Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-12-12
COSTLY CHRISTMAS GIFTS.
London Papers Protest Against Expen-
Siye Presents Of the Smart Set
Exulting Over Cheap Toys-For the
First Time English Manufacturers
Are Able to Compete With Ger
many in the Tin Soldier Trade.
Royalty Drew Four Prizes at the
Fat Stock Show-Gossip OF the
London Stage.
(Copyright.l

Christmas. The shops are crowded,
many of the newspapers are protest
ing against the eXpensiveness of the
presents which the smart set consider
necessary. For the first time, on the
other hand, British manufacturers are
able to compete with Germany in
| cheap toys, especially tin soldiers, at
which there is much exultation.
The principal novelties of all the
stores are motor cars, driven by hot
air; American Indian Wigwams, big
enough to contain children, in correct
Indian costumes.
The inseperable preliminary, of the
English Christmas, the fat stock, show
at Islington, has produced the average
exhibition, with an unusual result.
The Queen, VINO sent six exhibits, the
Prince of Wales. who sent ten, the
Duke of York, Who had six exhibits,
and Prince Christian, who had two en-
tries, only secured four prizes among
them, of which one first prize was OBJ
! tanned by the Duke of York for red
cattle.
The newspapers animadvert strong
~ upon the senseless idea of show
for producing useless animals, so far
as meat producing qualities are con-
cerned, but, they say, so long as the
royalties lead the show will exist. The
Prince Of Wales will become president
in 1898, the century year.
CHRISTMAS PARTIES
are projected ON an unusual festive
scale, particularly at Blenheim, where
numbers of variety performers have
been engaged. Old fashioned Christ
mas sports will be INDUCED in. The
Duke and Duchess OF Dovenshire, the
Duke and Duchess OF Portland, and
Baron and Baroness Rothschild will
all give big balls.
Truth protests against the "arrant
snobbery'' Of the Duke of Newcastle in
sending hundreds of pheasants to mar
ket labelled, "Shot by His Royal High
ness, the Prince of Wales"
The big schooner yacht designed by
George L. Watsibm, which is building
at Hendersons yards and which was
supposed to be for the Prince Of
Wales, is for Mr. Charles l.. Orr
Burgs, who has travelled extensively
in the East and who takes great in
terest in yachting. Capt Carter, the
former master of the Prince OF Wales S
cutter Britannia is the prospective
skipper of the new schooner.
There is a controversy over the ques-
ton of Oscar Wildes temperance as
a dramatist A prominent manager is
preparing to produce his latest play
under thinly psudonym. Thereupon
the ST. James Gazette says: The
manager has failed to grasp the fact
that this dramatist at respectable Lon
don play houses must be considered
closed.
Paris. however, does not share this
antipathy A theatre of that city an
nounces that a play, written in French
by Oscar Wilde, will be produced short
ly.
In an interview published by the Gil
Bias, Oscar Wilde declares the British
will forgive anything in the case OF
one who amuses them.
! Charles Dana GibsOn's London" ap-
pears among the. Christmas books and
IS MUCH CRITICIZED
Daily News says his people on Bond
street are simply the people on Fifth
avenue transferred. They are never
| here except as American visitors. His
Hyde Park Corner is crowded with
| these American invaders, while THE
First Night" is simply a practical joke
| of the same description. His Draw
I ing Room" is a conceivable presenta-
I ton of the White House. 1t is GER
! tainly no function of Buckingham
/ Palace.
| Lord Roseberry, at the dinner Of the
Gin Crack Club at York, on Tues
| day, advised all those who are con-
| templating racing to refrain from so
| doing. as it is exceedingly expensive
and too engrossing for any one having
anything else TO do
| Louis NJ. Parker's new comedy, The
| Happy Life" which was produced on
| Monday at the Duke Of Yorks Thea
| tire, is likely to be more popular in
! America than in London. for the
| Americans monopolize the virtue in
| the piece, while the vice is allotted to
/ the English. The comedy is based on
/ an improbable motive, its dialogue is
! brilliant and the setting attractive,
which overshadows it improbabilities.
| Decidedly the most interesting spec
| tacle which the English dramatic field
| affords this season is the fierce rivalry
| waged by the representatives OF
| American managers to procure the sue
| cessful English plays for home con-
sumption. Every London and provin-
cial dramatist or manager who floats
! a play having the signs Of popularity
| finds himself in the position Of an
| auctioneer receiving the bids of
! TRANSATLANTIC COMPETITORS.
| The two most enterprising bidders
| in the field are Mr.. LestooQ, the Eng
! lish representative of Charles Froh-
| mann, A. L. Sutherland, who is some
| thing of free lance.
! A snap shot Of the family grouI
while the Gar and CZarina were d
| Darmstadt, showing Emperor William
with his arm resting affectionately on
| the Cars shoulder, has furnished q
J German photographer with a picture
| which is selling freely. The Berlin
| photographer skilfully detached the
/ German Emperor and the Car from
| their surroundings and made ii appeal
| that the two autorcrats were photo
| graphed alone after purposely assuming
| a friendly pose. When the pictures ap-
| peared in the stores at st. Petersburg
they we're summarily confiscated-