Arizona republican., 1912-12-08
YULET|DE GLOW
 IN OLD ENGLAND
Threatening War Clouds, Woman's Suffrage and Uncertainty of Domestic Situation Does Not Af- feet Preparations.

LONDON. Dec 7-Notwithstanding the threatening clouds upon the po- litical horizon, the war in the Balkans which threatens to involve all Europe into a bloody conflict, and the uncer
 tainty of the domestic situation, com plicated as it is by the home rule prob
 lem, the wOmans suffrage agitation and the unsatisfactory economic con ditions, the people of "Mcrrie Olde England" are busy preparing for the coming Yuletide, the annual season of cheer. charity and happiness. The streets in the shopping districts are daily crowded early and late with thrOngs of people, some merely sight seers, others prospective purchasers and still thers those who. loaded down with mysterious looking bundles eag
 erly strive to reach their homes my notorious, taXicab, underground or railway.
 The shops particularly those offer ing toys and Christmas goods are crowded from morning till late in the evening and seem to be doing busi-
 ness. The shops, almost without eX-
  ergreens, festoons of colored paper and attractive tinsel and the displays of holiday goods are unusually elaborate and artistic Especially interesting are the toy shops which, this season. carry | larger and better grade stock than 1 ever before In view of the fact that many Of the visitors of these shops are merely sightseers who do not intend | to make any purchases. the owners Of i many of these shops charge a penny l admission with the understanding that l the price of admission will be returned l if a purchase is made
 Many members of the poorer classes 1 bring their whole families of young 1 sters to these shops. to give them an 1 opportunity to see the thousands of 1 wonderful things which delight their | hearts and appeal to their childish i'm i agination. although they wistfully real 1 iZe that these beautiful things are not | for them, not for the children of the 1 poor. Side by side with the children of 1 the wealthy these less fortunate 1 youngsters wander through the aisles. l stopping here and there to admire some particularly attractive toy which 1 especially appeals to their youthful | imagination
 The time of the provision markets i has not vet arrived The busy sea son of the provenders of victuals. as
 a matter of course. does not begin
 until d few days before Christmas. l but in the meantime the trade in l fruit spices and the scores of differ l ent things that enter into the making l .f p,h I delicacies increases from day to day The little stalls in which toys and l other cheap holiday goods are sold, are reaping their harvest and will continue to do good business up to Christmas day
 1 There was a time when the plum pudding, which forms the piece de re | sistance at the Yuletide celebration i in every English home, no matter how humble was the exclusive culi-
 nary product and the pride of every housewife Now however many
 thousands of families buy their plum pudding ready made from one or the
 other of the manufacturing bakers, who annually sell more than one mill
 lion and a half of plum buildings. weighing from one to five pounds. These buildings. which are carefully prepared of good material. clean and well packed, so as to withstand at mosphcric influences and the more or less rough usage of transpOrtat tion, may be and are often sent thousands of miles to cheer the heart of distant friends or members of the family. The royal court is actively prepar- ing for the coming Yuletide celebra- ton. always the most religiously ob-
 served festival of the year The late Queen Victoria usually cele- brated Christmas at Windsor, where i she was joined by her whole family until her eldest son. the late King l, Edward was married and had his owr establishment at Sandringham. King George and Queen Mary intended tc celebrate Christmas at Windsor this | year, but abandoned the plan anG will spend the holidays at York Cot 1 tage, their beautiful and greatly inn proved estate near Sandringham where Queen Alexandria, in accord ance with her custom. will spend Christmas, entertaining her household
 and bestowing gifts upon the men women and children upon her estate.
 The King the Queen. the Prince ot Wales and other members of the
 Royal family have already sent out their Christmas cards. attractiv,
 works of the etchers' or engravers' ar
 and highly prized by their recipients
 The celebration by the royal family
 will be quite simple and entirely con fined to members of the family anC
 the most intimate members of tht
 household Both the King and Queer I have arranged to send out thousand:
 of charitable gifts and remembrance!
 to pensioners and others.