St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-07
THOUSANDS OF DIMES
PAID FOB ADMISSION TO TIE CLASS
BLOCK LAST NIGHT.
AID Foa LOCAL CHARITIES.
The Holiday Opening of Donald.
sons Establishment Brilliant
Affair = The People Flock
There by the Thousands and
Bring Their Dimes With Them
"A Handsome Sum Realized.

An event occurred in this city last
night which seemed to indicate that
times are not SO almighty hard as some
people think they are. 1t was the holt
day opening of Donaldson's Glass block.
If the admission TO the store
upon this occasion had been free
the mere fact that the people crowded it
from top to bottom would not have sig
nified that money was any easier. 1t
would have simply demonstrated that
the weather was not inclement and that
the Glass Block is a popular institu-
ton, especially On its annual opening
nights. But the admission was not
free. 1t cost every man,
woman and child one dime to
enter the store. They raised
their dimes and came in droves. And
in doing this they did well, for all of
those dimes were donated to charitable
institutions. How many of these were
received was not announced last night,
but anybody who attended the opening
knows there must have been several
thousand of them. All of which goes TO
show that Imagination is largely ac-
countable for these so-cailed hard times,
or, as the immortal William Shakespeare
has put ii. There's nothing either
good or evil but thinking makes it sO.'
1t would be an endless task to de-
scribe the appearance of the Interior of
the Glass Block as il looked last night,
with its crowds OF people on every floor,
its attractive display of holiday goods,
its beautiful and artistic decOra-
tons, all brilliantly Illuminated,
1..,t al Nd
niably the most interesting. its smiling
salesgirls all ''dressed up" for the oc.
casion. To add to the charm of the
scene, DanZ's band played the most
appropriate kind of music during the
entire evening. There was vocal music
too, furnished by the Temple quartette
and colored Quartette composed of
the porters employed in the store.
The decorations in the center of the
building were beautiful. The balconies
which overlook the court were draped
and hung with ornamental goods, and
the landings between the stairways
were almost hidden by lofty Christmas
trees with their gold and silver fruit
Two handsome wax figures stood
upon pedestals on opposite sides of the
first landing, where the band was sta
toned. One represented Justice"
and the other Plenty" with golden
cornucOpia pouring out its wealth of
fruit at her feet. The people pressed
close to the ratings OH each floor and
gaZed upon the scene, admiring the ar
tiStic grouping Of the decorations and
the rich harmony of color, and enjoying
the delightful music which float
ed from behind the Christmas
was the second floor, which is devoted
to the millinery ana cloak departments.
But it looked more like reception room
last evening than anything else. Ladies
and gentlemen gathered in little groups
of three and four and chatted together
as though they had met in parlOr. 1t
was novel and attractive spectacle.
But there were some folks who could
not spare dime to see the sights
within the building. and they were the
street urchins. For these little fellows
free show was provided, which tick
led them more than anything to be seen
inside. In one of the show windows
the fascinating story of old Santa
Claus was told III dramatic pantu-
mime. The children stood with their
noses pressed against the big plate glass
window and gaZed into a room in which
two little ones-not real boys, of course,
but very like them-lay in their trundle
bed fast asleep. But the children were
not looking at the trundIe bed. Their
eyes were riveted OH the open fire place
in the other corner of the room, as
though they expected somebody was
going TO come down the chimney. When
at last Santa Claus legs lit on the
hearthstone those children just shouted
and danced with glee, and kept it up
until Santa Claus had filled the little
ones stockings with delicious candies.
smothered the Christmas tree with toys
and vanished up the chimney without
waking the little sleepers.
The receipts of the opening will be
distributed among the following local
charities:
Home for Children and Aged Women,
Northwestern hospital, Sheltering
Arms, the Ladies' Hebrew Benevolent
society, Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess'
home, Little Sisters of the Poor, House
of the Good Shepherd. Catholic Orphan
sylum, Young Women's Christian
association and Maternity hospital.