The herald., 1897-12-19
SUNDAY. DECEMBER 10. 1897.
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

The annual mid-winter holidays are
with us once again. Los Angeles is aglow
with store window indications Of the
coming festival. Never before, in the
history Of the city, has the display of
holiday goods been so varied and pro-
fuse. To simply see the stores, notably
those Of Spring street, Broadway and
: retail toy. fancy and notion trade-is
worth visit to the city. Each one is an
improvised museum Of bric-a-brac
curios, toys Of innumcrable devices and
attractive and beautiful articles Of
vertu. The multitudinous assortment
OF toys-toys indicative of mechanical
ekill artistic taste and novel attractive
ness-is simply wonderful Fairyland
has been outclassed, and even the ex-
uberant fancy of childhood has at las,
been provided for to repletion.
Then there have been reconstruction
and transformation in the retail store
windows themselves. Nearly every
house in the retail trade, on the streets
mentioned has enlarged its front doors
and windows along lines at once modern,
useful and attractive. This gives more
elbow room for the display OF goods, and
in nearly all the show 1vip1oIvc he cooJc
in stock are arranged in such admira bic
taste. and with such really artistic de-
sign as 80 implore the pausing step"
and elicit commentator. At night,
under the brilliant radiance of hundreds
of electric bulbs, the effect is very fine
Indeed, no city in the Union can present
a finer effect in retail show windows at
night than Los Angeles, and no city,
night or day, can boast of streets more
picturesque in their general effect. This
is true, even in the presence of that now
chronic defect-badly paved highways
Nor are the commercial holiday attrac-
tons of the city confined to the retail no.
ton and toy business a glance at the
adN ~ tisiI-Ss NpAttlli4s VI ne ileIdlu Will
prove at once that in all the lines of
trade. retail and wholesale, Los Angeles
merchants have made ample provision
for the wants of their patrons. The
truth is that the people Of Southern Cal
ifornia are breaking away from the par
simonious economy made necessary by
the business strinsency of the last few
years. Good crops and remunerativc
prices justify a return to the more gen
erous ways and larger enjoyment of the
comforts of life natural TO this section
of the Pacific coast, and our people are
giving practical demonstration OF the
fact.
The approaching season WILL we ven
ture to say, be more prolific of the Gift
giving custom than any that has for
years preceded it. Where not abused or
employed for mercenary or irreleva Mt
purposes, no custom is more gracious OF.
nmiable. The modern tendency may be
to misdirect its aim and purpose. Rut
that can be corrected, and the act
brought back to its normal Significance
mute expression OF affection. q re.
m!nder Of the love and esteem of the
giver. q reawakening of sacred, home
memories of the days of AUD Lang
Syne." In this sense a Christmas Gift
Is to be priced more for It's moral influ.
ence than it's intrinsic value. It's tails.
manic power lies solely in the spirit ir
which it is given. And, surely. with the
Infinite variety in cost and style of the
things fit to become such gifts. to be
ound in this city, the means Of iudulg.