The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-27
BUSINESS BAD AT BERLIN.
CHEAP ARTICLES BOUGHT ron
CHRISTMAS GIFTS.

ShOpiSeepers Greatly Disappointed
at the Character of Their Sales.
The Usual Christmas Eve Scenes
Enacted at the Royal Palace at
POtsdam-NIOre Attention Paid 20
Charity Than in Former Years.
Large Appropriation for the Army.
Copyright, 1885, by the United Associated
Presses.
Berlin, Dec. 26.-The Christmas holidays
this year have been very much duller than
for many years past. The tradesmen
have been greatly dissatisfied at the lack
of holiday business In comparison with
other years. and the working men have
been discontented at the slaekness of
work, and the consequent scarcity of mon
ey, with which to provide their families
with the bare necessities of life. to say
nothing OF the purchase of Christmas
goods. Added TO this state of affairs, the
damp, raw weather which mas prevailed
for the last few days, and sun endures
has had a dspiriting effect upon every
body, the absence of the ola time crisp
frosts at Christmas tide having deprived
the period of Its usual gown of festivity
of bad business, but they all agree in de-
claring that this year 1t is far worse. 1t
is not the lack of attractive inducements
that retard shoppers from buying. There
was never better display in the shop
windows, nor was there ever so tastefully
an arrangement of holiday goods under
the brilliancy of electric lights, or more
elaborate drapery of the stores. Never
ha 10 apH al ~ trnApQ.
men, who were relying upon reaping a
harvest through their Christmas sales,
are complaining bitterly of their inabil-
ity to do a satisfactory or even moderate
degree of business, and it is only the
cheaper toy shops and stores dealing in
fancy articles that are doing any busi-
ness at all.
Though less money has been spent in
the purchase of Christmas presents, how
ever. a great deal more than usual has
been bestowed upon the absolutely dest-
tute classes. In addition to those already
existing two night refugees were opened
on Christmas eve, where yesterday tood
and clothing were distributed TO hundreds
Zars in behalf Of various charities, has
also increased, and house to house coll
lections to aid poor children have been
made. In consequence OF TINS charltaple
work there were general Christmas treata
of dinners at the asylums, prisons, casual
wards, soup kitchens, donations to hos
pitals, ETC.. to a degree of beneficence be-
yond precedent. The donations exceeded
all previous years In respect OF abund-
ance, and the charities to which tney
We're devoted were much wider In scope.
The emperor's two eldest sons, Crown
Prince William and Prince Eitel Fred
eriok, arrived at the new palace az Pots
dam Tuesday from Ploen College eo where ere
purpose Of. enjoying the holidays with
their parents. On Christmas eve the lm-
perial family and the servants OF thelr
household assembled in the anteroom or
the apartments of the empress, where the
empress and her children presented the
domestics belonging to the household with
gifts. The emperor and empress, with
the Whole court, and Prince and Princess
of Schaumburg-Lippe then dined IN the
marble hall of the palace. At O'Clock
in the afternoon the Christmas trees were
lighted and the presents displayed in the
grotto of the saloon. Conspicuous upon
the emperors table was an immense silver
goblet and carved clock, 1--WE feet high,
from the Grand Duchess of Baden. the
emperor'S aunt The imperial children
ran about the saloon in high gee show
ing the members OF the court the pres
ents they had received. The Empress
Frederick Is spending the Christmas holi-
days with her SON. Prince Henry Of Prus-
There Is high authority for stating that
the war office Is undecided whether or not
TO present TO the Reichstag bill asking
augmentation Of the artillery branch of
the military at the present session of the
legislative body. The government is anx-
ious to secure an enormous credit for the
purpose of carrying out its plans for the
addition Of new artillery, but there is no
certainty that the present Reichstag will
grant 1t. Gen Won Gossler, minister of
war, in the course Of recent address to
the budget committee of the Reichstag
In regard to new gun which
he described as being superior TO
the new French "Cainet" quick fire gun
asked the members Of the commission 10
observe the strictest secrecy concerning
the gun. Some indiscreet member how
ever, disclosed the whole plan Of the gun
searching inquiry with a view of ascer-
tanning which Of Its members has shown
himself unfit TO be trusted with the se-
crets of the army
Advices from ST. Petersburg say that
sensation has been created there by a Ge-
cision of the holy synod to ex-communi-
cate Count Lyof Tolstoi, the celebrated
Russian author, from the orthodox church
upon the ground that his works are cal
cuiated to and do undermine the churcn.
The synod was melted TO this action by
M. PoDedonostzoff. the procurer general
of the synod, who proposes TO summon
Count Tolstoi before the synod for trial,
which viii involve his being deprived of
his civil rights.
The marine cable has been completed
from Emden, Prussia. to Vlgo, Spain,
tenn with the South American aud other
systems. Capital has been furnished by
an Anglo-German syndicate for the con-
structlon Of the first section of a subma-
rine cable between Germany and the
United States via the Azores.