The evening world., 1891-12-25
How the Gifts Were Made, and
How Received
Scenes and Incidents Noted at
the Places Of Distribution.
Contributors to tho Fund May Hero
Enjoy Their Reward.


Merry Chrstmasi" One and all,
SO the dancing children call.
That is, when they have time. But on this
particular Christmas morning more than
80, 900 children OF this metropolis and It's
most immediate ncighbors were too busily
occupied In another way than extending
merry Christmas" greetings.
Not that they didu't appreciate the. day.
My, but they did that And they had good
reason. They were the army OF little ones
for whom The EVENING WORLD as the dis
tributing agent of great body OF generous
friends OF children, had provided splendid
array OF toys and candies and apples and all
sorts OF things that would serve purposes OF
entertainment, or of delight to the palate, or
OF practical everyday use. In other words,
these were the bene nefciaries OF THE EVEN
ING WORLDS third annual Chrlstmas-Tree
Fund.
Without the Fund and its generous con-
tributors these children OF the very poor
would have had no Christmas. However,
since the Fund existed. that IS neither here
nor there, and the main point is asto how
the candy and toys and all the rest were dis
tributed and received.
| The difficulty Is to decide where to begin
the story. It's easy to say one will jump
right into the subject and go ahead, but when
it's n question If the goings-on ut seven
crowded halls, OF presents given out to such
an enormous host OF youngsters as those
figures indicate above, and OF all the work
and hustle and merry noise which are part OF
the business, one Is for moment puzzled
as to where he shall jump.
i,,at fprn n rnI, not oh
to AFFORD basis for further details, just con-
slider six tons OF candy as lump. Isn't that
an aggregate Of sweetness large enough TO
command your respcct2 Well, that had to
be parcelled out in pretty boxes so that each
child who came to each hall where the dis
tribution was going on should get one.
There is a tangible element In the big COM
posite AFFAIR. Everybody got candy. But of
course there had to be other things Girls
had to have dolls and dolls playthings-tiny
sets OF furniture, cooking ranges in miniature
and all that while as for the boys, they must
have trumpets and pop-guns and flutes and
make believe watches and menagerieS and
but what's the use OF particularizing. Take
the complete stock OF more than several
ordinary city shops, in the more common
lines OF toys-Just the things that delight
every child, regardless OF color or nation
and there you have pretty nearly the assort-
ment that this grand Chrlstmas-Tree Furd
purchased, or that good friends sent in direct,
without price.
Why, bless you, there were 10000 OF those
trumDets and flutes alone. And 1000 bright,
whirling tops. Then there were dolls, num-
bcring into thousands, the iigures OF which
you would hardly believe, though they were
Just as true as any story that George Wash
ington ever told.
And there. or course not word has been
said yet about gingersnaps-barrels OF EN-
and fancy cakes. and popcorn and red apples.
Oh, it's such list!
But the stock didn't stop with things good
to eat or to play with. There were In each
hall great piles OF childrcn's jerseys, knit
hoods, scarfs, ear-mufls, fur capes, nuns,
shoes, rubber boots, handkerchefs, baby
bibs, collars, jackets and scores OF other
things that some little boys, and girls were
sorely IN need OF.
| And where ami how were these things all
gotten together and then all sent out To the
points OF distribution.
Well, THE EVENING WORLD had big store.
| nOuSc Nv - THlu AVENUE, anu ~ Nas thcIt
that the great bulk OF purchased and con.
| trlbuted goods was first taken. In charge OF
this place was George NJ. Wood. Ably assist
ing In the tremendous work OF classifying
and parcelling out the goods were
the members OF an unselllsh corps OF ladies
and gentlemen, among them being Miss Mar.
guerte ST. John, Mrs. Royal Keith, Mrs. 10
seph McKeever, Winnie shannon, Eflie Shan.
non, Alice Z. Ives. Mrs shannon, Louise
Gerard, Misses Natalie and Ernest!ne Lam.
bert, Miss Hummersinger, Royal Keith, Geo
VI. Weed, Albert q. Theiss the tenor singer
Henry Levy, the boy pianist; Little Johnny
! McKcyer, the baby yiolinist and skirt dancer
AS to the halls for distribution, II sou liv,
near any one OF them, you know that one
Tor you saw the bright-faced throng which
began to gather there early this morning
every child with an EVENING WORLD tlckeI
clutched tightly In hand, a wealth OF antici
patton stirring each young brain. But, a!
you could only live near one OF the halls any
way, the full list is given for your especia
benCnt.
In New York, the points OF distribution
were the Grand Opcra-Iiouse, az Wcs
Twcnty-thrd street and Eighth avenue; the
Broadway und Fifty-seyenth street; Miner''
well-known Peoples Theatre, on the Bowcry,
Nilsson Hail, In Fifteenth street, near ThirC
avenue, and the Harlem Theatre, IN East One
Hundred and Twenty-ilith street, near Thirt