Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-11-18
OUR NEW YORK LtarEspr
Will Wall Street Celebrate Christ.
mas Holidays This Year.


of the Past.
NEW YORK, Nov IL Special They
are doing roaring business on Wall street
nowadays aud expect to continue at it for
some time to come And if things go on
as at present thoroll be an old fashioned
Wall street Christmas in New York this
year and no mistake.
1t was in 1892 that Wall street had its
latest really great holiday celebration. 1t
was hoped that there might be similar
publication last year to commemorate the
beginning of the depression's end, but
somehow things were not quito ripe for it,
and, while there was some hilarity, moth.
ing really worth while was done in the
way of merrymaking on the floor of the
exchange. Should the celebration default
this year, however, it will be time to won
der what has come over the spirit of the
brokers dreams. The fact that X. H.
Halstcd, familiarity known as Dick Hal
sted by his fellow brokers, is still in the
flesh and vigorously so is pretty good
assurance that the Christmas doings will
come off.
A Wall street Christmas Tree.
1t was Dick Halstcd who had charge OF
the carvings on in 1892, and the chief
feature thereof was Christmas tree which
was set upon the floor of the Stock Ex-
change "a day or two before the real holt
day.
Naturally the greatest fun of the occa-
sion was afforded by the appositeness of
the gifts that hung on the tree. Thus,
certain member of the exchange, who also
belonged to the national guard and affect
ed to be military from the sole of his foot
to the crown of his head, was presented
with some toy soldiers of tin. Another
whose smooth and even flow of talk on all
sorts of topics had become little less than
a nuisance to his friends, received an cnur.
nous piCSled tongue. Still another, whose
fad was yachting, got n cheap model of u
sailboat. To one young member declar
ed almost unanimously to be altogether
too fresh n bag of ''chOice dairy salt was
given, and so on to the end of the chapter,
the presentation speech in each case, either
by Mr.. Halsted or some one else equally
endowed with the gift of CAB, adding ma
terially to the joys of the occasion.
For wholesale, unaffected, though some
times rather boisterous fun, however, it
has been many years since the holiday has
been at its best in Wall street. In the years
following the civil war Christmas celcbra-
tions were among the chief events of the
entire twclvcmonth. The "goldroom, "
where buying and selling of the precious
metal, then ut n premium, were carried on,
did its share of tho celebrating too. one
of the holiday schemes of the brokers %
years and more ago was to march in Il
body from the exchange proper to the
goldroom and there destroy the furniture
simply a3 an evidence of good faith. Ere
quently the procession was headed by "A
brass band and invariably the goldroom
men joined in breaking up their own
chairs and tables, while songs were sung
and stentorian cheers were shouted.
What made this sort OF celebration most
enjoyable WAS the circumstance that after
the destruction of whatever WAS dcstructi-
bic in the gUldroom similar ceremony
was carried on in the exchange itself, the
stockholders taking as keen delight in
reducing their own furniture to sticks as
had been displayed in annihilating the
furniture of the godroom.
Balloons, Big Dolls, Football.
In those old times the brokers amused
themselves all through the year with a
| good deal moro abandon than they have
recently exhibited. For instance, they
used to get lot of toy balloons, label each
with the name of some well known stock
and let them float in the upper air of the
exchange.
Naturally the balloons roso to the top of
| the room, where the temperature was
much higher than within few feet of the
floor and, as heat expands gas each little
! inflated globe was bound to explode after
floating next to the ceiling for awhile,
and, of course the brokers rarely neglect
ed so excellent an opportunity to gamble,
| the wager in each instance being laid on
the time of explosion of the toy balloons.
Some made their bets one way and some
! another. You might bet that the balloon
labeled "Missouri Pacific" would last a
certain length of time, while your neigh
Dor might bet that as between the mis-
souri, Pacific balloon and that of "Sug-
ar" for instance, the latter would burst
the sooner. ltwas always noisy about the
exchange when balloon betting was going
on, for the brokers invariably got as ex-
cited over this game as the real one OF
buying and selling stocks on a margin
and otherwise.
Doll dancing days were even more
noisy, but also rarer. On such days stuffed
effigies of women not much under natural
size were let down to the floor from the
I RulleTles, anu lHc WIN
them to the sound of such music as could
be had. Football days were most bolster
GUS of all, but not SO picturesque. They
alone have survived till comparatively
modern times, though even football has
been mighty rare of late years on the floor
The Day of the Giants.
There was once "giants' day" on the
exchange, but only few very old timer:
can remember that.
1t came while the redoubtable Barnum
was still alive and was running his mu
scum at the corner of Broadway and Ann
street. Among the museums attractions
were two enormous fellows well worthy tC
be called giants They were led upon the
floor not far from noon with the quiet tiE
that no one would get angry at any LITTLE
pleasantries in which they might choose
to indulge. Tradition hath 1t that theil
antics were far from original, the mos
novel being toting slender, lightweight
brokers about the room, but when you arr
primed for laughter you can get lot o
enjoyment out of the purest brute horse
play, and tho veterans of the exchange
who remember "giants' day" within it,
precincts laugh till the tears come anC
their sides are sore whenever they tall
with one another about its humors.
Dick Halsted by the way, who is likely
to be master of ceremonies of whatevel
Christmas jolliflcation goes on at the Stocl
Exchange every year as long as he is al
active member, should feel pretty favor
ably disposed toward a celebration thi
l. L. - H..