The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1886-01-02
BrOadbTim'S New York Letter.
Special to the CARBON ADVOCATE.

ltdI' " uat uldtItIs " lildJ lllt eHpW. .lh
piled up to the cavcs-what matters II
that the hoar frost has covered the win
dow panes with network of beauty
Let the river freeze ever so hard, and
tho icy wind roar and whistle through
the leaGcss branches. What care we.
Christmas Is here, once more, in all Of
his frosty glory. e..
Christmas, although 1t celebrates a
birth, has no representation In youth.
The little ones are made glad, but the
jolly emblem of Christmas, St. Nicholas
represents hale frosty age, on which the
SHOWS of years rest lightly. While l
write the Christmas chimes are ringing
sweet and clear on the frosty air, bring
ing untold hope and JOY to the millions
Of little sleepers, who, tomorrow, with
out hardly knowing why, will rejoice
that Christ was born. 1t needs no dog
ma of Trinity or Immaculate concep-
tion, to anchor in the heart of universal
christendom undying love of Christ, for
he stands through all the ages the
grandest symbol of love, of hope, of
charity, of humanity, of which history
bears any record since time began. In
this wintry weather, " her the soul seems
inclined to contract, and prove narrow
and selfish, it is something to have a
magic name to conjure with, a spell.to
reach the hardest and mcanest heart.
To the poor and suffering-jus. when
the sun has touched the uttermost limit
Of his southern journey, the birth Of
Christ means food and shelter and fire
and raimcnt. While under the southern
cross, amid the soft breezes of summer
and the sweet breath of the flowers,
millions and millions will sing hosanna,
for Christ has come. There is some
thing gloriously unselfish in this joyous
holiday; no one appears to think of
himself or herself, but are asking them
selves how they can bring joy and hap
piness to somebody else. Close by me
lives one of the meanest men l ever
knew, yet last night saw him creeping
home with his arms full of toys. He
has neither chick nor child of his own,
but somebody else's little ones were to
be made glad by his gifts, and for one
day at least he was better for Christ's
being born nearly two thousand years
ago.
Abundance seems to surround us
everywhere. Gigantic oxen crowd the
market, and fatted calves, that would
make glad the heart of a prodigal son,
monster sheep and lambs such as We
only see at the Christmas time. The
markets are full of fatness, for the en-,
tire earth pays us tribute. Strolline
among the stalls, we forget the sharl
pinch of the winter solstice. The rares
fruits that bloom and ripen under tn,
Equator's sun, are piled up amid bed
of rare and costly flowers. Oranges
bananas, cocoanuts, pineapples ar,
here in the greatest abundance. Ever
great, luscious Strawberries are seen il
the shop windows. | have not askeC
the price, but l expect man might jus
as well make dinner on five dolla
pieces. One oil the pleasantest feature
of Christmas to me, is the joyful pre-
paration all of our charitable institu
tions are making, to make the hearts o
the poor glad for one dav, at least. Tn
newsboys, the bootblacks, the car driv
ers, and even the tramps are not for
gotten.
One peculiar feature of this season, /
the immense artistic exhibition mad
by many stores not altogether in tn
line of their trade, but merely for tn
effect of display. know a single DIR
goods store, which inside of six weeks
has laid out fifteen hundred dollars TO
the display in its windows. On the oc
casion of General Grants death, som
months ago, their immense window
were filled with magnificent life-size,
soldier figures in camp, with an orderl
holding one of the finest horses l eve
saw in effigy. Last week their window
represented winter forest with sleigh
ing party attacked by wolves; and thi
week they were turned into delight
fully furnished breakfast parlor, witt
three ladies and three gentlemen enjoy
ing the morning meal, and tony wait
or IN the background waiting on tn
table. The whole of this display is il
the very highest style of art and woul
be considered splendid addition to an
collection of wax figures in the world
All the great stores are making magnif
cent displays Of goods, and from th
throngs that crowd them, purchasers ar
not scarce.
Since the reduction of fare from fiv
cents to three, the travel has nearl
doubled over the big Brooklyn Bridge
, and the receipts are many thousands c
dollars over the same time last yeal
Over sixty millions of passengers hav
been carried across the bridge with
lower percentage of accidents than an
I other railway df equal capacity In III
h world. To measure the chance of deaf
r or accident. by the standard of life il
c surance tables. the chance would /
e only one in two millions, considerabl
r less than the chance of being struck /
! lightning.
:. AT his Friday night prayer meetinl
C DE Witt Tahnage, who had just r,
+ turned from lecture tour in the Soutl
It with a plethorie sack, INDUCED in
e glowing exordium on the disposition
- the Vanderbilt millions, thanking Go
very frequently that Vanderbilt had d