Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-03
ing for a very merry and welI-provisIoned

! ing for very merry and well-provisIoned
Christmas.
| In Whitechapel road. in the New Cut.
| London road and other streets on the south
| Of the river, in the streets behind West
minister Abbey and in the neighborhood of
Noting Hill, shopkeepers and street-barrow
men were taking money as rapidly as goods
| could be handed out. AS usual, the most
gorgeous Of marketing street preparations
was in Electric avenue, Brixton, where the
| aid Of the electric light had been called in
! to heighten the decorations and make the
| thoroughfare much brighter than the aver
age London day.
The London coster is often attacked, but
never suppressed, and there were few
things required at Christmas time that one
or the other of his class was not offering
last night. The street toy merchant, too,
was never more in evidence, nor was ever
wider selection offered to tempt the
spender of penny.
Pictures and books are selling in quite a
remarkable way in the Christmas market.
So far as one can judge, the trade in
christmas presents" at large Is exceed
irgly active, but for some reason there is
quite boom in works of literature and
art. 1 remember Prof. Herkomer, when
an art gallery was opened some years ago,
warning everybody, half whimsically, half
seriously, against the "od masters" We
have since discovered by a notable case in
London that the warning is one which the
amateur collector may well take to heart
This Christmas the old masters are all the
rage in London. but the purchasers are
quite on the safe side, for they are invest
gravures and the like-of world-f famous
pictures. tour Of the print shops sug-
gests that with the dawn of the new
year there will not be a house in London
where the "old masters will not be hon.
orably represented.
Kipling May Have Offended the Kaiser
The kaiser must feel little hurt when
he reads Mr.. Kiplings uncomplinentary
illusions to the Germans in his THE Row.
ers," which was published on Monday, for
he is an ardent admirer of the works of the
poet novelist When Kipling lay almost
dying at a New York hotel a few years
ago, the German emperor was one Of the
many illustrious persons who cabled mes
sages of coincidence to the popular writer.
On that occasion the kaiser claimed kim
ship with the Anglo-Saxon race, for he
praised Kiplirg for singing of the deeds OF
Our Common Race''-a euphonous phrase
recalling the historical fact that the Anglo
Saxons are of Teutonic origin.
An amusing incident is related of! the re-
lam Imp" and Mrs. Kipling was good
deal puzzled by the signature. The fol-
lowing morning telegram appeared In the
press from Berlin, informing the American
world that the kaiser had dispatched a
message of sympathy across the Atlantic.
Not till then, it Is said, did Mrs. Kipling
realize how illustrious was her husband s
correspondent.
Expense Of the Durbar.
1t is perhaps as we'll that parliament
has been prorogued without an opportunity
to discuss the expenses likely to be en-
tailed by and the arrangements for the
great durbar at Delhi. There are very Sc
rious rumors about the subject. Although
nearly 100 members of the aristocracy have
gone out as Lord Curzon's guests, the
viceroys expenses as host are to be PAD
will be hotly debated when parliament
meets in February.
High Prices for Thackeray Relics.
Collectors of Thackerayana, as distinct
from those who already possess represen-
tative assemblage, will be somewhat daunt-
ed to learn of the high sums paid yesterday
afternoon in Wellington street for relics of
the novelist. They were originally the
property of the late Miss Kate Perry and
her sister, Mrs. Elliott, nee Jane Perry. in
innate friends of 1llackeray, and at their
death passed into the possession Of the
owner until yesterday. Miss Kate Perry S
album, beginning with an unpublished
poem three Svo pages, ''The Pen and
| the Album, and containing other MSS. of
| note, was bought by Messrs. Sabin for
$3.50 Four auatrains beginning Il am
| Miss Perry's faithful Phil sent with a
small gold brooch enameled in colors with
| the head of lady's skye terrier, ESQ; the
account book of Miss Perry's soup kitchen
! in Elizabeth street south, 1861, with a
sketch of her, inscribed ssSuffer and forbid
! them not 81 guineas; small ful-length
pencil drawing of Thackeray by himself,
e7S; King Charles Taking Leave of Bishop
Juxon,' with the word Remember writ
ten beneath. $50, and seven other drawings
of Thackeray, G207 10. The twenty-seven
Thackeray lots yielded a total of about
CLIO, the Perry property a whole an
aggregate of 81 DOB. L. H. MOORE.