The morning times., 1895-12-25
Merry Throngs Filled the Streets
and Stores.
CARNIVAL ON THE AVENUE
Thousa nds Swarmed From One End
of the Town 10 the Other, Crowded
Each Other ON the Sidewalks and
Liked It-Came Empty Handed
and Went Home Laden.


old Eve for the same old Adam and his
eyed, frosty-bearded Santa Claus rolled
over the Long Bridge, in the first star
shine, TO the music OF the sundown gun
at Fort Myer. The same old Shetland
ponies spun along the turnpike on the way
to Washington, with the same old tinkiing
tinsel reins, and silver horns sounding
merrily. The same old fat finger touched
the baton, and the world began to spin
round on its axis once more, with the hum
and the blstle and the heart melodies OF
Merry Christmas.
Santa Claus is the postmaster in the
miracles of this merry season He has been
in town by proxy for. 10, these many days,
but he is here now in the flesh. He has
turned on the lights in the palace parlors
and the garrets. He has unlocked prison
doors. he has poured new Wine into Old
bottles, ana some wine into empty bottles.
GOOD CHEER EVERYWHERE.
He has spread plum pudding all over
the District of Columbia and has intro
duced mince pies on KalOrama Heights.
There is roast beef in South and West
Washington. and spiced punch and toy
balloons. There is crab-applc jelly and
b. Juice. hot and cold. and sparkling
champagne in the glorious Northwest.
There is love and joy .tholly and mistlctoe,
and baked meats in that part Of Washington
in which first shonc the star OF the East:
and east. north. south. aud west from the
Potomac to Chevy Chase, from Rock
Creek to the Eastern Branch, the glOries
of the season are four stories high. ac-
cor,,ing to the midnight report from the
observatory of The Washington Times,
where the prophet Of the season blew his
blast of Merry Christmas TO the sleeping
world of Washington this morning.
The great prince of plum pudding and
stuffed stockings performed one of his
best miracles yesterday afternoon and
evening when he invited the merry world
of the city out on the streets. 1t was
the biggest show OF the season. a May
fair. a vanity fair and all the fairs OF the
season rolled into one.
Every one OF the big avenues, Penn
syivania. Seventh street, + street, Four
tcenth street. and Ninth street especially,
was crowded from after dinner until
after midnight. All the rushers of the
gridirons couldn't make a touchdown
through that ineffabieInasS of men, women.
babies and bundles. Three great. big
everlasting streams met at the corner OF
Seventh street and Pennsylvania avenue
and made up one of those Kaleidoscope
pictures for which that spot is famous in
these hours and times of piping peace.
STREET FAKIRS GALORE.
At dusk the place was ablaze with
light and resounding with the din of the
open air merchants of toys, trees, bushes,
branches, twigs wreaths, candies, fruits,
horns. balloons, jumping jacks, fluttering
butterflies, joint snakes bicycle monkeys,
crawling terrapin, live mice, alligators,
drums. trunlpets, express wagons, whistling
canaries. and all the other beasts, birds,
and fishes that are to make the young
world happy, until they are all lost in
: the shuttle for the New Year.
And what n marvel ii was that the
children did not get lost in the unspeak-
able mix-up. Thousands aud thousands
of these little people went by. and back
aud forth. wriggling in and out, suggest
ing the truth of the old saw that it is a
wise child that knows its own father,
much less its mother, in such n monde
script tumble of the humauities. The
scene also suggested the truth that man
once in a way is a beast of burden, and
the more humps on the Christmas Eve
camel the better for him and his numerous
progeny.
WAITED TILL THE LAST MINUTE.
1t was the same old story of procrasti-
nation which explained the presence on
the streets of the serried ranks miles
long on Fourteenth street. all the way
from the Capitol to Ninth street on F. all
the way on Ninth street. all the way on
Seventh street. and all the way on the
beau tiful, glttering avenue, with its
jeweled windows and glorious fronts.
One or two hundred thousand people,
who had. since last Christmas, TO make
up their minds what to buy for other
people. put il off Till yesterday and then
went out to settle that grave question;
and that is the reason why one-half of
the city was rushing around the other
half. dragging wild-eyed children around
by the hands TO get through the business
of the year in a few hours.
And that is what made the living charm
of the Christmas Eve; that made one of the
pictures that only the great Russian artist
can paint, something to sleep on and 10
dream over, lovely girls, good natured men,
and matroniy women, Silks, satins, plumes,
bright eyes, laughing voices, rosy cheeks.
and chubby cheeks the rattle of tin things,
the biare of trumpets, the roll of wagon
wheels, the rataplan OF drums the whistle
of wooden birds, the graceful curves of red
balloons, bundles of things for stockings,
papers and packages, pies. cakes, knick-
knacks and nightmare.
The out-of-doors fair lasted till midnight
with the many, and till sunrise with the
few. The iron mOnetones OF the great bells
of the city and the sweet chimes of Christ
mas bells as the clcck hands pointed to 12
last night proclaimed the enthronement
of the eternal genius of this day that we all
nope to celebrate.
Santa Claus himself went to sleep a mid
night and of all his many speeches to old
folks and slumbering babies, in palaces or
novels, in town or country, his last was the
best as he went to sleep:
"God bless US every one."