New-York tribune., 1902-12-26
A SNOWY CHRISTMAS
FIRST IN THREE HEARS-
More Than Umai Holiday SPIRIT
abroad n Streets.

prophets arrived on schedule time yesterday.
It began to snow at 4:15 O'Clock. just be-
fore the reindeer of Santa Claus had made
their last few trips down the chimneys of
the city and when the children got OUT
of bed at the first streak of dawn to look IN
their stockings the white blanket was coming
down merrily IT continued to fall heavily the
better part of the forenoon. and al the afternoon
it came down in intermittent sprinkies. the
weather moderating so that it was a cross De
tween snow and rain most Of the time
1t was the first snowy Christmas in three
years. Last year it rained. In 1900 there was
fair but rather warm weather. but IN 1893 IL
showed. Yesterday about three and nah
inches of snow were reported by the weather
observers
In the parks and in the country districts the
CONSISTENCY of the snow was just right TO pro-
duce some beautiful effects Every bare Tree
limb was completely mantled in white, so tnaC
the trees were outlined in every detail In oaz-
zng purity while the countryside was one vast
immaculate carpet. That effect did not last
long in the city streets. but the snow made Il
seem more like Christmas" at least to the
New-EngIand contingent Of New-Yorkers. who
have repulsion for the proverbtally nl-fated
green Christmas"
But there is another side to the snow feature
of Christmas-a side that is distinctly visible
to the devotees of out of door sport. These peo-
pie groan at snowy Christmas. 1t spoils their
fun. The golfers who are hardened enough 70
follow the guilty all winter long, the skaters
who had hoped for a chance to hear the steel
ring the association football players. glowered
at the with i1l-natured remarks 1t upset
their plans
Before daylight mass had been said in the
Roman Catholic churches and nearly all OF
them had special services with elaborate musi-
cal programmes at IL o'clock. also did the
Protestant Episcopal and the Reformed
churches. The heavy snowfall somewhat inter
fered with the attendance at the churches. and
the press of carriages was not nottceably great
around the chief houses of worship. except IN
the case of Grace Church. where there was a
special service at which Bishop Potter MADE an
address the occasion being the reopening OF
the church after extensive repairs and altera-
tions to the chancel
There seemed more than the usual holiday
spirit abroad in the streets Of the city. to which
the presence of the snow no doubt contributed
1t seemed to bring back to many OF the pedes-
trans who were abroad a touch Of the youth
that for most of them lay so far behind Women
stopped TO poke the snow with the tips OF their
umbrellas or roll 1t into little heaps with the
tips of their boots Men stopped to gather snow
from the walks in the parks. and threw it down
each others necks and laughed and gambolled
Nke any lot of schooIboys- The air not tnfre-
ouentIy bore the unaccustomed sound of sleigh
bells and every sound came with tenfold dis
tinctness and insistence over the snow laden
ground.
Many fashionable New-York folk make an an
nuaI custom of going out Of town before Christ
mas to spend the holidays at their country seats
or at house parties TO which they have been
invited and this year is exception TO the
rule Aiken and other resorts in the South.
Lakewood Tuxedo, the many sumptuous houses
on Long Island and in Westchester County. all
attracted delegations. that many Of the big
houses along and near Fffth-ave or Riverside
Drive were quiet during the general celebration
Yesterday Others however. were filled with
merry celebrants and numerous were the family
reunions.
Probably the poor Of New-York City never
Jared better on Christmas Day than yesterday
Numerous charitable associations looked after
their welfare while hundreds Of men and women
who have for years made habit of furnishing
dinners and gifts for some particular class Of
the less fortunate followed their custom as in
previous years
The largest charitable activity Of all was prob
ably that of the Salvation Army. whose annual
dinner given in the big Grand Central Palace,
attracted thousands of the citys poor. none OF
whom went away without some remembrance,
edible or other. Commander Booth-Tucker said
that the army's dinner broke all records this
season. for about five thousand baskets Of food
were distributed which. il was estimated.
contained enough food to give a square
mear' TO each of nearly twenty thousand
persons The line of applicants began to
form outside the Grand Central Palace by day.
light and by the time the hour for distrfbu-
ton had arrived the line was double one. and
extended all the way around the block Those
whose clothes seemed insufficiently warm got
presents of clothing. in addition to the food
They kept going there all day. and the lines Of
streetcars leading from the Grand Central Pal
ace were filled with men and women loaded
down with baskets and bags of food Three
thousand persons were fed at night.
The Timothy D. Sullivan Association. at No.
2O1 Bowery celebrated usual by furnishing
dinners to the poor OF the East Side Probably
ten thousand persons were provided for. tnclud-
ing thousands of men from the cheap lodging
houses that serve them homes The diners
sat down to dinner in squads of 45O. and as
soon as they had finished were promptly
ceeded by another squad