The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-25
The YEARS Greatest DAY
Every where Mas Hustle and Hurry
Yesterday in Preparation.
GENEROSITY TO THE POOR
UnfOrtunatcs Of All Classes viii no Made
TO Feel That They Are Not Alto.
gcthcr Fursokcn-NOblc Work
Of the AssOc In ted Charities.

|
flying to note, will from all appear
ances gang a glee this year, for the
week that closed Saturday night was
the healthiest in the year and the re-
ports so far this week indicate that the
present division Of seven days will wit
ness an equally light death rate. Again,
the complaint that snow and cold
weather are necessary fOr good Christ
| mas trade Is not likely to be popular
| this year.
| Notwithstanding the fact that the
weather has been so mild during the
holiday Season that boys brought out
their bats and balls and other imple-
| mentS of summer games, business has
been exceedingly good. The period of
business prosperity which set in with
the fall is accountable for the brisk
trade that has made the merchants so
| happy. Every branch Of industry has
experienced a revival and the people as
a consequence can afford to enjoy
| Christmas.
That they are enjoying it is best evil
denced by the freedom with which
money has been spent during the past
two days. Monday night every wide
awake merchant In the central city
mad more than he could do to wait upon
his trade and last night the crowds of
shoppers and sightseers that thronged
the principal avenues was simply i'm
mense. At some of the larger stores
the crowds that wanted to get within
| blocked the sidewalk, some people
being compelled to wait for long time
before their turn came to be admitted.
Many stores kept open till well nigh
midnight so great was the rush of
business. Santa Claus will certainly
be more popular in Scranton about
daybreak this morning than he has
| been in number Of years.
Ono Hive Of Activity.
One Of the most busy places in the
city yesterday was the headquarters of
the Associated Charities In the base
ment of the city hall There Mrs. Dug
gan. the indefatigable agent of the
board with the assistance of Mrs. Flah-
erty and Miss Kiesel and corps of
men prepa.ed and sent forth Christmas
cheer by the wagon load to those who
but for the charity of their fellow be-
ings would find Christmas little else
than reminder Of their forlorn con-
ditiOn. During the entire afternoon
throngs of little children crowded about
the entrance to the park commissioners
Office, where the board had their head
| quarters established, and each in turn
received flour sack, almost as long as
the bearer in some cases, each sack
filled to the top with toys, candles.
oranges. nuts. picture books, games and
the like.
They could not suppress their child
ish curiosity until they got home but
in nearly every instance began an in
vestigation of the contents of the bag
before they got away from the city
hall. The big steps in front of the
building was favorite place to conduct
these eXaminat tiOns, and nobody
growled when they had to take cir
cuitous route or pick their way through
the spread out toys in order to get in
or out of the building
No one could be aught but happy in
contemplating the genuine happiness of
the little tots surveying the treasures
of the fioursack cornucopia and then
scampered off in great glee to let moth
er and Willie and Annie see what
Santa Claus "brung"
Sixty-Fivc Families Cared For.
In addition to all this sixty-five differ
ent families were provided with Christ
mas dinners. Turkeys. chickens. vege-
tables and pastries were given out
with no stinted hand. Frank Cobb
furnished wagon and into this pack
ages each containing enough and to
spare for one family, were loaded and
delivered. Some of the recipients called
and received their share and left their
blessings for the good people that so
kindly remembered them.
One neatly dressed woman who was
left in destitute circumstances by the
death of her husband and who had
never before that knew what it was to
need charity said as she received a
lucky package:
II wouldn't be able to come here II it
wasn't that couldn't see the children
without their Christmas. It's pretty
hard to think that your own little ones
would have to listen to other children
talking about their Christmas and
them not able to have one" Everybody
that came however did not receive the
same treatment.
See that woman sitting there" said
Mrs. Duggan, pointing out to Tribune
man comfortably dressed. large, bold
faced woman who was occupying the
only chair about the place. "She is an
imposter and is well known as a per-
sistent beggar to all the 4 arity organ
izations. To my personal knowledge
mas dinners from church charities and
the like She is well taken care of, but
still She will go out begging"
When her turn came she was told
that she would be sent for when want
ed. She took the very broad hint and
disappeared.
At tho Charitable Institutions.
About sixty-fve families were pro-
vided with dinners and three hundred
children were given Christmas.
through the agency of the Associated
Board of Charities.
The Ladies' Guild Of St Luke's church
provided dinners for forty families and
many other church charities also did
much quiet good in this direction.
All the charitable institutions. the
Home for the Friendless, st. PatricKs
Orphanage, House Of the Good Shep-
herd, Florence Mission. st. Joseph's
Home, and others of less prominence
were kindly remembered. Even the
paupers at the Hillside Home will be
made to forget their poverty today by
the poor boards munificence and all the
recipients Of outdoor relief were re-
minded of the season by a twenty per
cent raise in their monthly allowance
The one hundred ana ten prisoners at
the county Jail will have turkey and
trimmings for dinner today through the
generosity of Sheriff Clemons and Chief
Simpson has told the city caterers to
take good care Of our poor unfortunates
who may have to spend the day behind
station house bars.
It will no doubt be a great source Of
consolation today as Tribune readers
who gather round their "groaning
boards" to think that everything has
t,ao,, done that cOllld he done to prevent