The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-12-27
CrTRisTMas.DAY.
Unusuni Observance OF Order.

The snow disappeared very rapidly Mon
day during the day, and by Tuesday morn.
Ing but little OF 1t was LETT. The weather
was warm. and Christmas morning here
was quite dark and gloomy. A fog hung
over the city, and there was mist enough
to have almost blinded Santa Claus, to say
nothing OF the smoke from the cannon
crackers and fireworks. This, mingled
with the fog. gave outside things a more
dreary look than was in keeping with the
light and happy-hearted people who were
waking up to receive "merry Christmas "
greeting and make others happy by MI
manner OF good wishes and generous deeds.
The streets at an early hour were filed
with men and boys, ones ears with the
sound OF exploding fire-crackers. and the
inner-man with eggnog and good drinks.
Later the church-goers came out IN num-
bers, and at the Catholic and Episcopal
places OF worship there were full congre-
cations. Richmond has made great nm
prOvement in the manner Of spending
Christmas, and deserves TO be specially
congratulated for the same. II Is getting too
large now for courthouse and small-town
antics, and the atrocious drunkard and
the foolish tin horn are fast falling
into the yeriest contempt. II takes
time to wean people from small vices even,
and there were accordingly few inno-
cents who recklessly rushed into ridcnle
by parading the streets and sounding tin
horns. Finding themselves i'm a terrible
minority these threw away the TIN horns
and tackled other kinds, the difference
whereof consists i'm the fact that the man
makes the horn sound ugly in one case,
and the horn makes the man ugly in the
other. As it was. there were very few
drunken men to he seen-that IS, consider
ing IL was Christmas--and it is pleasure
to state that no deadly encounters, no
shooting, no cutting, nor fighting OF con-
sequence occurred. The docket at the Po-
lice Court yesterday was remarkably free
from grave charges Of any sort.
One feature OF interest to the boOtblacks
and newsboys was the treat given them by
Mr.. George ives. He advertised that he
would give away 800 pies and the same
amount OF trecrackers to the newsboys and
bootblacks. He kept his word, and Christ
mas-day found several hundred small boys
in the street IN front OF his house, yelling
and pressing forward for their presents.
1lr. ives appeared at window after awhile
and made the boys 4 speech, in which he
advised them to be honest and industrious,
and wished them "mcrry Christmas
Three policemen kept order while each
boy came forward and received his pie and
popcrackers. Many OF the little fellows
looked hungry, and really seemed to need
something TO eat. Perhaps it was the only
meal that some OF them got during the day,
FIpF-ATARMs
There were only two alarms OF fire
Christmas, and they were not strictly
Christmas fires, for neither was caused by
fire-crackers or fireworks. The first was
at 1910 A. NJ. from Station II, corner
Ninth and Leigh, and was caused by the
burning OF bed in one of the servant.
rooms at 704t east Leigh street. Cause
sparks from fireplace. The second was
from Station 81, at corner Twenty-iiith and
Main streets, at 2:45 L. NJ, and was an un'
necessary alarm, caused by the burning ont
OF chimney.