The Minneapolis journal., 1905-12-24
GUTTER MERCHANTS
THRIVING IN LONDON
Fair Christmas Week Brings
Them Out by Thousands with
Their Marvellous Toys.
'ew York Herald Special Service,

New York Herald Special Service.
London, Dec. 23.-Londoners who
have money, have been enjoying them
selves to the full this week. There
has been no smoke, there has betu no
rain, but a week of bright sunshine and
the shops have been crowded with Christ
mas buyers who have been making up
for what they lost last week when
the dreadful smoke kept the people
away.
Broughams and autos of the west
end were forced to take their turn
with omnibusses and carrying vans,
and from the unemployed who had
turned gutter merchants to the fash
ionable women with Christmas presents
to buy, everyone, turned to the shops.
Ludgate Hill, the home of the gut
ter merchant, was never SO crowded
with hawkers Of penny toys as this
week and never has such roaring
business been done. =.
-. Ludgate Hill.
Ludgate Hill Christmas week is an
eye-opener. Nowhere else in London
is such a scene to be witnessed and it
is question if such a scene can be
| witnessed anywhere else in the world.
Here the gutter merchants-men, wom-
en- and children-line the curb with
not an inch Of space between them.
! Here on Christmas week the police
regulations are relaxed and the au-
thoritative demand Of the constable
to move on is unheard.
Traffic has to get along as best it
can. It is wonderful what can be
| q ICo+
this week. The most superior doll
would be glad to furnish her house
with the articles contained in the list
There was gilt kettle On a massive
stand, also a gilt and ornamental coffee
pot and a highly ornamental silver
teapot with the most elaborate of lids
An afternoon tea service included 8
Japanese tray, teapot and two meta
cups and saucers of elegant shape.
| Mechanical Toys in Demand.
Mechanical toys were the greatest
| joy Of all and were easily first. A
motor bus which went at an astonish
ing rate when wound up, an engine
and whole train, several kinds Of
automobiles and a London county coun
Gil steamboat that goes with wave
like motion, cycles that mount on
another on a merry-go-round, monke,
tempting parrot with an apple, ant
boy and girl swinging round to
gether hand in hand, are among tn
things offered. A rat jumping int
and out of a cage and hens peckin
alternately at a dish, a Japanese dol
doing an extraordinary balancing fete
a monkey standing on a turning axle
monkey doing rope walking &C
with grace and ease, penny games o
dice, balls, toy books, sets of min
pins, toys, banjoes, Tapping birds, wir
snakes, whistling pipes, whistlin
, cigars, whistling bottles, jacks III tn
| box, bottles that would not fall, brick
! that fitted inside one another, light
I ming calculators, the smallest smoker
Q set on earth, metal soldiers and horses
t puzzles, paper men, horses, flags, un
0 brellas and faces, biographs, Japanes
t fans Of novel shapes, deafening ra:
3 ties, India rubber heads, that EN-!
1 tongues, and a ball that lowered my
3 teriously over a wire pipe-a complet
9 selection, the like Of which the chi
dren Of London have never befor
feasted their eyes on, are other thing
on the marvellous list.