Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-01
cooked by the willy saloon. keeper. What
would the poor man be withoutsfriends

cooked by the willy salOon-keeper What
would the poor man be withoutsfriends
A WORD To MY JUVENILE READERS.
If you are thinking of emigrating to
England-'on't, for if you do you will
have to part with dear old friend. I do
not say that Santa Claus is unknown here
to all, but he is certainly stranger to the
great mass of the little folks. The toy
business is not patch on what is done in
this line in America. Still worse, Christ
mas trees are rarely known here in con.
nection with Sunday schools. No wonder
so many of the little brats turn out badly
when their early training is 80 shamefully
neglected at this point, and SO little SUBJ
stantial inducement is held out to them to
try to be good and nice. Hereafter let the
youthful vagabonds that infest the streets
of this metropolis have our pity rather
than our scorn, for what could be expected
of childhood left to grow up IN this wicked
world without the guiding and restraining
influences of Kris kringle, and with no
annual bag of candies to sweeten the bitter
cup of life. Let the children who want to
make sure of dolls, and who would not
lose the fun they get from the monkey on
the stick, and the other nice Christmas
things, stay in America by all means, but
older people, who have grown tired OF an
nually bankrupting themselves for the
benefit of their friends would do well to
come here, for the milder customs of those
old fogies could not fail to afford such
most grateful change. Happily, an English
Christmas does not require fellow to
GIVE AWAY QUITE ALL HE HAS;
He may keep little without being con-
sidered either mean or unfashionable.
This fact, l may mention, gives me hope
of making lots of money this coming
Christmas, on the principle laid down by
the boy in his essay on pins, when he
said that these necessary articles had
saved great many peoples lives by not
swallowing them" But don't imagine
that gift.makiug is uncommon here at
Chris tmas. You may not have to give
you wife sealskin sacque, or run the
risk of a divorce suit; nor to make your
wifes sister a present of gold watch, or
for ever incur the displeasure of your
mother-in-law; but you must not fail to
give your servants a few shillings apiece,
and you must not get crusty If few out
side calls are made upon your purse. The
day after Christmas is known here as
"BoxING DAY"
The name is suggestive of mild form of
pugilism, and to some of US may bring uu-
pleasant memories of sundry youthful
tribulations in which our ears figured
prominently; or, again, it may bring to
the sober and thoughtful gloomy forebod.
ings of the time when we shall be COM
fortably tucked away for our final resting
place in mother earth. 1t means,
however, none of these serious things
to the English people, but simply
a day on which they are to get
or give Christasm boxes, or in other
words, Christmas presents. The shop
keeper gives a tritle to each of his custom
ers, and the waterman, dust-map, post
man, lamplighter, and various other kinds
of public servants, come, hat in hand, to
solicit their annual bounty from the house.
holder. Letter carriers usually fare the
best, and in this city, as matter of justice
to those having poor districts, what is col
lected is thrown into a common fund, and
all share alike. What makes the Christmas
donation to this class an object of universal
interest, and one calling for large lberality,
is the knowledge that they are so
wretchedly paid by the Government, the
average weekly wages they receive not
amounting to more than about S.. So that
postmen, like children, should avoid emf
grating to this country. But
THOSE WHO ARE FOND OF KISSING
Should come by all means-I mean they
should come at Christmas time, on Boxing
day, which might well be called by the
additional name OF Bussing day" II you
go to the house of friend who happens to
have a good-looking wife or some nice
daughters, look around first thing for the
bough of mistletoe. The ladies are sure
to have provided it, and the point with
you must be to find it, and get the women
under it, for in that happy position it will
be your sweet and high privilege to kiss
the charming creatures none daring law
fully to make you afraid. l am told that
this is very nice custom; but being some
thing of newspaper man, | am modest
and have to 90, IN such case as this, en-.
tirely by hearsay. | have friend, how
ever, who is Just the opposite, and who on
this blessed day always carries bunch of
mistletoe with him, which, if he can get
it over the victims head, serves the purpose
equally well with those suspended from the
ceIliuu