The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-18
Early Christmas Shopping
By Frederic ]. Isskin.

1 that Christmas sales in the United l States. were greater than ever before. Advertising has all but revolutionized the giving of gifts in the United States. Things ornamental but of little use were once the rule. The advertiser recommended things that were useful and his advice is being taken in a growing ratio. There was method in his madness. He knew human nature well enough to know that a person will spend more for useful article than one for purely ornamental, which means more business for his firm. 1 Someone has suggested that there ought to be National santa Claus As- sociation in the United States. The proposition may yet take shape Last year Miss Phillips, of Philadelphia, went around the offices of that city ap- pealing for two cents from each person she met. with which to get presents for destitute children. Her appeal was not in vain. and she collected enough money to get presents for hundreds of children. This year she will have auto mobile loads of things to take to the poor of the city. Her work has been so successful as to lead others to hope that National Santa Claus Associations may be formed before Christmas 1909 rolls around.
 The dealers in Christmas trees are preparing for a big trade this season. The ethics of forest preservation ap- | peals little to them. It Is a chance for making money that cannot be overlook ed. President Roosevelt has set an in- portant example in evergreen tree preservation There Is no Christmas tree i'm his home. He prefers to allow them to continue standing in their ms. tive forest. The presents are all placed in the library of the White House, and i he carries the key until Christmas l morning. At the appointed time he opens the door and each inmate of the house claims the presents bearing his name. Quentin has not reached the axe where he has the respect for q tree that his father has, so he has closet in which he rigs up his own tree. not a | very large one however. Most of the presents are homely--apples. oranges land peanuts for instance. but being the son of President has never been aI- flowed to pail . his taste for homely things. -i-sfs sssssalsas
 It has remained for the parents in q negro family to ind a substitute for a Christmas tree They were too poor to buy. one. So they took an old umbrei- 1 la, tore the cover of. planted the han 1 dle in a box raised the ribs and pro- ceeded to hang their presents on the Improvised tree. When their children awoke next morning they were as hap py as if they had the Hnest tree that ever grew in the woodst Why might not this idea lead some genius to in- vent a folding Chsistnias tree that might be stored away from year 10 year?
 The importance of the Christmas tree was recently illustrated by a rul- ing of the Department of Agriculture and the action of business bodies there l on. The cattle of some of the Middle ! 2 from foot and mouth disease. Tn order l to prevent It's spread to other States the Department of Agriculture Issued a rule that nothing packed in hay or
 straw should be shipped from any of the infected States into other States. ] This struck New York and Phiiadelphia I pretty hard. These two cities are the
 great Christmas goods distributing cen-
 ters and they were denied the use of | ordinary packing materials. The busi- ness bodies of those cities took up cud- | gels against the order. but without
 avail It IS estimated that It's enforee-
 ment during the Christmas season VIII l cost at least $l00.000.
 The people of the big cities all over
 the country are needing the advice to
 shou "early and often" insofar as it' re-
 Iates to the Red Cross Christma
 stamps being sold in the interest of
 hospital work It Is probable that 50.-
 OO0 900 of them will be sold before the
 season is over. There has never been
 anything gotten out that has struck the popular fancy so torcibly as these 1 stamps. and the only trouble which Is
 being experienced Aby those who arc
 selling them is to anticipate the de-
 mand.
 It is predicted that nine out of every
 ten passenger trains in the country
 will have trouble to maintain their
 schedules during the last three weeks
 of the Christmas buying season. Tns