The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-24

body deals with them. They sell cheap goods at
prices fabulously and ridiculously low. They have
no rent to pay and as one of them cleverly re-
marked last night threecent stud will keep cop
good natured for week" wherever there was a
basket. tray or stand there was crowd. There
no trouble confusion, pickpockets, but u
general scheme OF good nature apparently in uni
versal favor
on THE WEST SIDE.
No more brilliant spectacle has been seen in this
country since the foundation of the world than the
human panorama, lighted by electric flames, on
Fourteenth street last evening The night was per-
all parts of the city by elevated and sur road. by
"bus" and car and human locomoton. people
thronged TO that section of the city where wealth
and experience have joined hands to create fashion
able centre for trade Long lines Of men, women
and children poured up and down the adjacent ave-
nues and others from Broadway and the east.
The multitude greater than man could easily num-
Der. They moved as slowly and with as much diff
fcuty as the Fourth OF July concourse marches up
Broadway. The fences all along the line were occu-
pied by the advance guard of radea kind OF picket
men. These ingenious searchers for wealth had
squatted to speak, the iron fences and there,
with stentoriany voices, made known the excellence
dolls tin soldiers Christmas wrcaths worsted work,
flowers, dyed grasses. woodcnware ana auto-peripa-
tetikons. Further are the great dry goods mars.
where. going outside of their original venture the
propretors offer to dazed and astonishcd city all
sorts and conditions Of goods, articles of vertu.
everything that be from hat to boot, and
motions in stationery, hardware engraving and
hot chocolate
That all these places whether in one part Of the city
or another, crowded and well patronizcd last
night is well understood. 1t is not of them we write
but rather of the greater army of woula-be pur-
chasers who were, perhaps, content to wander up
and down the chilled payements pleased with the
rattes and ticKled with the straws of fashion cxhb-
tied i'll the windows and stacked up by the doors.
The bright stars shone through the spacious firm
ament on high, and in the clear cold OF the
night seemed to burn their way through the
heavens. Far up above the noisy street, on level
with the Mansard roofs hundreds OF feet above the
pavement strung on wire rope blazcd the electric
light that put the to blush and dazed the very
Ear and down the crowded it threw
its fiery rays and made the place like Every
face was visible the stones on the street in the
light, shadows darted here and there memoranda
were made notes read, necks stretched as
wondering looked at the strange convenience at
their service. and often horses started to II
struck by q sudden fear.
Tens OF thousands oitered on the street. In the
great shop windows quaint fancies attracted their at
tention. In one was q doIls party She and her
brothers and sisters received their little mates clad
the tairies dress. radiant with jewels In another
was picnic scene On great greensward dotted
with trees and in the of elegant country
house group OF ladies with their attendant
cavaliers These aud other odd features were the con-
theme of admiration. The groupings near these
great glass windows peculiar and full OF interest
The kind OF people referred to in the prayer book
"all sorts were the kind that assembled there. Rich
and poor jostled each other Men and women, black
and white old and young the polished and the vulgar
each finding something to look at admire and wish for
Now and then the unyelding basket OF errand boy
made unpleasant impression here and there,
impotence. Now and then rude little boys annoyed
dear old ladies, or trod sharply on veteran
Now and then mysterious whisper from the watch
full detective broke up gang aud scattered group OF
pickpockets. But. rule, the universal feeling and
bearing was that Of good humor and jolly good
nature
THE CRUSH on BROADWAY
But all roads load to Rome all streets aid
Broadway Great the crowds the streets
referred to they greater and denser and more
cosmopolitan on the main artery OF the city. 1t is
become the fashion in the mammoth warehouses
above Thirteenth street and toward the upper
part OF Madison square to arrange their cost
lest fabrics in artistic form IN their great
show windows. Dealers in dry goods exhibit
dummy women, lay figures with pretty
faces, atired in gorgeous evening street costumc
drape elegant shawls Enthusiastically in interior.
defty display laces expensive silks, and in
many ingenious ways known to the modistc's at
tract the eye of the passer. Jewellers fill their win
dows with ponderous siIverware. with choice ucIns
exquisely set and with exquisite designs III bronze
or precious metals About such as these the great
hoi potiot crcied until late last night. 1t would be
difficult to overestimate the vast gatherings that
sebed in front OF these trading palaces Thousands Of
dollars had been expended in securing the
sore Of stores hundreds Of thoasaIds worth were
placed on view. As It was on SixthAnd Eighth ave-
nues, so it was on Broadway. There was double
current, often conflicting, always moving restless.
curious and easily pleased going up and down, up
and down, like the panther IN his cage. At certain
special points the crowds stopped. There several
picture the line and at their windows there
constant pressure and pushing. Occasionally
of the crowd would make break for the inside Of the
store, but rule purchasers went in direct and
those in the crowd passed on.
OF dealings with hucksters, pedlers and itnerant
dogs seemed to be the favored articles of purchase.
Men with acrobatc toys utilized the grating III front
of huge unoccupicd building Union square, and
gave variety show tree. gratis, for nothing, to-
thousands of laughing pedestrians, from whom they
rcaped fair harvest The old familiar call of ''tep
up and and have yo teeth cleaned tor nothing rang
from the Of Seventeenth street. where the
amateur dentist polished volunteer worries and got
rid OF hundreds of his parcels
The candy stores. with their many coloreI sugars
and the stawart pulcrs of moasses sweets received
their full share of attention Little fellows vino
s.,t, lsntl tl..tr
tened the nose of curiosity against the chilly glass,
| and gazed longingy at the tempting within.
Windows and great Christmas boxes ee'' fll~d
with canded fruits and all manner of luscious
| goodies were piled high in the windows. As
| In the stores where jewels and knickknacks
were sold in these. dense crowds of purchasers
| pushed and showed impatient for attention In one
great mart the crowd great that before others
1 were allowed to enter policemen requested to
| guard the door, II continuous buying and selling
are any test times these not hard times IT, on
| the other hand multitude Of bcggars be taken
indication, then the times are hs rd indeed.
This especially noticeable last evening, when all
the thoroughfares we're invaded by extra force OF
these pcripatetic nuissnces. broadway, from Thir-
teenth street to Thirty oarth street. Is down with
beggars, and Fourteenth street ut night Ia as bad
| Twenty third street is by day.
Severe the weather was last night there was no
lack of children on the streets. The toy shop win
| dowa their chief delight What the little ones
don't know about toys they are IN fair way to learn.
There before stch display of curious
/ complications in the toy line Indiarubbcr in all
| and steel made to do duty, and the
/ children have the beneht of science and cupidity
| Joined hand In hand for their entertainment.
Parents should have Known better gave their OFF,
spring plenty OF opportunity to catch cod pneu-
1noia seeds and the rattle OF consumption last
| evening. The little folk more anxious 10 see
Santa Claus and his goodies than to meet the dust
| man aud 20 with him 10 sleep. Any quantity OF small
boys shivered this occasion. yet insisted that they
| were toast, when, matter of fact.
they stone cold aud a. chilly as
| frogs. Nevertheless they were element in
| the noble army of sightseers last evening. and
| they helped materially to swell the multitude and
ALSO diminish the contents of the parental wallet.
The conductors Of both elevated and surface
say that traffic last night was unusually heavy They
carried exceptional number Of women aud nearly
every had from two to ten bundles. The average
| man carried home three packages but the average
| woman looked after Ave. All the carriages In the
| livery stables hired out early in the evening.
In the Office of Of the most extensive iii the city
| gentleman ordered coupe at quarter before nine.
| "All out" was the answer.
| "All outy Why. you have twenty.
I'll had hundred oould hire every one Inever
| see such day..