The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-12
EASTER A COSTLY FESTIVAL.
NEW YORK SPENDS AT LEAST
$1,000, 900 ON 1T.

And Easter Hats Cost More Than Easter
Gowns Enormous Sums Spent
for Cifts and Candy-FIowers to
the Amount OF 81. 600. 900 Given
Away Costly Entertainments. Tee.
Every year when Easter Gomez along
there occurs q lavish expenditure Of money.
There never has been. and probably never
will be, anything like . correct compute
ton Of how much money Is spent at Easter.
The temptation. when telling the story.
Is to err on the most interesting side by
lacking on an extra million or two.
On the other hand. there are people who
have never thought about the subject at
all, and so are quite unaware that the great
spring festival OF the Church gives the big
eest kind Of boom to business all over the
country. and especially to business In New
York. Even leaving the ubiquitous Easter
bonnet out OF the reckoning would not
alter the fact that thousands upon thou
sands OF dollars are spent every year at
Easter which but for the celebration would
remain securely in their owners pockets.
This is true Of all classes. In fact, some
Of those to whom a bank account is among
the unknowable things spend by comparison.
even more generously than the rich. As
every one knows, 1t is in the poorest locali-
ties that the shops remain open the longest
the night before Easter.
In attempting to make an estimate Of the
cost OF New York's celebration Of Easter.
here are some Of the features to be reckoned
with
women's clothes and hats.
Mems apparel;
Easter presents Of candy. eggs and other
Easter presents Of flowers.
Decorations Of the churches.
Private gifts OF money to individuals.
Gifts to institutions.
Easter entertainments Tor the young.
Easter weddings.
Relatively. as to cost, the Easter bonnet
leads all the rest, with the Easter gown a
rood second, and flowers coming in third;
In computing the money put In circula-
ton by way Of the Easter bonnet 1t IL esti-
5000 600 there are 500 ,oo0 women and girls.
Big and little, who at least make an at:
tempt to appear In some sort OF new head
covering on Easter Sunday, and that their
hats range IN price from 30 cents 70 ~
average OF Is comes pretty close to the
n that il true and 500 900 hats are multi
piled by Ave one gets the astounding total
Of s,.50OoOo TO DO set down to the Easter
account.
The reason that the Easter gown does
not oyertop the showing OF the Easter
bonnet seems to be that nowadays among
fashionable people there is no distinctive
Easter costume--no one gown OF spring
outfit being designed particularly for that
occasiop--and also that among the very
moor Easter, as a rule. antedatas the arrival
OF any brand new bit Of fincry other than .
xo,, on ooune reviews the situa-
ton thus: There are, perhaps. ?, "a
- .men who represent an average OF
800 each for an Easter gown; 5000 more
who average SIS each, 100000 who average
SO. Even this very modest estimate foots
From trustworthy sources IL is learned
that the total sum expended for flowers In
New York at Easter ia about 81 1000 the
presents. One leading florist, who has
three stores, does a business OF more than
5000 increase just at Easter; and there is
not florist in town. from river to river,
from Harlem to the Battery, who ever con-
fesses to finding business dull at this season.
Somewhere between thirty and forty
thousand dollars, say these florists, 10 spent
In decorating the churches, none OF which.
the florists add. Is any too lavish In appro-
priating money for this purpose. about
1900, apparently. being the limit imposed
BY even the wealthiest congregations.
Much Of the beauty OF the floral display
In some Of the chancels is due TO individual
gifts.
The Easter output OF money. II the tailors
are 10 he believed, owes much less to mems
clothing than to womens.
Beyond a new pair of gloves and q neck
tie said one, Il think the rank and file OF
men, other perhaps than very young men.
don't sport many new garments at Easter.
--he weather seldom cornpels them to
put on lightweight apparel and, unlike
woman. man generally waits until he really
needs IL before ordering new suit. wish
they didn't he concluded.
This mans estimate Of the amount put
h circulation By his sex at Easter was