Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-09

TT A Philadelphia of a hundreds years ago
could walk along our streets at night.
undoubtedly the first thing that would startle
him would be the amazing dazzle Of light
that floods from all the shop windows. Par
ticularly during the few weeks directly pre-
ceding Christmas. city streets at night pre-
sent a panorama that would cure the worst
fit of the blues. What a glowing pageant
they are, blazing with radiance and color!
Here and there you will find display orna-
mented with Christmas trees and small red
blue and green electric bulbs. Perhaps there
will be a toy electric train running merriiy
all night long on figure eight-shaped track
passing through imitation tunnels ana
ravnes with green artificial moss cunninsiS
glued to them: over ravishing switches anu
grade crossings, past imposing stations ana
little signal towers. Perhaps you may De
lured by the simmer Of a jewelers. window
set with rows and rows of gold watches on
slanting plush or satin background. q There'
if you are a patient observer, you Will usuany
find one of the ultra-magnifcent timepieces
that have an oid-fashioned railroad train
enprayed on the case. We have always
admired these hugely but never felt any
sold for $14.95 being worth $lbo.
CoMETIMEs even the most domestic man
~ is marooned In town for the evening. II
is always, after the first pang Of hornesick-
ness is over, an enlarging experience In
stead of the usual rush for train or trolley
he loiters after leaving the office, strollins
leisurely along the pavements and enjoying
the clear blue chill Of the dusk Perhaps the
pallid radiance of a BARRIERS shop With It's
white bowls Of light, lures him in for shave,
and he meditates on the impossibility or
avoiding the talcum powder that BARRIERS
conceal in the folds Of towel and suddenly
clan on his razed face before they let him
CO. It avails not to tell a barber mo pow
der!" They put II. on automatically. We
know one man whSs thinks that heaven will
bs a. place where one may slie back in
barber's chair and have endless hot towels
applied to a fresh-shaved face. 1t Is an
attractive thought
nut the most delightful haunt Of man.
d about o'clock Of a winter evening. is
the popular Iunchroom This admirable in
stitution has been hymned often and elo-
u
praised. To sit at one Of those white-topped
tables looking over the evening paper land
now that the big sllver-plated sugar bowls
| have come back again there Is once more
| something large enough on the table to prop
| the newspaper against) and consume sau-
sages and gridde cakes and hot mince pic
and revel in the warm human glitter round
about is as near modest 100 per cent Of
| interesting satisfaction as anything we know.
| Joyce Kilmer, very human poet and a very
! stout eater, used to believe that abundant
meals were a satisfactory substitute for
.s,eep, For our own part, we are always
| ready to postpone bed II there is any pros
meet of something to eat. But we do not like
| "a elaborate this subject any further. for It
makes US hungry to do 80. and we dare not
,savs the typewriter Just yet,
|
| OUR marooned business man. after stroll
| " along thu. e.streets and a meal at the lunch
roon,, may very likely drop In at the movies.
| Most of US nowadays worship now and then
al this shrine Of Professor Muybridge. The
| ,,,blic ia long suffering, and seems fairly well
n,sased at almost anything that appears on
| the screen. But the extraordinary thing at a
movie is hardly ever what 10 on the screen,
but rather the audience itself. Observe the
,,,ut.. expectAnt. almost reverent attention
rbe darkened house crowded with people
praysrfulIy and humbly anxious 70 b
amused or thrilled One wonders what theil