New-York tribune., 1896-12-23
M PEACE FOR SHOPPERS.
rt,E ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CRUSH IN THE
STORES.
soMr OF THE TYPES TO BE SEEN AT The
CouxTERs-A HARVEST TINE FOR



PETTY THIEVES.
TIA historic words. Peace on earth, goodwill
.ouard men," may and doubtless will have much
..,sht when Christmas Day really arrives, but tho
,ys of the crowds and crowds of shoppers In
broadway and Sixth-ave: yesterday could not be ex-
,.essed IN that well-known language. Yesterday
was not the first OF the great shopping days OF the
veer and II not the last. either The city Is IN
,be midst % the annual crush. and II must be con-
tossed that the crushers do not look as II hey iikeo
q OF course tho peace and goodwill are expected TO
cone later when you get your presents ana reaIi|e
,ha, YOU have spent twice much for present lor
Io,e. as he spent for you Perhaps you nave
hought him s5-a-hundred cigars while ne
may be n, this minute purchasing for you an uini-
mated Christmas carol with row OF little chcruDs
sitting around :he top
Every year after the holiday season various dis-
srurted persons write to the newspapers about tho
animal bore OF buying something for somebody be-
cause vou know Re or She win buy something FOR
xou AID a grea; cry for reform goes up out LOT
MANY wears :here mas been less reform In Christmas
shopping than in any other of the customs OF mod
EN- life Whereat the shopkeepcrs wax glad
The crowds in the shopping districts seem bigger
this year than ever before. The suburban popula-
,on Is increasing annually. and from this source
=, mes much OF the merchants revenue. Inc out
rons trains and ferryboats are crammed from cell
,ugs 20 floors with bundles Of all shapes and sizes
The conversation too is all OF Christmas purchases
and what 10 buy for Johnnie and what Susie would
like tbls year The great annual puzzle of what to
bry ie being solved more successfully this year
,han ever before MT !, is safe wager that on
CHRISTMAS morning the whole Nation Wi! hold up
Us hands aad cxclaim with its annual imitation or
e1eat delight Just what wanted!
There are the usual queer shopping combinations
10 be seen IN the big department stores Yesterday
morning there was an oddly assorted couple max
Of ,hp th-lE. eSf g.
The woman was fair Fat and ifty. The man was
ditto except the fat. The woman was refresh
,ng contrast to the ordinary blast shopper. she
bubblcd over with delight at cvcrythinE shc saw
She chattercd voubly about the advantages OF n
Dresden clock over Chinese table-spread, and
oheerfuly compared the relative merits of soup
spoons and lamp-shades. The man looked as If
bent on suicide The only thing he said was How
much But the average shopper wore the aspect
O. convict who has TO break so many stones be-
fore he can go to his hall and get his mush and
mo,asses.
In Tw.nty-third and Fourteenth sts. are TO be
seen the people 10 whom Christmas means less
than 10 ANYBODY else but who expend much on
errv in catering to wat they regard the harm
less vagaries of others The Turks ana the
Greeks monopolze the Christmas candy business
while the Russian Hebrews deal almost exclusive
y In Christmas greens.
Not the least of the troubles OF the shoppers IS
the difficulty Of getting 10 the big stores in any
thing Ike comfort. II one gets there WIN az ms ms
clothes on he ought to complain. But ne does.
and in language that is rot wholly appropriate 70
the ioyous season. Every car that runs In Skin
ave or in Broadway In the shopping district pc
comes more or less elastic IL buiges Win hu-
lnanity and its floor Is strewn with the fragments
Of what formed part OF the STOCK or one Oh
the numerous headquarters OF 81 NlcHoias.
The Postoffice and express company empoy,.S
DO not welcome the approach or the merry nom
days with feelings of unmiXed pleasure Nnat is
10Y to the country means extra Work Tor them;
The rush Of incoming mails mas not YET reacheu
ITS height. but the outgoing mails are alieaus
reaching abnormal weight The New York Post
Office handles about four hundred ana eighty
tons OF mail increase Of about - per cent over
the normal amount. The express companies, eS-
pecally those that carry westward, report ahout
the same prOpOrtiOnatc increase.
word of caution to shoppers who have con-
stitutional objections losing their purses may
not come amiss. The number Of pickpockets ana
sneak-thieves who working In the city Just
now seems he greater than usual. even AT this
season of the year Possibly the numerous stories
OF petty thieyery that have been printed IN the
newspapers have drawn to the city many OF the
class that makes its living by acquiring the prop
erty OF others in ways not regarded as strictly
regular At any rate. they are here Only Mon,
day a couple caught stealing diamond
brooch AT Tiffanys. The warning should be
needed both by merchants and shoppers Tho
crowds about op-windovs and in the street.
cars are veritable gold fields for the pickpockets
They are IN the habit. TOO. Of looking upon women
who carry their purses in their hands as their
legitimate