New-York tribune., 1901-12-26
CHRISTMAS, DAY OF JOY.
GENERALLY OBSER WE'D DE-
SPITE BAD WEATHER.
MANY DINNERS FOR THE POOR AND
NEEDY, AND ENTERTAINMENTS
FOR THOSE DEPENDENT on
PUBLIC BOUNTY.
PUBLIC BOUNTY.

PUBLIC BOUNTY.
Christmas, the day to which countless good
little boys and girls and innumerable children
of larger growth look forward the greatest
day Of the whole year. has and gone
again. To hundreds of thousands of homes In
the city it brought wholesome cheer. In the
homes were the holly. mistletoe or Christmas
trees as symbols and tokens Of that good cheer
that has always accompanied the holiday, and
there were the gifts that meant love and en-
dearment, and gave happiness beyond measure.
There were sweets cloy appetites and din
ners TO fill stomachs too full. and games fun
and frolic. All the things that million people
had been crowding the stores TO buy for days
and days We're distributed. Many Of them were
in the full stockings that the children saw when
they Jumped out of their beds in the morning.
Christmas is a great day, and yesterday was no
execution Many child at the end of the holi
day sighed with regret, and many a parent,
feeling in empty pockets. sighed with thank
fulness at the thought:
Christmas comes but once year.
The holiday is observed chiefly in the homes.
and the weather in the city yesterday was cal
culated to keep most people indoors. A dis
agreea bic drizzle. with the temperature near the
freezing point, continued the greater part OF
the day 1t kept thousands of people off the
had been planned IN spite of the forbidding
weather. however, there was a good attendance
st the Roman Catholic and Protestant Epis-
copal churches in the city early in the day, and
later thousands of people were seen carrying
Christmas gifts along the streets.
In addition TO the good cheer in the homes Of
the CITY. there were many bountiful dinners at
public institutions and several large dinners
and Christmas entertainments given by charita-
don
was made q depot for the. distribution Of din
rers to thousands of poor families early in the
day and the place for feeding thousands of
poor people and giving a stereopticon show in
the evening At many Of the charitable insu-
tutiors there were entertainments, following
distributions OF gifts on Christmas Eve.
Bountfful dinners and distributions Of Christ
mas gifts a. the Five Points House Of Industry,
in worth-st, yesterday We're followed by an
entertainment for the children in the institu-
ton last evening.
Hundreds of homeless men got free dinners
and good advice at the Jerry McAuley Mission.
in Water-st Volunteer mission workers helped
TO serve the dinners to men, who were admitted
in RELAYS of 140 and the Rev. S. H Hadley
conducted brief services at each table before the
dinners were served.
About two thousand men and women VINO
appeared to be destitute were served Win Iree
dinners at the Mission OF the Immaculate VIZ
gin. at Great Jones-st- and Lafayette Place
Many of them went the mission from Bow
cry lodging houses.
About fifty women who needed aid hao ulii-
ner bv invitation at the Florence Mission. in
Bleecker-st and remained to participate In re-
lgious services.
Ten thousand men and boys, many OF lhefl
homeless. received entertainment and suitable
Christmas presents at the Bowery Mission, NO
30 Bowery From 8 a. N, when the managers
Of the mission began giving out breakfasts to
homeless men, until IL o'clock last night when
the entertainment and Christmas tree for young
men was over there was a never ceasing stream
OF persons in and out Of the place.
The Bronx Band OF Mercy, under The leader
ship Of Henry Glover, gave an entertainment
and dinner for the poor in the basement or the
new building at observation-disclosures -flrst-st
and Alexander-ave The funds for the enter
tainment were provided for by concerts and
other forms Of entertainment given by the baho
Of Mercy earlier in the winter.
The thousands of inmates of the charitable
and correctional institutions Of the city were
entertained with festivals and celebrations ap-
propriate TO the holiday. In all the institutions
the inmates had Christmas dinners
Crowds of visitors bearing good things to their
less fortunate friends made their way to the
various institutions on the lsIanos- Inc NHoi
ities Department boat not running from the
p'er at East Twenty-sixth-st, but passengers
TO the islands were able to get transportation
on boats running from East Seventieth-st. and
East Fifty -second-st.
The employees on duty at the morgue had a
little joilffcation of their own. They set up a
Christmas tree in the autopsy room II was
--ofusely decorated and on it were numerous
,-esents which the employees exchanged with
@ch other.
n each of the five wards in Bellevue Hospital
orad q q
red children Christmas trees We're set up on
r2esday night, and they were enjoyed by the
,liidren when they avoke yesterday morning.
Christmas was celebrated separately by the
7aen and women of the Manhattan State Hos
llital on Wards Island. In the East Hospital
for Women 1000 insane patients, in al stages
cf insanity participated There were six great
trees loaded with gifts of various kinds, some
thing for every patient In the evening there
was d masked ball.
Life in the Tombs was enlivened considerably
Continued on second page.