bought these years ago,
got more for them in these hard