The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-10
HOLIDAY SEASON AT HAND.
CHRISTMAS EVE ONLY TWO WEEKS
OFF TODAY.

The Merchants Have Made Big Prep
arations TO Please the Holiday
Trade and the Indications Are
That They VIII Not BE DisapDOint-
ed-The stores Filled with an I'm
usual Amount and Variety of Hol-
idny Goods, and Many Things New
ana Novel Will he offered the
shoppers-The Beggars Are Com
ing TO Town. as They Usually Do
at This Season.
Christmas Eve Is just two weeks off.
This means that by the end OF this week
the Christmas trading will be in full blast.
Just now the merchants are suffering from
the slight duilness which usually precedes
the Christmas holidays. The weather, too,
has been unfavorable to trade. In fact, |
with the exception of two or three days, |
there has been no real winter weather this
season and many people have not taken
the trouble 10 provide themselves with win |
ter outfits In spite of this the retail
merchants report that business has been
fairly good, while jobbers and wholesalers
are reported to have been so busy that
they hardly have time for their meals.
. L HIS - DIENg SOOt1 ENiuellCt llldt the peo-
pie in the country have money and some
of It win very probably begin coming to
the retailers for Christmas goods within
the next few days.
As Christmas falls on Monday the shop
pers will have to conclude their trading
on Saturday night before and this means
that next Saturday week will see the
streets so filled with shoppers and merry
makers that there win hardly be room to
turn around. If the indications be not at
fault there are more people who have
ready money this season than for many
seasons past, and this means that many
VIII invest literally in holiday goods of oil
descriptions for the benefit of themselves
and their friends. The merchants have ev-
identity taken this view of It and their
shop windows are already filled with hand
some displays of goods suited to the holt
day season. In fact, there was probably
rever season before when such a Law
ish variety of things both useful and or
namental, novel ana familiar was offered
to the local public. The general feeling
or more prosperous times evidently had
run possession of the merchants when
they were laying in their holiday stocks
sometime since and their purchases seem
to have been made accordingly The
merchants evidently have full confidence
in the readiness of Savanna hians to pur-
chase Whatever attracts their eyes and
Dleases their fancies and they have made
full preparations to meet the expected de-
mand.
Some of the leading merchants have
laid in large stocks of imported goods
many of them novelties of peculiar STYLE
such as have never been offered here be-
fore. These vary in price from few
cents TO many dollars each and IL would
puzzle some of the everyday citizens to
distinguish between the costly and the
triting in price The statesmen viii make
this distinction for them TOYS. dolls
Christmas wagons and everything which
delights the juvenile mind are to be found
in almost Unlimited quantities at the
stores which usually handle these articles
and as rule the style and finish of this
class of holiday goods appears to be su-
Derior to that of past seasons While
many toys are to be found with the in
scrlption Made in Germany" the Am.
erlcan manufacturer predominates and as
rule has the best of his competitors as
to Workmanship and finish. Many of the
stores already have handsome displays in
their windows. In fact the comment is
made that the displays show higher class
OF goods and more artistic taste this sea-
son than ever before.
The business men have also noted that
the usual run of Christmas beggars has
begun This does not mean those who
seek charity for the benefit of others but
the true mendicants, who always make
their appearance in numbers at this sea-
son of the year. The lame, the halt and
the blind, with all sorts of tales to account
for their deformities from a steamboat ex-
plosion or a railroad wreck to wounds re-
ceived at the battles of San Juan and
Santiago are all on hand petitioning for
aid. The beggars evidently consider 1t a
good season 10 seek the charity of their
more fortunate fellows, and, as a rule,
they are rarely disappointed. Nearly
every business man gives up a considera-
bic sum of money at this season to this
class of applicants, the contributions vary
ing all the way from cents to ST. accord
ing TO the apparent merit of the case.
The various societies, which care for the
| poor and the unfortunate and see to 1t that
| they get their share of Christmas cheer,
| win conduct their campaigns for aid dur
| ing the next week or ten days. These
charities are for the most part well known
and are in favor with the business men,
| who rarely fail to show their apprecia-
| ton of the good work which is being car
ried on by making liberal donations. The
| number of these demands a this season
of the year is a considerable tax upon the
| business men, most of whom, however,
| give freely, and rely upon the hberality of
| the Savannah public to reimburse them
CHRISTMAS WITH THE FLYERS.