The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-12-26

Christmas time. There is sonnet thing
in the very air at this season of all sea-
sons that induces even the stingiest of
us to loosen his purse strings. But it
is in the great bustling city, with it's
thousands of human hearts with all
their variety of joys and sorrows that
the tide OF Christmas spirit reaches it's
highest. Christmas in tho city is al
ways interesting. A London Christmas
inspired Dickens Christmas Carol, and
a st. Louis Christmas is responsible for
this. Whatever you may care to call
it)
One would never dream that there
was money faminine abroad in the
land to see the crowds fastening to and
fro in the busy streets or crowding the
aisles in the great department stores.
Happy throngs they are, eager children,
anxious mammas and calculating papas,
but all happy. And why should they
not be happy? This is the one time Of
all the year when the whole world is
glad, and he must be miserable indeed
who does not feel something of it's
warmth. Even our Uncle Samuel has
unbent his dignity this year and joined
in the general good time by having his
Postmaster General order that "Here-
after, and until the close of the first
day Of January, 190S,ss postmasters are
directed to deliver all letters arriving
at their respective postoffice addressed
plainly and Enthusiastically to "Santa
Claus" without any other terms of ex-
pressions identifying the person for
whom such letters are intended to any
regularly organized charitable society
in the city or town of address to be
used exclusively for the purpose" etc.
He never did do such thing before
either, but that only goes to prove that
we are waking up to the fact that our
old ironclad rules won't do at all when
Christmas comes. wish could take
all the little boys and girls Of The Re-
porter family Il do hope the editor can
find room for this) with me to visit some
of our big stores. They would know
then why Santa Claus can make even
Uncle Sam come to time. Everyone
of these big stores is headquarters for
the jolly old saint, and trip to one of
them is just like peep at Fairyland it
self. Do you know that the toy depart
ment Of one of these stores alone is big
ger than the Biggs Block in Leon? And
such toys! We never saw anything
f, like it in the days Of the old brick
school house out at Grown. Here are
games of every kind, drums, horns, toy
pianos that play, printing presses that
print, little automobiles that toot,
trains that run, steam engines that
steam, boats that float, toy fish that
swim, machine shop in miniature,
dolls, dressed and undressed, breakable
and unbreakable (said to be at least)
doll houses fine enough for a fairy
queen, doll trunks, doll tea sets, doll
furniture, doll Kitchen ranges a Humpty
Dumpty circus complete with tent
clowns and every kind Of animal that
Noah's ark ever dreamed of a Ferris
wheel, fire department. ITO put out
fires in doll town suppose), wonderful
mechanical toys, Teddy bears from 800
to S140U, Zone of EN- had monkey
face too) and II that were not enough
there was a toy street lamp with a toy
q. s. mail box fastened to the post
| (doubtiess intended for doll town toy
And every store has Santa Claus
every boy and girl knows very wei
that 1t would take more than one to Re
all around in one night. And what
|csowd of people it does take fol- clerk
lin one Of these storesl The big Crane
Leader store employs, in roand numbers
leaving off the fractions, two THOUSAND
people. Just about as many as all tn
men, women and children in Leon a.
put together, isn't it? And there are
. lot of other big stores too. Over at tn
post office tsey have turned the bi
Olive street lobby into receiving roo'
for Christmas presents, and they hav
even decorated it with festoons {
evergreen and bright red Christina
bells. A large force Of extra clerk
are working night and day sorting an
sending out packages, while the hi
) fast mail trains that go flying acros
the country also carry great man
extra men to take care of the extl
! mails that Christmas time bring
. Surely it is happy time!
: "No I'm married." said a thinl
5 dressed man only this morning
n answer to the inquiry of the man {
t the registration desk of the st. Lou
Provident Association out on Washin,
I ton Avenue, and he turned his pinche
q face towards US half alphabetically as
s to say, 81 never had to do this before
I About dozen others were in line wal
8 ing their turns to make application Il
q aid. We have seen some profession
: beggars during residence of son
q six years in the city, and these me
j. were not professional. Then we wei
y up stairs and found Mr.. McClain; tt
: manager of the Provident Associatio
Il and opening his mornings mail.
II have never seen anything like it," sa
e he. "Tell them that while Christmas
h usually time of cheer and happine
,r and the ringing of bells that this ye
o. is going to be very black for man
many people, not hundreds but thou
ands." He picked up postal card tn
had just come in. 1t lore no addres
but the message it contained had e
abled the postal authorities to deiiv
it to the right party. The MESA
simply said, please send me some CO
and an old stove if you have one" 81
not always the people who live
- shacks who need our help most" &C
- tinued Mr.. McClain, as he open
another bunch of letters. "Sometim
we find a poor woman who is feedi
= her little ones on crusts of bread W
II will almost starve before she will a
for aid" ut is heartbreaking, too,
L L L..