The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-12-25
CHRISTMAS JOYS AND TOYS.
How the Day will be Celebrated in
Richmond.

Saturday night a snow fell to the depth
OF about two or three inches. With hill
and dale, house and street, tree and shrub,
mantled i'm white, il looked as ii we were
really going to have one OF those crisp.
hearty, eggnOg-enticing times that are
vaguely but very popuIarly. and no doubt
properly, described rs an old-fashioned
Christmas" Slei2hS and SledS were brought
out on Sunday and yesterday. TOO: but
before midday yesterday it was found that
the snow had quietly disappeared from the
beaten tracks OF the thoroughfares, and
left in its stead a mixture OF dirt, water.
and ice. That is to say, sltlSh.
The silent adieu OF the snow put about
S5 per hour into the pockets OF numbers
OF West-End young men, if it be true that
money saved is money made. II also
blighted the Christmas Of some OF the liy-
erymen, for they had their sleighs out in
the street fixing them up for customers.
when the first thing they knew the snow
was gone. and with it their fortune.
Christmas would have been more Christ
mas with the snow, but it will be a very
good one without it.
From the immense amount OF shopping
done for weeks past there must be laid in
store quantity Of Christmas presents,
which will be to-day sent forth on their
missions OF love and friendship; while
every mailbag in the land is half-full OF
Christmas-cardS, with their notices Of
"Peace on Earth" and "MerTy Christ
mas" and all that, and every eXpress-car
and eXpress-oflice is Oyerburdened with
the packages which far-away friends are
sending to each other, keeping up old re-
Iations, warming old memories, and ma
king new and tender ties.
With turkeys at twenty cents pound,
as on yesterday, it is not possible for the
head Of a family 10 be extra sentimental;
but hard indeed must be the heart and far
back in antiquity the childhood OF the man
or woman who would rob the dear little
ones OF Santa Claus. Nobody proposes to
do il, but it is the proper thing to say
something OF this kind.] OF all the delu-
sions of life that is most delightful.
Long may it stand against the howl OF
old bachelors and all icouoclastic blasts,
and may every child in this Christian
land to-day draw from his or her
stocking such inspiration; such Won
deriul supplies OF eatables, and TOYS,
and doll-babies, and pop-crackers, and pie
ture-books us will keep the precious Gus
tom IN fragrant memory, and enable them
to transmit it TO posterity, gilded with all
the gIories of this day and age.
The boys are entitled to have their fun
TODAY. and within reasonable and decent
bounds no one will gainsay them that
privilege. The police will considerably
shut their eyes to many doings that on a
less auspiciOus day would c0nSign the
offender to the teTrOrs of the statiOn-hOuse
and the blightng effects OF an appearance
in the newspapers police reports. The
instructions Of the Mayor to the police are
understood to be that they see that ''the
men behave themselves, and that the young
people be permitted 70 have good time"
Ii is TO be hoped nat men will behave
themselves. but the ,porters Of the press
have no lamp to the Iuture but the eXpe-
riences Of the past, and they don't believe
they will, and they therefore expect to
have good many Young men come TO them
tomorrow, saying, "Please, sir, (on such
occasion reporters are sirs,l leave my name
out OF the paper"
"And what were you charged With"
"With being drunk, sir"
"0h, you were?"
"Yes, sir, but don't put my name in;
it would nearly kill my mother, SIR"
The mention Of the name mother gene
rally extorts the desired promise; but IN
some eases 1t has turned out that the moth
er was long ago dead; in others. it Is
doubtful II the party ever had mother.
One Christmas Is very like another in
most things-especially in pop-erackerss
and eggnog and tin-horns and noise, and
headaches the day after; but there ought
never to be any Christmas failing TO bring
some joy. II you do not receive present,
YOU can make yourself feel better than
fellow with present by going out and
buying barrel OF flour and send
ing Il to a poor neighbor. Or II thy
neighbor has offended thee and turned up
his nose at thee, repay good with evil; buy
tin-horn or drum and give II to his son.
In this way every man can contribute some
thing to the makeup Of san old-fashioned
Christmas" But TO one and all within
the Jurisdiction Of the Dispatch we take
the liberty OF wishing "a merry Christmas
and many happy returns"
When the returns are good we feel good.