The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-12-06

But the air is full OF the Christmas spirit and
the shops are filling with Christmas goods
The Christmas shoppers are not yet numerous,
although parents who are blessed with
numerous progeny whose stockings will have
to be filled and people Of plethoric purses and
generous hearts who make it custom to
remember their friends at Christmas time are
beginning to stir about gathering together the
little gifts they mean to distribute when the
great holiday arrives. And these are the wise
ones who go early and avoid the rush of
shoppers that throng the streets and the stores
during the week before Christmas. Then
clerks are busy and shopping is bore and a
trial. Those who take time by the forelock,
moreover, have the first choice Of the odd,
beautiful, and artistic things specially de-
signed for the holiday trade and have an al
most unbroken array to select from at their
leisure.
a tour through the shops at this time is
well worth taking, unless one is Of such
disposition that they are made discontented
because they haven't the money to buy all
the beautiful objects they see. People Of this
kind had better stay at home, for never before,
1t seems, was there such an endless variety of
articles of use and adornment specially de-
signed to catch the fancy of the Christmas
shopper. In almost every line of business
some effort is made to put on the market
articles of style and beauty that will make
them specially appropriate for holiday gifts.
OF course the most beautiful and attractive
trinkets are to be found in the jewelry stores.
'sSilver,' explained Mr. Gait. of the firm of
Gait Brothers, sis the craze this season, and
never before have we had SO many and so
beautiful designs" A leather case, topped
with silver, and designed for holding tele-
gram blanks writing tablets, and similar ma
terials, is one of the most artistic and useful
novelties made for the season. A combina-
tion foot-rule and pencil in silver was pretty
and convenient. Another design, delicate
and taking, was tea-strainer in the form of
fsherman's dip-pet. A new form of the
Washington spoon was what is known as the
open-work and displaying one of the flowers
found in this climate, each spoon representing
q different flower.
'Here," said Mr.. Galt holding up what
appeared to be a very small lady's gold
watch, 'is the novelty Of the season. 1t Ia an
you will observe three small square openings
protected by glass. Nothing can be seen now
through those openings, but, touching spring
hero at the side clock-like machinery within
is set In motion, and waiting moment or two
until IL ceases or runs down, the faces of three
miniature dice are shown. In this instance
they are, respectively, 3-2-6; throw, in other
words, of II. But the machinery inside is so
arranged that no one can correctly determine
what the result will be- AS a convenient and
beautiful piece of workmanship it is perhaps
without an equal. They are the fad in New
York In jewelry, as In stationery this season,
the fetr de Us and the love knot are the pre-
yailiDg designs. You will find them in lace,
scarf, and bonnet pins, set in diamonds,
conch, opal, and colored pearls, and, indeed, in
all other practical designs new stone this
season, and one which will be deservedIy
popular, Is the Olioene, an oliye-colored
emerald, but more costly than the emerald.
In fans nothing but orchids and pansies are
used for decorative purposes. Gerard, Tutin,
Eudes, Kiezor, Iolaskie, Rose, Marie, and
Donamiel, the French masters in such work,
have decreed their use.
At Brentano's Mr.. Harrison, apolite attache,
said that in their goods the rage for silver or
namentation predominated. Every use pos
sible was made OF the metal. Large blotting
pads, with delicately wrought silver corners
presented beautiful and useful appearance.
The latest fad is to supply every guest-room
with them as we'll as with ink stands and
other writing materials. The library is, of
course, even more fully provided, and il one
would be in good form only silver should be
used-that Is, silver check cutters, silver
paper cutters, and silver ink stands, blotters,
calendars, and wax-lights. The wax-lights
are dainty little silver spirit lamps, in the
blaze OF which the wax is burned One will
have no difficulty in obtaining shade of
color to one's liking, for no less than thirty
ak different shades OF the purest French wax
may be selected from.
a novelty for this Christmas season, and
one which will be appropriate at all other
seasons, is souvenir mother Of pearl paper
cutter. On it is stamped in silver neat cut
OF the White House, and hence 1t is called the
White House paper cutter.
A novelty in a full-dress shirt protector
shown at SakB ~ Co.'s. Is of uuiltad silk and
differs from the old style In having a double
breasted fold instead OF being one piece. In
canes the very latest ideas are handles of
rhinoceros tusks, reindeer hoofs, and In UNI