The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-14

WRITTEN FOR II SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
To ttlk Of Christmas Jrutalitirs must
seem absurd to those who have. persisted
in keeping their notion Of the day and ot
the preparation for i uuSullled bv obssrva,
tion Of facts.
Tradition, fiction. poetry and The G.sir,
"t ones heart all are arrayed on one side
tn" side Of the angels OF good will. the
'arol'nS wait in the courtyard. the
crowds beneath the mistletue and holly
branches in the hall. the cancellations.
the chimes. the JOY. the peace.
With these picturesque ideals in their
minds most Of the world goes forth upon
that most hideous and most brutal OF pas,
I times. or duties. or whatever 1t may be
c~aiied-bclated Christmas shopping.
In order that they may give their own
"~lIiarcn u joyous surprise on Christmas
morning They Contentedly watch other chill
dren running breathIeSs!y hithcr and thither
III the ov";heaied- crowded. gaseous shops.
In order that their daughters may su.iie
with languid pleasure over the gift of n boa
OF a ran they are qiIite content to see other
young women grow n% pale and faint after
hours OF Standing behind counters breath
ing foul air, straii-iug thrir arms TO high
boxes.
They cat their srippers when they can.
ana generally making ready for illness and
inter exhaustion
II some one with the power IF vivid de-
S14:P.+bI -I.pJ.G NGI'C iltE experiences as \
during the holiday rush Their
would be NO great need to read the In
:-inu' fer horrors.
II j. not altOg. her. probably not even
chiefly. th- fault Of the shops that this is
50; hut the conditions OF Christmas labor.
both III selling and dehv-Eimg goods. are
ugly and painful almost beyond rredibility.
shops cannot possibly be built Of such di-
m"rSions That their air content Will Suf-
lie" Is well for 4 holiday jam as for 4 few
July shopping stragglcFs.
Shops cannot De scaSunably expected TO
employ SO many sets and shifts" OF labor
ers that 10 on- will have 10 work beyond
tha normal number of hours Il day: they
cannot employ throughout the year :, de-
livery force such as they require for the
Christmas trade. thereby obviating the ne
:eSSity for sublctting their delivery 10 local
express companies which may or may not
treat the young members of their emer-
geUcy force well.
The utmost that the shops can do is to
nay FOR overtime work during the holiday
sgaSun, provide either supper or supper
money for those employees who work at
night. furnish seats behind counters for
the few seconds of breathing space which
the clerks may snatch between sales. and
Try to keep the air in the stores Us fresh
a. the crowds will permit.
These Things they can do. and many Of
them live up to their possibilities.
Last year 4 woman in d neighboring city
making an eaIlg-noTning trip TO one OF the
big shops ef ihe town found the work OF
preparation for the day Just begun.
L. the low-ceiled basement. where all sorts
Of holiday specialties' had crowded out the
regulation stoves ard wdshtubs of that re-
gion, she found i ;nan sweeping out dead
canarieS.
Mortified. she asked the cause of the car
mage. and was informed that the birds,
which had been hung in gilded cages about
the shop ready for purchase or TO impart
q cheerful and melodioGs effect to the scene,
had died Of the lack of fresh air-had fallen
from their little perchss upon I'll. floor of
their cages. poisoned by the foul gases
which the low. crowded. unyentiiated place
made inevitable.