The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-12-24
MINUTES IN MANRATT TAN
fBy Gotham knickerbocker)

who are cursing the traditional date
OF the Mesiah's birth.
In the first class come the poor
who profit by charity, the employees
whose bosses or fellow employees IRE
liberal with Christmas donations
and the children Of almost every fire.
side. In the latter class are those
whom foolish custom forces to give
up months savings in graft OF the
Christmas yariety--the employees
who must make a gift to their en-
ployer, the employe who must cough
up" for employees of lesser grade,
and the tens of thousands Of persons
just making a living according to
their standards, who must appease
the Washerwoman, the hall boy, the
elevator boy, the janitor and a host
of other expectant ones.
l will leave aside the discussion Of
those painful family situations,
where rich relatives generously"
lavish gifts on poorer relatives who
then most painfully feel the ignomy
of their poverty unless they are pos
sessed of unusual fortitude and good
sense.
The stock exchange houses have
the peculiar custom of giving such
enormous Christmas presents to
their employees that the concerns be-
come to a certain extent, mutual en-
terprises.. They share some of their
profits with those who have helped
to make them.
For instance, the Central Trust
Co. always gives President James n.
Wallace 100 per cent. of his salary,
| make presents of fifty per cent. of
! the annual salary Of each employe.
J. Pierpont Morgan & Company has
been among the most liberal in this
| way.
| This year has been so astounding
| ~ poor in the financial district that
the Christmas presents will drop al
most to the vanishing point. Com
mission houses are hardest hit of
all. Everywhere in the financial dis
trict, however, the depression will be
felt.
| Some of the telephone boys on the
| floor of the stock exchange have
been literally remembered in past
seasons, especially those who can
| TO 20 70
| brokers on occasion. A couple OF
| 500 bills was no unusual present
for such a one as this. One boy,
| (whose age was in the thirties) was
once suspected of running a racing
stable and living in a country home.
/ He had lots of big stock orders to
| parcel out. This year even he will
| probably be remembered in cigars.
The telephone girl and the stenog-
rapher, too, will regain her good
complexion earlier in the spring
she will not have such mountain OF
five pound boxes of candy as usual
am so heartily with the Spug
movement with all my soul, that
can scarcely speak of it without leap
ing on the table and delivering an
Grafton.
For poor girls earning five or ten
dollars a week the spectre of Christ
mas gifts has been most foreboding
The wealthy society women who
have set out to discourage useless
giving deserve the greatest credit
l only hope that Spug movement be-
comes a religion.
The Spugs will play host on
Christmas day to lonesome persons
There will be dancing by 500 Camp
fire girls in costume, music by a
band and a mammoth Christmas tree
laden with candy and other good
things for the children. Each Spug
of whom there are now $4,000 en-
rolled. will be privileged to invite a
friend.
Every once in a while a new dis
lease becomes popular. The latest is
asphemia, or motor asphasia. I an
of the opinion that this disease has
been common Sor long time under
other names and sometimes not rec
ognized as a disease at all.
1t seems the poor, miserable vic
tim is attacked in the Broka convo,
luton. the third frontal convolutior
of the left hemisphere of the brain
| Horrible, He then becomes pos.
sessed of the idea that he must gel
somewhere. He goes by train, auto.
areoplane, any way to get there
Forced to it. he will walk, walk,
walk, until he drops, sleeps there
and then walks some more. In 3
! rpcent ease q yOuno and moral hanb