Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-12-18
ALL BUYING PRESENTS.
CROWDS ON TIE STREETS TELL THAT CHRIST
MAS IS NEAR.
Wheeling Rapidly Assuming Her Holiday Attire
Scenes in the Shopping Sections as the
EVsntful Day Draws Near-Don't
Forget Your Present

One more week and Christmas will be
here. The crowds that surged on mar
ket and Main street last night told
that there was NO need for q calendar.
The merry Yule tide is fast approach
ing, with attendant joys, pleasures and
delights. Happy indeed is be who can
roam about the shopping district Of
Wheeling with well-flled purse.
Who was the old curmudgeon that
first devoutly returned thanks because
Christmas came only osce a year. NO
matter, the sacreligious wretch deserves
to die unwept, unhonored and unsung,
for the chances are he was a squeez-
! ing, wrenching, grasping, scraping,
clutching, covetous sinner, just ike
old Scrooge, who, Dickens declared,
iced his Office in the dog days,
and didn't thaw it one de-
gree at Christmas. Thus the
charitable, benevolent, amiable old
party, whom Dickens has so killfully
portrayed in his famous Christmas
Carol, story that is familiar to every
school girl and school boy. But, Allah
be praised There are not many Of the
Scrooge type to be found in generous,
! liberal-minded Wheeling. That Wheel
is open-hearted in time OF need has been
demonstrated on more occasions than
one; and the city never forgets holl-
day, and on the memorable Christmas
there are probably few cities OF the
size where more Of Joy and happiness
prevails. The giving and receiving OF
presents is quite general, and Christmas
| shopping is a great feature OF life here
! just at present.
In the matter Of shopping, the ladies,
perhaps, lead. Were it not for the en-
thusiasm displayed by the women folks
at Christmas time, the store keepers
would do a sorry business, and the
children would soon forget the Joyous
sivnificanceot the season. Not that the
! ladies. bless their hearts, are extrava-
CANT. The average woman will make
! ive-dollar bill buy more aud batter
presents than a man who spends as
much again, TO say nothing OF the ex-
ouisite enjoyment she experiences while
laying out her capital.
Perhaps it is well that the ladies are
occasionally compelled to get their hus-
bands to do their shopping for them, as
the lesson incucated is not without its
weight. The man is usually in such a
haste to get the purchase safe in his
rocket THAI he will thankfully accept
the first article that is displayed, plank
down the cash and hurriedly make his
exit, mentally avowing that he will
never undertake such commission for
! his wife again.
Although the weather was not all
that could be desired yesterday, as the
heavens were dubious throughout the
day, still 1t did not seem TO materially
deter the shoppers, as they were out in
large numbers yesterday afternoon, and
more so last evening, when Market
street, from the postoffice to Twelfth,
was a moving mass of humanity. It
wos an interesting sight TO look from
some high window at the surging
throng as it swayed to and fro, chang
ing and interchanging. There was
constant Changing of store doors, and
repeated partings Of "Thank you,
madame; come again" and out went
bupdles upon bundles Into the sea OF
walking humanity. A stranger alight-
ing in Wheeling last night for the
first time would have taken
this for place of $4,000 sonls. For a
few hours last evening pedestriauism
along Market street was attended with
some difficulty. The rich, the poor; the
middle class, the upper class; the resi-
dents of the suburbs and the members
of the smart set; the lowly laborer and
the capitalist--all were together in the
tidal wave Of humanity, and upon their
minds was craven deeply the one word
christmas.
The shop windows, with their many
l ehts attracted the thousands, and at
several places the crowds completely
took up the sidewalk and made locomo-
! ton difficult. The decorations OF many
LOT the windows are worthy OF more than
IA passing glance.
N There were few men who plucked up
Enough courage to go and make purch-
ses at the dry goods stores, and they
Mid very well FOR amateurs Mep. IS :
rule, are not in the habit oi being wait
IHa nDon hy young ladies' and when
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