Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-12-26
Cream OF Comment nj The Ma
tiOFsai capital.

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'fcam of Comment nj The Na-
tiOIsal capital.
Compiled for the HERALD.
WASHINGTON, Dec. Goth 1884. -
)oRgresSmen are among the first
If tue population here to get !
christmas in their bones, and are
the first of our floaters to
seek their homes for the holidays.
They are usually during the week
before Christmas as reluctant to
attend to the public business as
are schOol-boys during the same
season to ply their studies. A
visit to the Capitol today revealed
the fact that Congressman were
not halfSO much interested in Ques-
lions of Interstate commerce, and
the Naval appropriation as in the
recent accident on one of the street
railways by which several of our
national Lawmakers were more or
less hurt. Representative McAdOo
was going around with his hand
in sling. 1t appears that the
damage was greater than first re-
ported. Representative Hemphill,
of South Carolina, is confined to
his room with serious injuries.
Representative Patton, Of Pennsyl-
vania, was very badly used up and
is in his bed with a dislocated
shoulder. Ex-senator Eaton was
considerably bruised and is also
suffering with a sprained arm.
Representatives Buchanan and
Storm were also more or less bro
ken up. Sergeant-at-ArmS Leedom
had two fingers nearly cut off by
the smashing of the window glass,
but he was on duty to-day at the
Capitol. There is considerable com
ment about the accident and some
chatting as to the Congressional
preference for the three-cent cars,
on one of which the accident occur
ed. A half-uOzen suits for DANA
ges are threatened and the pro-
posed cable railway scheme has
received quite a boom.
~
The shop windows are beginning
to suggest Santa Claus to tho little
folk. All the fancy goods stores
are overlooking with toys Of every
description, some small enough to
fit into "A tiny stocking, and others
too large even to be covered by
boys oveTcoatOr a girls sealsltin
sacque. There isnO doubt that the
arogoing to have royal
timethis Ohristmas,i if all the things
intended for their delectation
are bought up. Toddling babies
are already finding their way up
town and downtown TO gaze upon
the sights and to hazard guesses Oh
what will be their share of the gene
raj luck. They can be seen with
their noses and fiinger-tips tightly
against tho plate-glass
panes derOuring the toys with their
bright little eyes. If some OF those
things that they look at so eagerly
are not found outside their bedroom
doors on the morning of the 10Th.
there will be some nice exhibitions
Of baby rage and disappointment.
t. ~ ID.
A trip through large store
that has a department where ar
ticles for the young are paid atten-
ton to viii convince any one with
grandchildren, or nieces
and nephews, that if he does not
make them Christmas presents it
is not fo7 lack Of choice. y toy
costs all the way from a penny to
a thousand pennies. just now,
when times are hard and people
are not looking forward to such a
luxurious Christmas as they had,
perhaps, last year, the savings
bank is a timely and economical
form of gift. There is a large va
riety of them, too, more so than
ever before. They pay in the end
probably, and so they are sold in
great numbers. Among them is
the organ bank. When the young
ster puts a nickel into it he turns,
a handle and makes an attempt at
a tune. There are a good many
other devices to mako thrift pleas
ant to the eye and car.
A favOrite mechanical toy is the
tin steamboat with a walking beam
1t runs on wheels, and when it is
drawn along the floor the beam
moves in fine style. AS in many
toys, the order Of cause and elect
is reversed. A wooden man who
swallows a beeisteak when a han
die is turned, costs twenty-five
cents. The beeisteak reappears and
can be swallowed an endless NUM-
ben of tines ,ANAriety Of this is
the cat with the unappeasable ap-
petite, who deyOurs mice and rats
just as long as anyone chooses to
turn a handle. You can't tire that
Cat. OF course the children ina.
CINE that there is large store of
mice somewhere in the toy and
that it is possible to exhaust it, so
they turn and turn for hours at a