The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-16

This country is going to have a Christ
mas this year just as IL has had other
years, and there Will be . wagon load OF
Santa Clauses, for the North and for the
South and for the East and for the West,
despite the talk of a lot OF ministers back
in New York state a few weeks ago that
the Santa Claus story is a farce. dream.
a faIiacy. and should not be taught the
little ones in the long ago when the
old hlne-ssockng folk had possession OF
things this side the Atlantic, when the
whipping post was feature OF the law.
and Il was a crime TO laugh on Sunday,
Santa Claus made his annual descent OF
the ehlmneys. IL those high-minded, old
fashioned people thought ne was good
thing. there is no reason why at this late
day he should be told 10 box up his
sleigh. sell his reindeer 10 Miner Bruce
and keep TO his hole, up in Santa Claus
heaven.
The great turnout of shoppers in this
city yesterday was a smart indication
that the talk of the Eastern ministers did
not make much of an impression in the
West. II was one OF the few really me
days Of the past few weeks, and the
shops and the stores and the streets were
just one big jam of humanity. Enter
any store in the city and there was a
crowd of shoppers. Walk up or down
any important thoroughfare, and II you
failed 10 meet dozen or more friends 1t
was because you just came TO the city
en- route for the klondike and lacked ac-
QuaLntance. Stay here a day or two
longer and things Will seem more famil-
lar Buy klondike dog for 500 or sell
one for $40 and get acquainted. There is
no excuse for even stranger having
failed 20 find a friend or two on the
street yesterday.
1t was just the kind of A day to attract
the shoppers. Back East il would have
showed on such a day. Out here every
body thought it was going TO snow. The
air was bracing.. wraps and gloves and
overcoats and the other things one wears
during the winter months were in de-
mand. People you met said ITS chilly
today" They meant that IL was q fine
day. but thought chilly sounded better.
The turnout in the morning was not very
large, but in the afternoon the amount OF
humanity that could be seen down town
was astonishing. Those who did not have
any shopping TO do left their offices and
their business and went out and watched
those who had. That helped 10 swell the
crowd and 10 Increase the metropolitan
air which this city has been wearing with
grace and ease for many days.
1t was a day that the store clerk will
remember. Never in the history of the
city have SO many pretty girls been
found behind the counters of the big
stores as this year. and they sighed
last night when their days work was
done and they were allowed 40 drag their
weary selves home and TO bed. Another
day like this and 1 will tell the boss to
employ my sister-she's stronger" re-
marked one girl who knows how 10 wear
her clothes. and is therefore credited by
her uneducated friends with being pretty.
ITS This way" she continued. 81 don't
have to work. but / thought 1t would be
funny to do duty in a store during the
holidays and earn some money. II is fun
ny, but / can't appreciate 1t. Father re-
sembles me In that respect. There are
funny things that he can't appreciate
thought that I would come down A few
: hours a day. sit around, chew gum read
books and walt on an occasional man. I
have given sister my gum. brother my
books and haven't seen a man for four
days. It's work. work. work. and when
go home at night eat and retire"
What are people buying In the way of
Christmas things? The market is full OF
novelties this year. There are several
hundred men back East who send their
wives TO the seashore In the summer, call
for palm leaf fans and cold drinks and
get ~ Christmas novelties. Every man
has the mind Of a genius. There can be
but one resut-a world full OF new things
every time Christmas rolls around
For instance. this year the novelties in
dolls include the cross-eyed doll and the
doll with two heads. Two heads are bet
ter than one" One big store near Pike
street has hoy in the window dressed as
Santa Claus. That alone kills the state
n1ent OF the Eastern ministers that Santa
Claus is thing that does not exist. Ev-
eFywhere you 90 Christmas novelties new
ideas. things We did no, think of last year,
greet the eye. To tell what they are
Would De TO turn the newspaper into de-
scf!ptiVe catalogue. But they are In ex.
istence and the people are finding them.
Instead Of doing up Santa Claus by
their words, the Eastern ministers have
swel'ed his future duties POOR SANITY.
Merchants are doing business this wear
the Ike of which has not been heard ~
In this city fer years.
Why" said the little woman with the
! hat nose. who had on her short ss,r. ,a-
caus" the weather bureau office. while hav-
! ing humorous TT. promised another ram
| fail before the winter comes TO an a,s
y mink 4 is Just gl0rious 70 see .htnys as
trey used 20 he when We all had yro,ev
some a. MS are still without r. hft t%en
! others seem r. have It. and thar roakas
us 'hlnh that they are better OF than we
ere When everybody else spends money
- +E-'ffa III te h'}feNe tN3t our d1V wfu
come WITH he arrival % the NEXT stesro-
or ard 50 Ne spend what little NE have
ana 30 homo happy. Anyhow this Christ
mas IS rot Ike those OF last wear and mo
year before and the vear before ina. NJ
one seemed - have much money then :.
Then the fat-uosed little wonoa1 With
me short skirt and the clever .ops-,,o
went OFT 10 talk to some other woman
VINO had her bonnet strings tied under
her chtn because they saw back Fast tbst
people Who do such things nowadays arc
chic. That woman knows what sha g.
taking about" remarked the head ~ =
Hi@ business house who had listened "a
what had been said II have ken. very
careful tab on tho business done IN .his
CITY during the past few weeks and T
Know aN about IT, The fact Is that every
big house IN this city has doubts me
force K had last wear The vnl,,rna NJ
business has just doubled. Last Chrfsf-
mas Z made me and nv enlnlovex ,frss
- sell Christmas goods 20 the naarta =,
this town. They usually came IN "a TOOK
around h1t when they bought a~vfh {- y
they talked for half an hour aho,,t .hn
hard lines and closed hy telling tho x.oy,,
~ thetr lives That is all very vra1t h,,.
IN Wow ~ ne fact that We had iuS- had