The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-12-21
WITH THE
CHRISTMAS
CROWDS

separate the waiting world from It's mer-
riest festival OF the year. Christmas day.
Indeed the festival is more a matter OF
a fortnight than OF single day and
Sunday will only come as the consumma-
tion OF all that the past two weeks have
| Witnessed
Nature has robbed us in Rhode Island
OF much that goes 10 make the holidays
perfect The snow and winter cold OF
last week has given way before period
Of mugginess. cloudiness and slushiness
far from pleasant for the Christmas shop
pers.
The IDEAL holiday weather is seldom
exemplified in this part OF the world The
clear. dry cold; the pure white snow;
wondrous. brilliant starlit evenings and
eneryating days are conditions always
desired at Christmas time and seldom
realized. Apart from the weather, the
holidays are typical and as merry as
ever.
II is strange when Il IL thought or
this universal reception OF the spirit OF
Christmas and none Is so rich or 40 poor
that he cannot enter into the seasons
JOY. Thus the Christmas spirit reigns
supreme throughout Christendom, peoples
OF all countries and all tongues giving
themselves willingly 10 the holiday merry
making and entering eagerly into the
sacred Joy OF Christmas
THE HOLIDAY PURCHASING.
I'm Providence the exchange OF presents
Is the dominant outward manifestation OF
the observance OF the day. Where thou
sands on thousands OF men. women and
| children OF all ages and conditions are
busted with the purchase Of Christmas
| gifts as is the situation this week In
Oft pff NO is
| indeed considerable.
! At no season of the year are the people
! on the street so generally susceptible 10
| the craftiness OF the merchants. Tho
/ spirit OF spending Is contagious and Il
/ takes but "A minimum display OF gaudi-
| ness aud fancy attrsctveness TO start
| the dimes and quarters 10 hopping from
/ the pockets OF the crowd into the mer-
! cenary. often grmy palm OF tho shop
keeper and street corner fakir
Mention OF the latter gentleman gives
! rise 10 n train OF thought distinctly
! Chrismasy i'm character. or all the un-
usual features OF the street scenes during
the holidays. possibly none attracts more
attention, and profitable attention II il
nv the way, than does the fellow with the
display of toys doing business on the
street corner.
AS TO FAKIRS.
There are a great many holiday fakirs
! I'm Providence. just how many n Is inn
possible TO tell. Fellows enjoying the
privileges OF a peddlar's license all the
year round turn their hands to seasona bic
! trade and many voice used in the sum
| mer months 10 advance the merits and
| sale OF a patent suspender button or key
| chain ia this week exploiting the charms
| of ten cent toys as brilliant In conception
! as i'm appearance.
| Temporary privileges are secured by
! men wishing TO play on the excited sus-
capabilities OF the holiday crowds during
these two or three weeks and I'm many
ways the ranks or the street merchants
| are sNelled To proportions that at times
menace the traffic OF the business sec
tion.
BY far the most interesting type of all
| is the fellow with the automs tic TOYS He
established his booth I'm the shelter Of a
large building just around the corner from
tho main travelled walk. The display
table Is generally a neatly contrived affair
OF clean. smooth boards. solidly con-
structed and prettily trimmed with ever
/ green and Christmas ornaments. Often
times the proprietor carries a stock OF
laurel wreath and holly clusters. thus
affording pleasant opportunity for
lavish decoration and a pretty setting for
the toys.
|
| devices are arranged in tiers at the rear
Of the booth. neatly bedded i'm pale grey
or vari-colored boxes packed in excelsior
betraNing foreign origin
UNIQUE TOYS
Towards the front OF the display stand
is a cleared fat surface on which the
many toys are put through their PAGES.
An automobile. complete I'm exterior de-
tail. gaudy with yellow wheels, vermllion
body. green top and purple chaneur Is
wound up by the fakir and away Il goes
chasing itself merrily about a circle the
chaffeur guiding the car with n steadi-
ness which betrays great skill on his part
or a well tempered spring enclosed In the
vltals OF the toy.
The auto encircles the open space al a
dizzy pace TO the great admiration OF
youthful bystanders and 10 the good ma
tured amusement Of the older watchers
Finally the gasoline gives out and the
buzz car" Is removed TO its garage-and
n the crowd about the booth Is property
constituted II Is neatly done up and. chat.
feur and all. started for parts unknown
10 delight youngster on Christina;
morning. and on as many mornings there
after IA he shall be able To keep his fn.
gers from mixing up with the machinery
The automobile is very popular toy
this year and has so far sold we'll Their,
\ are many varieties SnOWn. DuI space VII
not allow further details.
MICE AND RUGS.
The red and yellow mice and striped
bugs that run and crawl about the side
| walks under the skilled persuasion or tn.
fak,r are on hand in great numbers and
never before have they been 80 entertain
ing. They go In all directions and go with
speed that is surprising. and az 10 cents
each they 60 like hot cakes.
There IL an endless variety to the auto
matte TOYS this year and no two fellows
seem to have the same kinl 10 sell. Sol
diers and horses. animals OF quaint un
| natural stvle. grotesque contrivSh CO,
that defy description all are shown q
tempt the holiday purchasers. People bu,
thu showy TOYS IN great numbers and
indeed most Of the fakirs are SO bus,
making sales that they find little chanc'
} 10 talk To many the substance of thei
vocal indulgencies is y relief. but other
there are 20 whom the language OF th'