The sweet tones echo
and re-echo through the dark and silent streets, bidding the great city
rejoice, for the merry Christmas time has come.
For weeks before the holiday you will see a brighter, smarter look
about the markets and the shops. The toy shops, especially, do a brisk
trade, as well as those in which articles intended for presents are
sold. Residents of the city are busy laying in dainties for the season,
and purchasing gifts for their children, relatives and friends.
On Christmas day the festivities are much the same as those in other
places. They are hearty and merry here, as elsewhere, and the season is
one of happiness. The poor are not forgotten. Those who give nothing at
other times, will subscribe for dinners or clothing for the unfortunate
at Christmas. The various charitable institutions are kept busy
receiving and delivering the presents sent them. Their inmates are
provided with plentiful, substantial dinners, and have abundant means
of sharing in the happiness which seems to pervade the whole city.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE CENTRAL PARK.
For many years the rapid growth of the city has made it desirable that
the people should be provided with public grounds, within easy reach;
to which they could resort for rest and recreation. The natural
features of the island made it plain that such a place of resort would
have to be constructed by artificial means, and it was for some time
doubted whether any site within the city limits could be made to serve
the purpose.
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