The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-25
HOWNEWY ORK SHOPS
$40. 600 PASS OVER THE COUNT
KRIS FOR SANTA CLAUS THINGS.
MANY SHOPPING GROUNDS.
The Fifth Avenue Buyer Makes $50
600 Gifts, and the shopper OF
Veaey street Hasglea over Five
Cent Purchases.

NEW YORK. Dec. 1s-Some person with
e love for large figures has SAID tnA1 W
Christmas week $40, 100000 are hanaeu oNS-
the counters OF this city as InAputs "
Santa Clans That sum may sound su6pl-
ciously great. and the statistician IolsHl Ds
CHARGED with the evil Of eZaggeratlon, Dut
when it IS remembered thar gus ~ toS
millions Of people are purclAaseu ~ 80
600 600 do not seem too large 1or tAS -o-a--
An average Of tribe over S6 per person Is
large, OF small, according 70 tns me- ny a. - a.
rank OF the reade- and in New YORK u 10
particularly dffcult to strike q fair average
because OF the extremes Of poVeley 3A1
wealth. L.
ms Fifth avenue millionaire gives hls
wife a $40 600 diamond necklace, Wnlle tne
father Of the East Side brings JOY 20 the
heart of the child Of the Ienenn shts 49, @
gaudily painted ten cent toy 9nS - =
mas a helf doz6n years ago, Wltliai-t n
Vanderbilt gave his wife. now mrs. 6el
mont a pearl necklace that cost MN $500
GOO to gather the fifteen feet OF iI 80
pearls together. That same Chrls.llas
more than one child found hilarious oeilslt
In a nickel toy. Three Christmastldes peSA
John D. Rockefeller sent G. checA TOT sAVe'
coo 70 the Fifty-seventh street RAY-la-
Church as a holiday offering, and the same
day the organ grinder OF Mulberry 49,
dropped a couple OF coppeEs III Sne "a
Of the italian church in Roosevelt street.
So much cor the extremes OF OnAlsellis-7
giving in New York
THE CHRISTMAS EVE CROWD.
FiIllv one-half Of the Christmas shopping
Is done the day and the night before Cnflsl-
mas not ore-baIf financially, but numerlc-
aITv The -,oderatelv Door. the poor and the
very door must wait until the last LllnLe
10 pef their small funds together for the
great event. The money GIT OF tne ~
pInver TO the brea dwinner OF the nanny ~
made the day before Christmas. ana oLIen
times the extent Of that gift deteIin
the scope of the Christmas shopping lot tLe
family. Aeein if Christmas comes near the
end Of the week as It does this year, many
viii get their weeks pay on Inursua5
night
Another. potent reason for delaying the
shopping to the last minute is that things
are cheaper on Christmas eve than earn
IN the week TOYS and games end clothing
have suffered from the rough hanailnsf
there are rips and tears which, however
can be easily sewed ups paint mas peen
scraped off. parts Of games lost and numef-
Gus other mishaps have occurred az OF
which induces the shop owner to make
material reduction in his prices AGAIN:
he does not want to carry single piece or
his Christmas stock over for a year. as ne
loses the use of the money So he is eager
to mark things down to the real cost. or
tride below If need be. to get rid Of them
WHERE POVERTY SHOPS
People who nave to watch the pennies
are quick to recognize these advantages
So Christmas eva rs the great shopping time
for the lower part Of town and the East
Side Vesey street is the Christmas eve
stamping ground Of the old First and
Fourth Warders. The people for the most
part in this district esteem themselves
lucky if they can spend 50. and as this sum
has to supply the Christmas dinner. as we'll
to bring Santa Claus to an ahnormaliy
large family Of children, sharp bargaining
must be done
Pushearts line the street from Broadway
TO the North River. and almost anything
from heavy clothing household furniture.
kitchen utensils to tiny gimcrack toys can
be bought. Ten cents is the prevailing
price for the average run Of things. and at
q squeeze this can be brought down to
nine. or even eight cents.
Grand street is the center Of the great
East Side. The Bowery boy buys the Bow
cry girl q 90 cent diamond ring there. and
she recirroeates by purchasing 7-caret. 79-
cent diamond stud Women with seven or
eight children tOddling along In open
mouthed wonder manage to get through the
alarming crush with their trancelike charges
in some remarkable way. A man with a
hobby horse on one shoulder. a velocipede