The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-12-19

| thousand millions. ,norc,-crs
ADJUSTMENTS or 'kOnS 9i.o.
How aid this unprecedented iainny
{ marty PASS away the time Oh wa, "''
/ to-bc-forrotten Christmas ana we
,.e,,i,o davsg wei. for one thing thcl
- Iot of attention To the enjoy
Int. of their servants. Biltmore. as such
! . ,.,., bo,se must necessarily be- is wei
! .o,,inrod with servants, ana lhe guests
: took Grtv more Of their own alohs WI"
/ fb,m. and for the deleciat'oh oi ms
I hundred or NOR. servants ""l, i''
! ,.,+.btri,o ian splcndor any other iunc-
| ton for auukoys ever gwen W. w."
, ou the night after Christmas. Inns DE-
/ dance was furnished WIN me U.s. n i,,
| money could hire. ana 'ne H."'
! ,tro host and his guests took an active
! ,.,t a., Tho valtzing. the two-steps. me
/ nuadrines and the schottisches as the
/ sorvapfe themselves And although It
/ was oiven ina The great barn which smell
! Tors ia, George Vanderbilt domestic AMI
! mails the ballroom was finer as TO moor
| and decorations than many smart
/ function 10 which no servant is admlti'"
Tho big dinner was eaten on mrs.
! mas day. of course. ana the u'She9 ~"
| cludod the head Of wild boar Killed
| an fine estate. and the strictly local de-
! reacies 'posg1im and yellow vans. he-
! eidos such a toothsOmc variety OF viands
| from the uttermost parts Of the carth
! 3D.. could he gathered only by "A host as
! rich as the owner Of Fillmore The de-
! oorafions Of the vast dining room 10
/ which the party sat al meal included
/ holly and mistlctoe gathered on the es-
| tate. and III great backlog IN the caNer-
( nous fireplace was also grown there.
| The festivities following CHRISTMAS
! lasted uU after New Years day. many
| friends besides the members Of the fam
Iv party being present as guests before
| the week was over. OF course their
, amuscments were varied. something be
ing provided 10 please every taste, such
{ ms "a fox hunt. possum hunl "a Boiu
/ tournI mcut. tennis match, and 1hNm-
I kama races. whatever they may be. Ana
/ of course there was a Christmas tree on
/ the big day. loaded with gifts the like
/ of which could not be bought for hun
] dreds of thousands anywherc-perhaps
millions.
/ ~ was am hn, ana brave and snowy.
/ the company was merry from the hrsi
+ to the last. there was the perfume of
+ flowers. the sheen Of silks. the cluster OF
satins. tine biting sparkle OF diamonds,
the nciehing Of horses was b lard. ana
I the bayng Of hounds. fair women look
. cd upon stalwart men. and through IL
all the prattie OF children, nurtured in
luxury and hardly knowing that the
world held aueht OF want or misery. fell
. ou the car
And those who would condemn the
lavish expenditure of such Christmas
festivities should stop and think before
! they speak their minds too biucrly-for
! whatever money is poured out freely Tor
the pleasure of one set of human beings
/ always falls into m, hands Of another
set. whose members need IL far more
fl,.tt fHoe. yrhp gupul il. But
While the richest bachelor i'm the world
! was entertaining his family. his friends.
! and his servants with all the elaboration
{ that hospitality could sugg 81. ingenuity
devise. and money afford. there were
: oihcrs-thous3nd and thousands of them
-,o whom the day and the days follow
ing We're anything hut festaL
And some there were. less in number
lut still so many that il would appaU
one could me see them all. whose Christ
mas was a misery and a burden-who
had neither money nor friends nor hope
nor cause for hone.
Much further north than beautiful Bit
more one such Collaboration creature
crawlod out from under "a hay stack on
the rolling prairie soon after dawn on
Christmas morning, 1896. lie was rag
ecd. unkempt. unshaven. His eyes We're
! hlcarcd. his gait was shambng. his
/ nerves were tromulous both from liquor
! in the past and from an immediate lack
| of nourshng food. When he had cIawlcd
under the stack en- Christmas CIV. he had
meant TO lie there an through the day
sacred 10 the Saviors birth. But the
morning had brought hunger. II WAS
showing as he emerged from his shelter.
and Borcas blew d furious blast \
/ blizzard had begun. and hungry though
the moor wretch was from excessive
drinking of the vilest of he might better
have remained where he was.
BUT his hunger carried stupOr with it.
and he staggered out into the storm-the
crooked track he made in the white and
drifting snow quickly wiped out by the
wind. And As he stumbled along he NUT
/ tered bitter curses TO himself. once he
tried 10 breast the storm. because he
| knew "a town lay to the westward whence
the frightful wind was blowing. and
there ne hoped Tor help. But he made
mo- Roadway. ana with more bitter ours
lngs than before he turned and wandered.
guided by the wind. by and by still
cursing God and man and all things else.
I hc fell
And slumber seized him. And the white
snow was woven into a winding sheet
about him. And there was an oath on
his lips when they froze
la the most densely populated ward
Of "a great city. another wretchcd crca-
turc i'm the semhlance OF a man trudgcd
along that Christmas morning-as truly
alone and helpless. though he could see
plenty all about him and was surrounded
10y the life and hustle Of thousands ~
fellow men and women as the man who
az that moment was blunderingly bray
ing the bizzards fury on the open
prairie
lie. too, was faint with hunger and
his hands were as tremulous as the 9TH
er's though not because OF past dssipa-
ton. This man had tried his best and
failed. For a week he had lived on the
few cents he could bring himself 10 beg.
and he had slept-anywhcre. As he stag
gered up the street he heard the sweet
notes OF Christmas chimes-faintlv. for
his faculties we're somewhat dulled-and
h remembered hopeessly but not Bit
terly that II was the years most holy
day. Passing policeman he stumbled.
and was roughly bade 10 mind himself
unless he wanted 10 be run in"
Like the other man, he staggered on
a while longer. only dimly conscious of
the pr.eS OF Merry Chrlstmasu thu naIsa