St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-22
Plenty Of Christmas Gifts Are
Now to Be Found in the
Stores,
And You Can Pay Just as
Much as You Please in Max
ing Purchases.
Some of the Novelties That
Coax the Dollar From
the Purse.
Christmas Comes But Once a
Year, and Everybody Buys
Something.

A person who wants to make sulta-
BILE Christmas gift, and who is in doubt
as to what would be proper choice, is
frequently astounded by the class of ar
ticleS which dealers announce as APP
propriate gifts at Christmas time. just
such signs as these:
'sFirst-class anvils for sale here. No
better present for young lady,"
"All sizes of anchors; an excellent
Christmas gift"
Nobody can make better Christmas
gift to friend than by having that
friends horse shod."
"If any man wants to make his wife
nice Christmas gift, let him give her
the deed of one of those elegant houses
on - street."
mo true-hearted man can give any
body a better Christmas gift than a
large order for those elegant bricks
which we are now selling at reduced
prices
The ordinary citizen who wants to
make either cheap present or useful
present is bewildered when he sees
signs of this kind. 1t never occurred to
him before that such things as anvIlS
and anchors would be suitable presents
for young lady until the dealers in
such articles assured him that they
were-in fact, the only wonder is that
the agent for some locomotive works
does not announce that flrSt-claSS
$4,000 locomotive would be an excel
lent Christmas gift. But there is
another class of Christmas gifts differ
an+ wary diffaront indeed from those
already mentioned. 1t is great
compliment, although an unconscious
one, to human nature, that men will in
vest immense amounts of capital in
order to produce costly articles which
people never buy for themselves, but
only in order to give to their friends.
The most costly trifies are those which
are made with the expectation that
somebody will buy them in order to use
them as gifts.
This year it seems as though human
ingenuity had exhausted itself in de-
signing beautiful and costly things by
which some fortunate people might ex-
press their esteem for one another. One
higl-priced little tritle is a small PEN
knife. of which the blades are of excel
lent steel, but the handle is of the finest
gold, either frosted chased or inlaid
with Jewels. Any number Of small
whistles have been designed, all of
the finest gold. some of which
are shaped like rams horn. Match
boxes have been provided in any
number of designs without regard TO
price. There are also cigar cases of
polished OXidiZed steel, eXquisitely fin
| iShed, trimmed and hinged with gold.
1t is impossible to initiate them; they
will not discolor like silver, and in that
| lies their attraction. They are as brill
| liant as enamel, which is their only deco
ration. There is liquor flask offered
| for sale, in which the glass is covered
| with system: of wickerWork SO Won
| derfully intricate and so beautifully
| cOlOred that its value does not fall far
| short of the solid silver TASKS which are
| offered for sale in other places. A
| singular case for brandy flask is of
| silver and lizard skin, the silver etched
with curious old design representing
| an Indian canoe race. Another flask
cover is of solid gold. Is carats fine, and
| represents value of $175. The art of
| the jeweler has been exhausted in
| making bon-bon boxes. They are either
| of solid gold or silver, and enameled with
| the most beautiful designs. Daisies,
roses and lilies are figured upon the lid,
| and the CONNECTIONS within are proper
tionately costly.
There is another article, intended for
| nothing but a gift. 1t is heart-Shaped
locket, containing the portrait of the
| giver, and is to be worn on slender
| gold chain around the neck and beneath
| the dress of the recipient. Fancy jew
elry copied after antique designs is the
| favOrite, and brelOQueS are once more
| suspended from the waist sustaining
| countless treasures vYing with each
other In value and beauty, and whoever
| is fortunate enough to possess coat-of-
arms has it engraved upon his gold or
| silver brelOque. Chatelaine bags are
| almost indispensable adjuncts to ladies'
| street tOilettes They vary only In the
leather used from those worn last year,
| add are hardly complete without belt
| to correspond in leather and in the de-
| sign of its massive silver buckle. The
| most popular leather is lizard skin, and
after fox, bear, buffalo, frog and other
| oddities, fall in line of promotion.
Stationery always has a peculiar fasci-
| nation for people of culture, and some
| of the oddities this year are almost at
tractive enough to make people buy
| them without regard to their useful
| ness. There are some writing sets dis
| played so rich and elegant that one is
afraid to ask their price. Something
| which appeals to the eye and heart, al
| though rather out of place in anything
| but q book store, is a set of books con-
sisting of the Book of Common Prayer
| and the Protestant Episcopal Hymnal,
| the covers of which are of solid silver,
| elegantly chased. There is curious
pen-wiper displayed which looks like
a gigantic beetle about four inches
high. Another pen-wiper of the same
| size suggests the old song, 1.-THE frog, he
would a-wooing CO." for it is a frog, ele
gantly dressed, just like Christien,
walking on his hind legs and curious
| sponge for head. Little trays, of sill
yer, containing most of the articles used
| in writing, are so odd and interesting, as
| well as artistic, that their very oddity at
tracts purchasers. There are some
| poker sets displayed almost attractive
enough to drive man into gambling.
| The reproduction in miniature of all
household articles, for the benefit of
| children, have never been carried SO far
as it has this season. Beginning with
toy casters, there: is hardly any article
| of household use of which there is not
some miniature presented as toy for
| children, and at prices surprisingly
| cheap. Steam engines, building blocks
| and toy soldiers. although not new, are
as popular as ever.