The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-12-24
CHRISTMAS IS
HERE AT LAST
Santa Claus Makes His Annual Visit
and All are Happy.
HOW THEY CeLEBRAT E.
Employees Remembered at this Time
ana Yuictidc Made More JOY
Gus Scenes Along
the Streets.
HOW THEY CELEBRATE.

/
counted until that wonderful day when
the. patron Saint of children makes his
annual visit
The streets have been transformed into
| a see OF humanity and each one wears
the absorbed. concentrated look
! hat Christmas brings i'm its train
and the women walk along IN utter
/ disregard of appearances. with arms piled
high with boxes ami bundles that are to
cause such excitement and JOY on the
MAN, POOR MAN.
The poor men in the crowd seem sadly
out of .her element. Laundering around
/ I'm the stores an easy mark for the sales
/ ladies'. willing 90 buy anything just TO
/ finish with The cespised shopping.
] It is probably not known that the
/ Christmas tree. nearest TO the heart Of
/ ali the children in the land who reach up
| i'm the morning to clasp their own toys
| and playthings from the beautifully
/ dressed branches was brought here by
the German immigrants.
TO the tiny little bush that stood In the
/ centre of the table of the German immi-
! grant eating his first humble Christmas
elmer in America, do we owe the bc3uu-
I ful custom OF the DitdSAt ElNllb Ai''r
There will be number Of "Christm2s-
/ tree partles" in the city this week, which
| are already causing ilutter in the juve-
! nile world
THE WEATHER.
/ Although the weather Is not exactly the
| kind that goes to make up an ideal
| Christmas. which is generally thought 10
! he rendered more cheerful and festive by
the falling snow-fakes and crisp, cold
! air. yet the jewellers and feasters VIII not
be much disappointed. and Will 80 on
with their rejoicing with the blowing OF
| trumpets and the sound of frecrackers,
as if the weather was as cold as the pro-
verbal Christmas.
The city is i'm a true Christmas state
In spite of the vigilance of the police IT
IS made merry by the children firing of
crackers and baby-wakers and observing
the season IN other ways.
RUSH EVERYWHERE
The trains have been seriously delayed
during the past week with the large num-
Der of express cars which they have been
forced to carry TO enable them 10 dellv-
CT the immense nUpber Of articles sent
TO all parts Of the State and union MS
momentoes Of a happy Yuletide and
merry Christmas.
The ever busy clerks at Adams EN-
press office are unusually busy at this,
the Christmas time. Early in the morn
ink they are besieged by a crowd that
but increased during the day. one man
complained ut o'clock yesterday that he
had been there waiting to be served since
( o'clock in the afternoon. but he was
cut short i'm his murmurings by "a voice
that came from an obscure corner in
forming the crowd that he had been
standing there full two hours longer.
Packages. large and small, from one 10
fifty pounds, are constantly being brought
~. and the weary clerks have given up
all hope of having any rest No Chris
mas for them. Not even to-day do
they cease work. and as for Monday, that
Will be the busiest day OF all.
The poSofiice has been compelled TO put
on an extra force in order 20 dispose OF
the excessive mail which is now crowd
ing their department and must be de-
livercd with all possible despatch IN or
der TO please the public.
The crowd is greatest in the morning
and about o'clock in the evening. The
package box is always ovor-fllod and
has to be constantly emptied.
Five sub-carriers are employed to-day
to deliver the packages which are in the
greatest quantity The registered lettet
and money order department is more
busy than &C any other season, and the
position in front OF the stamp window is
IA enviable one.
SPECIAL MUSIC.
In every church in the city a special
programme OF music has been arranged
by the choirs for the Christmas SER
vices and many OF them Will take place
to-day.
In this season oil musical rejoicing and
gladness among all classes, the poor Of
the city have not been forgotten and
Superintendent George b. Davis, OF the
City Almshousc, has made arrangements
10 give the inmates of this institution
true Christmas celebration and en-
tertainment on next Thursday evening at
s o'clock.
Mayor TAYLOR will make an address and
a delightful programme of music and re-
citation will be rendered. Those who will
participate are Mr. Manly Il. Ramos. Mr..
Charles H. Philips. the Fulton Quartette.
Miss Resale Pettus. Prof Moses Stein,
Maggie I.eahy. the Fulton Mandolin Club.
Dewey and HObson" (John Davis. Matt
McDOugaD. Captain Frank Cunningham,
Mrs W Y. Yeamans. Freddie Evensen
Mrs Sophia r. Westmorelsnd, the kauf-
man Quartettc. Miss Florence Anderson
Miss Ethel Ragland. Hon. 5. L. Kelly
Mr.. Harvey Simpson, Mss Florence
White MISS Annie tfutitI' iIoit~HoI
Mutter. Mr. Tony Paelni, Miss Hollo-
way. Mrs. Nora Morgan Miss Ella Bry-
ant. Misses Burton. Miss Fannie Sulli-
van. Mr.. Eugene Davis and Miss Eli
zabeth Hobson.
EMPLOYEES REMEMBERED.
The Richmond Traction Company gave
Of its employees a turkey for a Christmas
gift. On MSpday they viii be served
meals from Murphys Hotel.
At the American Tobacco company's
stemmery at Twenty-hfth and Cary
streets. there was brisk Christmas air.
As each Christmas comes around this
great corporation makes its hundreds OF
employees happy by some substantial rec
ognition. Las, year the employees were
each presented a large turkey This
Christmas a new, crisp dollar-bill was
handed each one as he was paid his reg
ular weekly stipend. There are 1885
coIored employees at this place, each one
OF whom received the gift. and each one
OF whom was made happy accordingly.
The Allen a. Ginter Branch presented
their hundreds OF employees nice boxes Of
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