New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-23
A CONVERTED PESSlMIST.
HE FOLLOWS THE ADVICE or HIS FRlENp' I'M
oI'rIMIsT AND SEES PROSPECTS OF OLD
TIME CHRISTMAS CHEER.

HE FOLLOWS THE ADVICE Or HIS rhii'''' $500
opTIMIsT. AND SEES PROSPECTS OF OLD
TIME CHRISTMAS CHEER.
The Great American Pessmlst and his trenu'
the Genial Optmist, sat at dinner on FRIDAY ",sn'
They were both in their usual frames or MIND
IN ono ploomy and sour the other bright ana
,heorful This Will be- poor Christmas sa"
the Pessirnlst as he goomly peered INTO NE
empty wneglass. there IS no money IN circuia
ton: trade everywhere and In every Drahcn Vi "
is depressed and hundreds upon numerous VI
families will have to forego their usual christmas
,I,r,,ions The times are 50 very bad. and
the Pessimst sighed.
Vow look here" said his Jolly friehd' W" ~
making IA mistake. Have you been arou"n any
where? Have you seen the sights have ~"
visited the stores walked in the streets w"e'e
IN. treat stores are? No. or course you nave
not Now. Just take a trip tomorrow anu sec "
your present gloom Is not dissipated
Tba Great American Pessimist shook his head
SADLY but resolved to try the experiment. Il
will pass away hour or 80, ne saiu ~ MIN
self: so early yesterday morning ne star'eu ~ III
spect and revel in the gloom Of halfdeser'ed stores
and in the dearth OF Christmas shoppers anu
Christmas greens and Christmas good cheer gen
orally But he did not revel In these his imaSh-
ings At o'clock p. II. yesterday ne sent Il i.o'e
to the Genial Optlm.st: Dine with me We
something to tell you
So again last night the Pesslmist ana the Up
m
hrirhf and he was no longer pessmist lie had
hocn converted He had seen crowded streets
GREAT stores filed with every imaginable article
and he had seen the "hundreds upon hundreds OF
the dism?l families OF his gloomy prophecy SurS-
ing IN and out Of the stores and buying lree'S'
laughing and chatting, bright-eyed ana fiIea WIN
r,caqant anticlpations % next Tuesday morning
..voll l." said tho cheerful Opt!mIst az the smoke
cur,od No from h's cigar. you have something 70
tell me- | believe
II have" replied tho Converted Pessimis'
followed your advice. and found that was "'o"s
in my assertions o; last night have oeeh an
over town and am glad OF It. / started up IN
Harlem yesterday. and began to visit the stores
tbo-e | found them damned. Why. II was nara
work 10 get into any OF them. and harder TO eet
out, one hundred and-twenty- hfth-st. looked HE
broadway on Saturday afternoon Didn't kno"
there were so MANI people up there.
They were all poor and gloomy and were gazing
nIaifully at the wares they could no' guy Oh AZ
count % hard times. suppose. remarked 'ne
Genial Optimist. with covert sarcasm
Keep quiet now. II YOU want TO hear my story
,,suercd tho Converted Pcsslmist. Waiter. mother
bottle. Well Nent mo n nss - ibc drm and
do YOU know that man tol me that his business
Tc,fcr fham al last Chris,mas-tide didn't half
believe him then. FOR you see my conversion hau
The q Mai Optimist was all ears. c.u
The bottle came was sampled and the con-
resumed RS"sht xt that there you'd Here Ss
Vel" said his friend: impaten1tly. mia,
fourd' replied ii the tx fnisan,hrope y rode down
to Wcs, Twenty -hrd-st and SHrh, H siog ar1
aFei 9T9"sh rom he f Inclination "' S@, o
rom Necessity. Any one would have thouEhii
& %aS T Ine S G %cys Immense Tho bs
glass doors % The stores TGrs on r enr H. Show
windows which wasn't often-I saw so many Jolly,
icwiicrcd. And VAS as much ielish,,l ~ , on,
country cousins who were present IN large mum
There nave been hundreds OF them at the hotels
all this week" interrupted the Optimist saw 4
b 90 tb"'r houses had held many visitors from
Lonely crest and other such places but ,ha' ny
Rad ended Their shopping ana were so'"s "o'"'
And wen laden. too" said the Converted Pessi,
mist "llui listen now. From Twenty -thrd-st !
walked down SiNth-aVe. and visited about every
biz store In that street II was the Same scene
rushing ana pushing crowds. The street 'fakirs
were also doing a nne trade and seemsd 10 i,, be
owners Of the biz stores Why YOU could buy real
Engsh holly Tor 10 cents from them. and they
not even begin TO describe them Ana AL the big
stores reported IA rushing business In fact they
christmas Eve until 10 o'clock FOR the accommoda-
Then went downtown on the East sid Side in
o;rand-st Ever been down there NO. Wei you
should 20. The street was so crowded that man
could only crawl along instead OF walk. noticed.
too. that while the goods offered for sale were
marked at lower prices than At the uptown stores.
they seemed to be about the same IN quality ana
variety. The good trade reported down
In Grandst as uptown In iact. think II was
better. for there was more OF rush. at least.
IL seemed TO me.
THE shoppers sometimes were little bit eau
tious about buying. for they wanted 10 make n
lttle go Il long way. and they succeeded. too |
guess"
Then the Converted Pessimist said after a pause:
81 have already told YOU that | am glad that
followed your advice. | repeat II. My rambles
yesterday have shown~ me that New-iork people
can rise superior to hard times that trade good
and that happiness Will reign Tuesday. Here's
you"