Semi-weekly herald., 1912-12-12

GOTHAM PREPARES
FOR CHRISTMAS.

GOTHAM PREPARES
FOR CHRISTMAS.
NEW YORK, Dec. 1.-THE Christ,
mas celebration two weeks from today
promises to be the most remarkable
in the history of little old New York.
From the Battery to the Bronx and
from the East River TO the North
River the people are now in the midst
Of their preparations for the Yuletide
festivities. The streets, the shops, the
cars are thronged all day and until
late in the evening with persons max
ing their purchases. Broadway and
the Bowery alike appear to have
caught the atmospheric buoyancy OF
the holiday season.
The hotels are making more elabor-
ate preparations for the Christmas
festivities this year than ever before
A decade ago the travelling man whose
business held him in New York FOR
Christmas day wandered through o
deserted hotel lobby musing on his
isolation. Nowadays the well-to-do
class, when they have completed their
own celebration in their own homes,
come to the Plaza, the Nickerbocker,
the Ritz-Carlton or another of the
newer and larger hotels for which the
city Is famous. to enjoy as kcenly
the spirit of Christmas times as did
the little group about an old New
England hearthstone or an ante-bel-
lum chimney corner.
But the good cheer of the metro
palatial mansion on Riverside drive
by the rich. 1t is so abundant that 1t
overflows into every nook and corner
Of the big city and fills every nook
and corner of the lowliest tenement in
Rivington street as well as the most
palatial mansion on Riverside drive
If there is single man, woman or
child in the whole of New York who
is not gladdened the coming Christ
mas day by bounteous dinner, u
useful present or the enjoyment Of
some sort of free entertainment, it
will not be for the lack of effort on
the part of the churches, the charit-
able institutions and individual phil
anthropies.
The Salvation Army, the Volunteers
of America and kindred orders are
preparing to distribute 10000 dinners
to the very poor Of the metropolis
this Christmas, each basket dinner
being sufficient for five people, max
ing 10000 fed. In addition to this,
the Salvation Army will give it,
customary dinner to the homeless, at
which never less than 5000 sit down
to the tables. The Salvation Army
street kettles are being well filled
this year and from them will be drawn
the money to feed the thousands.
For several weeks the floaters along
te Bowery have been asking each
other if Big Tins" annual feast is
likely to materialize this year. The
feast is the dinner which has been
given each Christmas for many years
by the Timothy D.. Sullivan associa-
ton. Every derelict has been wei
coined to the festive board, providing
only that his appearance gave evi-
dence that he belonged to the Bowery
In addition to receiving his fill OF
turkey and all the trimmings, each
guest was given ticket for a little
personal present from Big Tim
Usually the present was a pair OF
new shoes.
big Tim" has been taken away tc
sanatarium, broken down by do
mestic sorrow and political reverses
According to the general belief it Ii
beloved Bowery again. But the for
mer congressman and old Tammany
leader has not forgotten his forme
charges, even in his misfortune. Act
ing under his instructions his rela
Bowery are provided with big Tins
annual feast.
Social dinners will be given oi
Christmas day for the new Jboys, tn
crippled children, the immigrants de
tanned on Ellis island, the unfortu
mates confined in the Tombs and a
Blackwell's and the inmates of the nu
merous hospitals and homes for or
phans, the aged and destitute through
out New York. Then there will b
the customary dinner for the "Littl
Mothers as are known the hundred
: of little girls whose days are nearl
! all taken up tending the babies Will