The Wilmingtonian., 1885-10-24
STREET ILLUMINATION.

l
Whatever may be the contrasted values or
superiority of any rticular plan of electric
illumination for street purposes we are all
agreed npon the fact that our city would be
greatly advantaged by the introduction of
more comprehensive and thorough lighting
of our streets.
Light is luxury. it is also business
necessity for the merchants of Wilmington.
How many hundreds of commissions are
lost throughout the year to our shopkeepers
along Market street by the simple fact that
purchasers are kept at home of evenings by
the gloom and dinginess peivading our
main business thoroughfare. People nat
urally stay at home, unconsciously govern
ed by the abstract fact of the uninvitingness
of the prospect out of doors upon our
streets. How many of our citizens would
be impeled to come out and visit the stores
were they attracted by the knowledge that
the streets were lit up by brilliant and
cheerful light!
Seventy-five per cent of Wilmington's av-
erage retail trade throughout the week is
transacted after night fall. Business is
maintained in Wilmington as elsewhere, not
by the few rich, and their occasional pur-
chases, but by the innumerable purchases
of the middle and poorer classes. Look at
Philadelphia At night time the streets are
brilliant as day. The streets are thronged
with citiz ms, mostly those whose daily oc-
cupation preclude the possibility of their
visiting stores during the day. The conse ,
quence is they find it most convenient to
make their purchases in the evening. Bus.
iness men appreciate this fact and with good
tact not only have they seen to it that their
streets are brilliantly illuminated bui their
stores also are flooded with bright cheerful
light!
Are our stores thronged at night? On
the contrary the average Wilmington store
keeper sits melancholy behind his lonesome
counters, the very dinginess of his store sur-
ficent to drive away any would-be purchas-
er who ventures out into our gloomy thor
ougfares after dark.
We need bright cheerful light in the city
and brilliant attractive stores in order to
make business, otherwise the mass of buy
ers will button up their pockets and make
up their miudsto take day off for a jaunt
to Philadelphia where the attractions are
greater. What we would ask our business
{ men is meant by the attractions? The la
dies will shrug their shoulders-and that is
blanatitu u,thes-ess, efepiyl you
will get Our Wilmington storakeepers sell
as cheaply and as good goods as Philadel-
phia merchants!
Then why do so many Wilmingtonans
go to Philadelphia to buy. Perhaps it may
be that our business men do not utilize the
, fact, if they recognize it at al, that the
other sex, who form the numerical represen-
tation as buyers, are people of sentiment,
they un1onsciously appreciate the fact Of
cheerful surroundings. There is great
deal OF logic and significant wisdom in the
shiug Of the shoulders. In Philadelphia,
our Wilmington ladies can rely on the fact
that when they go there to make their
Christmas and holiday purchases next
month that the streets will be we'll lit up,
everything will be cheerful around them,
} there will be no gloom, loneliness, or dingy
5 stoies They can go shopping in the streets
there after nightfall with the greatest con-
veneuce and comfort,
Everything that can be done is done to
: attract them. Is it any wonder that our
citizens resort to Philadelphia. What is
done here in Wilmington? Who does not
love the light and hate the darkness-in
that fact we think there is a lesson for our
: Market street storekeepers which they
would do well to heed before the coming
holiday season arrives.