Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1890-11-27
IN THE NEW YORK MARKETS.
Turkey, the Sovereign Bird, Receives the
Homage of the Metropolis.

day they would no doubt A'un to the
headsman's block without urging, and
stretch their necks for the ak.
For in truth the honors paid to this
kingly bird at this season are amazing.
All day great crowd throngs Washing
ton and Fulton markets, the principal
mausoleums Of the honored fowl. AT
nightfall Vesey street is almost impassa-
Bile, and the neighborhood of West and
Washington streets is packed with peo-
pie carrying baskets. bags and even port
manteaus.
Around on all sides, glorihed by the
golden gaslight, hang the shapely tur-
keys, with crimson rosettes, like stars of
the Legion Of Honor, pinned on their
exuberant breasts. Sacredly guarding
the dead stand the undertakers, com
monty known as poultry dealers; stout,
rubicund, argumentative, loud voiced,
and, strange to say, jolly. Why strange?
Of course they are jolly, and SO would
the turkeys be if they were alivei For
all the men, women and children in the
crowd are intensely jolly, and rightly
consider that they have not come to wit
ness burial, but an apotheosis Of tur-
keys.
A sad eyed little widow, leading a
school girl by the hand, is struck with
the delicate beauty of long necked bird,
and offers to see that it is buried with
the proper ceremonies, but the under
taker says such luxury will cost her
at the rate of, say, eighteen cents a
pound. With sigh she drops the beau
tiful fowl and takes another less stately
and satisfactory, for which she pays six
teen cents a pound. The eighteen cents
a pound bird is snapped up by a plethoric,
red faced old gentleman, who wears false
teeth and a single eyeglass. After him
comes a newly married couple, linked
arm in arm and carrying two huge bas-
kets. The husband is tall, angular and
ugly; the bride small, sweet and seduc-
tive. She yearns for five dollar bird,
whereas he thinks 3d. so viii be enough,
and that the rest of the money can be
spent on groceries. But she makes the
turkeys merits so evident to her spouse
that he finally hands over crisp, new
five dollar bill, tucks the bird under his
arm and strides off to u vegetable stall,
where be pays out $1.25 for celery, sage,
cranberries and cauliflowers.
Two young girls who keep house for
themselves debate for quarter Of an
hour as to whether they shall buy lean
turkey or fat chicken, and finally buy
the chicken. A fractions old gentleman
who hears this conversation eschews
turkey also, and satisfies himself with d
fine looking duck His wife, hand
some woman, with red rose in her bon
net, spends nearly half an hour search
ing for green peas
A handsome woman. wearing a long
sealskin and queer arrangement Of
black velvet and crimson ribbon on her
head, pays little attention to the turkeys
and very much to the crowd. AS she
stands beside a vegetable stall under
the fiaring gaslight. her gorgeous head
dress and pale, statuesque face form a
striking contrast to the forest of green
behind her. and painter who could
utilize the scene ought to make small
fortune out Of t.
Busy rs the markets are during the
day, they are ten times more busy dur
ing the evening Along the gaslit aisles
Of Washington market passes d great
throng Of men and women, their eyes
fixed on the long lines of decorated tur-
keys, chickens, ducks and geese, and
their ears apparently deaf to the honeyed
invitations of the blue shirted plethoric
dealers, who are never tired Of expatiat-
ing ON the succulence, freshness and
general beauty of their goods. Now
and then a woman will stop, lay down
her basket, feel the breast of turkey
with the thumb and forefnger of her
right hand, inquire its price, expostulate
at the dearness, hesitate moment or
two and then draw out her purse and
march homeward with the coveted fowl
in her possession. Men buy too, and so
do not a few young girls and boys
All seem to get just what they want,
and not many discontented or dissatis-
fed faces are to be seen at any time at
any Of the markets
What right has any enc who is dis
contented or who hasn't the where
withal to buy turkey in the big mar
kets on Thanksgiving eve? They are not
wanted here, and the plenty that is SO
free to the more fortunate would simply
make them more discontented
1t is late, very late, when the crowd of
buyers begins to grow less, and it is
much later when the last cash trans
action has been made How many Of
the buyers have thought rs they pro-.
vided for their own Thanksgiving cheer
of the thousands who viii eat no turkey
ON the morrow?
No one can answer this question, but
we know that some have; we know that
many baskets have been carried away
from the great markets laden with good
things for others than the purchasers;
we know that while the ostensible spirit
Of thankfulness has been quite smothered
in many a breast by the spirit of selfish
anticipation of good things to eat on the
morrow many a table scantily spread on
most days viii then groan under good
things thoughtfully and unobtrusively
provided by generous hands and hearts
and purses
And there is no better time, well fed
reader, whether you live in town or
country, for you to mingle generosity to
your less fortunate friends with thank
fulness for your own material prosperity
than this Thanksgiving season.