The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-25
Streets Are Thronged With People Seeking to Make
 Others Happy
CHRISTMAS DRINKERS AND
 PRESENTS FOR TIE POOR
Sunday Will Bring No Rest for the Tired Mail Clerks and Express EmpIoyes Who Will do More
 Work Than Usual

 "Getting ready for Christmas" was the special that filled the air when tlie throngs began to move in the streets this morning and Father Knickerbock- ST took on an air of the three days celebration that had been begun. The exchanges in the business and financial districts were closed the sound of the ticker hushed, and thousands joined the great crowds In the shopping, theatre and hotel district, where the multitude nowed along the avenues and flooded Into the stores to gather from the treasures, to make glad hearts for the children and happy firesides for the homes on the anniversary of the birth of the Prince of Peace"
 The celebration of Christmas will continue through Monday. In all the churches there will be special Christ mas services. the heatres are putting cn special Christmas bills, the hotels and cafes special Christmas dinners and entertainments, the clubs and so- cieties special gayeties
 The heavy rain which began early in the morning swept the streets clean. but the predicted white Christmas" has not been heralded this evening as the weather is still damp and dreary.
 Down on West street today thous- ands of little Christmas trees have been scrutinized, "hefted" and bought. Ev- cry commuter looked like forester as he hurried Jerseyward. The treelets were banked up high, yellow wood butts to the sidewalk, so the pros pective Santa Claus could quickly choose one of fitting size. Every one of those thousands of yellow disks stands surrounded tonight. Fast as the West street forest marched to the ferries, wagon loads of 1t renewed the supply. On Vesey street, nearby, was the tra- ditional mart of tinsel dressings for the trees. Here. too, the push carts strong along with wreaths, boxes of palms" and heaps of holly.
 Lower Manhattan
 There are other notes of Christmas in lower Manhattan. Trinity and St Paurs are havens of seansonal celebra- ton amidst the skyscraper district from noon today, when Christmas carols were to be sung at St. PauPs. Other ~ise the financial district was alone bleak. windy and dour as a mountain gorge with the exception of the crowds in the streets
 There were a score of downtown places where Christmas dinners will be served, from the Austrian home in Broad street to the New York Society for the Relief of the Crippled. at For ty-second street
 Tn, {n department stores, in Eastside push cart thoroughfares. the whole world seemed to be engaged in happy com merce today.
 What is not so well known was the shopping of the pood.
 Christmas for the Poor
 Christmas in wholesale quantities will be provided by the Salvation Army at Grand Central palace on Monday morning. Baskets to feed 25,00O will be distributed and a monstrous tree will be harvested of toys. The Chil- dren's Aid society Is prepared to take care of 10000 capacities, the Volunteer Band of as many more. Big Tim Sul- livan's Bowery dinner will tighten the belts of at least coco. The U. D. M. boys will eat turkeys, thanks to Mi- chael w. Ravens on Christmas day Last night 2000 children gathered at the Suffrage league where a Christ mas tree was given under the direc- tion of Mrs. O. H. F. Belmont. All the exchanges will be closed Monday and but one afternoon newspaper will issue. But there will be no holiday for the postman or congressman, In no year before has the great press of Christmas mail been so gigantic as It has been this year, for up to toda V m falx nj have been handled at the general post office. Of this number of pieces at least 10.n00,000 were Christmas cards.
 To handle this flood of mail 1t has been necessary to employ 27s2 regular and sub-carriers, 210O permanent ani temporary clerks, several hundred urivers and assistants and hundreds cf other mail handlers.
 Foreign Mail Heavy
 The foreign mail this year has broken all previous records for bulk and value. the last three steamers bringing in alone 50,0W pieces of registered mail. Twenty thousand pieces of domestic mail have been registered daily at the general post office, where generally the registered mail IS seldom above 1S,000 pieces, foreign and domestic together each day.
 The Mauretania, the Teutonic. the George Washington, the St. Louis and I.usitana brought in more than 26 $50 sacks of mail, which had a total weight of approximately 1,952.1Oo pounds The St. Louis broke all records for single mail shipment, bringing 5567 sacks. The Ten tonic had 5174 sacks and the Lusitania b167 sacks. On the Mauretana were 4s74 sacks, on the George Washington 1900 sacks. Great banks of mail are yet un- assorted.
 Saturday. Sunday and Monday will be one long rush for the expressrnen. with hundreds of extra wagons and house. hold moving vans pressed in to help them out, and still the packages pile up. Ask the newspaper men where Christmas is and be told to look in the Lost, Strayed and Stolen Column
 They haven't got it.
 Twenty-three philanthropic and religious societies sent representatives to Ellis Is- land to offer Christmas cheer to the 215C immigrants detained there yesterday. The table, heaped with products, gorgeous tree set in front of the American build ing and programme of speeches and songs in many tongues were the features of the celebration.
 Message of Cardinal Gibbons
 Baltimore. Md. necember 24-(Special l