Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-12-25
mERRY. MERRY oHHIsTMAs.

+ = &.
Fhe Busy Trade of the Past Week.
Net mite Up to Last Year - The
SDIendfd weather and ThrOngs Of
shoppers.
Christmas has come around once more, I
and in afew hours part Of the holidays will
be past, and then comes New Years day, |
toward which one will look forward. 1t is |
hard to. conceive of more favorable weather |
than we have had for the past week or SO,
for bringing out the people, young and
old, from far and near. For many days
anything Like comfortable travelling on any
Of the principal streets of this city has
been impossible. At certain hours of the
day the crowds have been 50 large, es-
pecially on Chapel street and in the vicinity
Of Church, as to almost block the streets
entirely.
While there have been more people out
during these holidays than ordinarily,
and the throngs of buyers great, yet it is
pretty generally accepted as true by the.
leading merchants that their sale have
not quite equalled those of last year. Mr..
Nicely, of the firm Of VIM. Nicely & Co.,
when asked, said his sales, he thought,
| would fully reach the high mark of last
| year, but he had not the highest doubt
| they would have far exceeded that amount
| had the same condition of the money mar
| ket existed this year as last. An intimate
| friend of his in. New York, who is q friend
of the Tiffany's, told him that member
| Of that firm said their sales would have
been half million dollars greater had not
the money market been 80 stringent.
! In few cases the Christmas trade has
1 cd hat nf las ho and
| for skates, for instance, has been enor-
| nous this year in comparison with last,
i when ice was SO scarce an article. In the
| fur goods trade the leading firms speak of
having very fine trade, that of Burgess
& Burgess, for instance, being far ahead of
any previous year. In jewelry and other
! goods in that line the sales have not been
/ up to the standard, an exception being in
the case of General Ford, whose receipts
exceed last years by a considerable mar
gin.
As the sun was sinking in the west yes
terday Detective Brewer, who had been in
citizens clothes mingling for hours in
the dense throngs of people at F. NJ. Brown
& Co.'s and Nicely & Co.'s, reported mary
shoplifter" A close watch kept failed
to bring to light any shoplifing. Mr..
Nicely and Mr. Gamble said their stores
had not suffered except from the usual
/ ana unaVOlQaDto- amount OF p1lf6f1uR OF
small articles incident to such rushing
holiday trade.
+ Now that the worst of the holiday trade
is over, there are two classes at least of
people who will give heartfelt sigh of re-
lief, and those are the retail store clerks
and the postmen, and Office clerks. Upon
these classes much hard work has fallen.
From early morning until late in the even.
ing the unending list of purchasers have
had to be waited upon, their every within
and caprice satisfied if possible, or sugges
tons furnished those who come with only
the faintest idea of what they wanted
The employees Of the postof6ce deserv,
more than the silent thanks of the public
for the efficient manner in which they
have performed their onerous duties
Load after load of mail matter. and no
light ones either, have been distributed
properly, and little, if any, delay on &C
count of the extra work Christmas gift
have come delivered in as good condition
, as though brought up by the purchase
i from the shop down town.
AS the weather bid fair to be pleasan
to-day the day will be veritable holida,
for all. Crowds will make trial of th
. good skating which the different lakes an,
: ponds have to offer.
Religious services will be held at all tn
: Episcopal and Catholic churches, and a
usual the music will be specially fine
The onslaught on Turkeydom for th
a supplies of New Haven and vicinity ha
! been heavy and the markets have groane
under the weight of poultry, game, choic
r meats, etc.