Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-04
CHRISTMAS IN THE WEST.
'a'se RowaIPs Interesting Record o! Pleas. n.
Holiday Set ,es.

AHe cioSlnS CnrlStma.3 anniVs .rScr-r NJ
the nineteenth century was obse we'd
IN this city with all the pomp ard cir
cuIlStance due to the occasion. A,it,,e
churches held appropriate service : on
the previous Sabbath and on C,ri,t-
mas eve; and music al entertain nent :
OF nigh order of m crit were af orded
TO the universal pubic The mar ,mott
department stores had made amnl .
provisions for the retail trade. f..om
penny whistle to a grand piano. with
every conceivable toy and fabric to
meet the wants of tle multitudes of
shoppers of high and low degree. All
tn estore windows tor the past weel
We're respondent wEth elect -ic light
in every form and color, SO that ).
walk along Nicollet venue and othe .
streets in the busin IS loca tiles of th..
city afforded visions of magnificen.
beauty and splendor indese ribable.
There occurred on Nice llet avenue
on Christmas mOrnir ,g Il spectacle at
once pathetic. comic and altogether tho
most interesting ever witnessed o..
that classic thorC Cghfare. Messrs
Evans, Munzer Pick aring & Co.. pro
prietOrs of THE New Store a; =
nounced few days previous, that IN
Christmas morning the firm wol ID
give away to the Ii tie children Of
the poor such Things as they needed t.
make this Christmas a happy one for
them. The premise was more than
fulfilled. Five. thous md children en-
tered the store Oh ~ Christmas morn
ing, and each received something
sufficiently sub ;tantisal as Christmas
frjft tn ha ,nr+io, Il
will be long rem EN- oered by ALL The
rush to the store w! s such as to re
quire the services q many policemen
to prevent accident or harm. One in
cident as recorded n an evening pape-
We give as specinnf N of hundreds o.
like character:
There was one RI !, ed little chap no.
more than six years Cd who needed =
suit OF clothes and ; II overcoat very
badly. Would you &C = ler have Il war
ship or a suit of clot res asked the
master of ceremonies There was an
awfully swagger wars hip on top ~
the piled toys. It had red PARTED fun
nels and was pierced f )r II guns. am
really seemed TO be one of the mos
ornate Warships ever PIT on n tC !.
counter. The little DO was in .
uuandry. He wanted that suit Of
clothes so very badly al q yet. and yet
oh. Lord. how he did w INT tha- war
ship. 1t was altogether too to1ign ..
problem for the kid. He couldn't an
swer to save his life. His big brown
eyes. that seemed to be >ulging out OF
their sockets at the sigfv- of so MANY
magnificent things. roved slowly from
the clothing pile to the toy pile. but he
answered never a word. Rig him out
with a good warm suit of clio hes and
little overcoat,' said Pick ering-'he
needs both, l gue.is.' In a {trice the
tiny lad was hugging a bundle OF
clothes that would have cost his
mother SIS if she h i'd been able to pay
for them earlier in the week. but there
he stood. still gazing at that warshin
with the red tunnels. and he just
seemed unable to take his eyes off it.
1t really was such a beautiful warsfip.
And just then Adam Pic. Serins: did -
thing that brought tears into the eyes
of the people standing near. He tC ok
that warship. red tunnels and ALL. and
poked it into the already laden ar Is of
the boy. who looked up into his face
and tried to say something. but tne ex-
terance."
When the distribution WIS oy err the
great storerooms looked as tn ough n
cyclone had struck them. Dis mantled
cases. torn boxes. heads of unlucky
dolls that had fallen by the wayside
with waste paper in mountain piles.
and the children We're singing as they
went down the street. every blessed
if ever like exhibition of t,al joy and
happiness was ever witness ed in the
nineteenth century. The pr nicely don
ors are worthy of unlimited praise and
imitation.
In recent number of tie Journal
you refer to Madame Nordif q as the
leading singer in grand ope Il for the
past twenty-five. years. She appeared
recently in this city with { large reti-
nue. of stars" including Melba.
susanna Adams. Gadski de Reszke
Campanari and many othe IS of world
wide reputc. The operas were given
in the great exposition building, and
the entertainments drew = house OF six
thousand or more of deIii :hted hearers
for four successive operas. under the
direction and leadership of Damrosch
and Tlon. Maurice A. Gran was
financial manager.
We are enjoying mild and pleasant
weather for the season. with but little
snow or zero temperate e. The wheat
market is quiet, with no good prospec.
of immediate advance.
Yours fraternally. with the compIi-
ments of the season,
E. ROWELI-,