St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-12-17
Letter from Boston.

shops and stores in Boston, all orna-
mented and filled with articles for the
holiday sales. Each year we find new
TOYS. games and triukets on exhibition
to attract purchasers. The variety OF
Christmas cards and calendars is legion
and never before have they seemed so
pretty and cheap. You scarcely realize
how much time and ingenuity have been
expended Tor months past in planning
new designs to amuse and interest chill
dren. The large and handsome store of
Houghton, Dutton & Co., corner OF
Beacon and fremont streets, has many
new features and improvements on the
old one. 1t is quite remarkable how this
store has been kept open all summer,
while the process of building and excava-
ton has been steadily going on all the
time. The large front entrance is quite
palatial as we'll as the broad and beauti.
full marble stairways inside and large ee-
vators constantly running. Among the
attractions for children is veritable live
Santa Clause in full costume located in
one Of the upper rooms, seated at his
office giving out picture cards to all OF
the children visitors. A rustic booth op-
posite contains four beautiful deer, with
bright ribbons on their necks. They
came from Maine, it is said, and they en-
loved very much the thin slices of pota-
toes given them by a bright checked,
sunny,faced boy. At the other end of the
hall, hundreds of women and children
were enthusiastic over the views thrown
by the magic lantern On the screen at
varying intervals in the afternoon. A
clerk explained to lady how this reals
tic effect was produced, when the great
waves of the ocean apparently came
dashing up over the rocks and broke in
heavy spray all around. The cloth can
vass on the roller is pulled in contrary di-
rections he said and that is what gives
so much life aud action to those carpen-
tiers working at their benches. The chill
dren clapped and the enthusiasm ran
high every afternoon. Eyes" said the
clerk, "this is one way Of advertising
children's toys and playthings for sale.
This new attraction was so popular at
Keth's last year, we decided to try it
this week here" Another article for sale
is the Hall Typewriter for $7.49, the
former price was $50. 1t is very SIM
pie and cheap machine and by means of
little frame you can use an alphabet in
any language. They claim that it has
stood the test for II years and you can
purchase new type for one dollar The
only objection would seem to be that the
type letters are rather small.
For the past two weeks fairs and ba-
zaars have been the order Of the day in
Boston and surrounding towns. 1t is
interesting to notice how many new
ideas people plan to attract the public
attention. For instance the New Eng
land Helping Hand society called their
fair the Wedding Anniversary Bazaar"
and the articles tor sale represented the
different years OF married life. from the
bridal tour to the 25th anniversary. The
bridal tour had sweatmeats, candies and
"At Homes" delicious dainty things for
sale. The LIST anniversary were articles
in cotton. The 2nd anniversary those in
paper, the 3rd articles in leather, the 4th
in linen, the 9th in wooden ware, the 18th
crystal. Music and readings were given
in the evening Mrs. E. Trask Hill is the
president and the leading ladies were
dressed either in their own, their moth
er's or grandmother's wedding gowns.
The Massachusetts Woman's Suffrage
association held their bazaar last week in
Lormer hall, fremont Temple. Their
restaurant was one of their good feat
ures. A Dutch house. procession and peo-
pie was given in another church, also the
Festival Of the Months, which has been
quite tavorite among young people
Considerable fun was occasioned in Som
erville in one OF the Baptist churches, by
holding a mock trial. A medical student
was arrested and tried for stealing a cat
and found guilty and he was sentenced
to make the church choir sing in the right
key for one year, the result was the
young man tainted away. Another
church was to have an old-fashioned New
England store, with men to take charge
of it. At the Hotel Vendome, Boston,
the Pope dispensary of the New England
hospital for women and children had
many beautiful things for sale. They
hope to enlarge the hospital in some Of
it's departments. Prof. Pickering of Har.
ward astronomical department rejoices in
the fact that at last they have a photo.
graph of meteor taken June 1S, at
Arequipa, Peru. There they have beer
engaged for lew years in photograph
ing the spectre of stars above the sight
magnitude and secretly hoped some time
that meteor might flash across the
path. This will aid them undermining
the nature of meteor beforei has cooled
or reached the earth, and it is believed tc
be the first photograph ever taken.
The well-known publishing company o
Houghton, Mifflin & Co., on Blackston,
street, Cambridgeport had 6relast weel
Wednesday night, which did considerable,
damage to books ready for the Christina,
market. Their men are so well drilled thai
when the watchmen gave the alarm in tn,
evening they had the fire well under checI
before the fire department responded
Chemicals are now found usefulin putting
out fires. There are now so many higl
buildings being erected that people ar
glad to hear that experiments are beini
made with the horseless fire engine at TIL
dry docks.
The erection Of the Phillips Brook
house is at last begun; It's located on tn