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Show OIK SAX HtA.MIH(0 LET-TEK. LET-TEK. I liriMuui In Nnu Friiiiclfsiro. j i 22-1 Minna St., San Frascl-co, I 1 Friday, early a.m., Dec. 20, '7o. j E'h'ors Suit Lake Herald: For a week or more preparations, in a thousand and one different ways, have been making throughout this busy city for the observance of Christ-1 mas Day, ltS73; but so many were they and" so varied in their character that it wan impossible to notice them except as a whole. Wednesday was the day on which most was to be seen ol them; but at night was the climax, and Santa Clans in regal splendor reigned supreme. CHRISTMAS EVE. The principal thoroughfares, Market, Mar-ket, Montgomery, Kearny and the streets leeding from them, were literally liter-ally packed with citizens of every description, size, age, shape and color, passing to and fro, necessarily slowly, elbowing, squeezing, squeez-ing, surging, halting, considering, consider-ing, gazing and gaping into the store windows at the display of magnificence magnific-ence and temptation in the shape of "Holiday Presents;" some loaded, others ready and willing to be, with purchases of toys and what-nots for distribution to their childnm, relatives rela-tives and friends, everything giving' testimony of the eventful time and making a vivid impression of that oft-repeated saying that "Christinas comes but once a year." Among the ENTERTAINMENTS Were festivals lor the children of the principal schools here, prominent ol which was the First Congregational Sabbath school annua! entertainment; t: n .i c,.a.. i.-,i party, at Piatt's Hall, at wiiich Madam Mad-am Anna Bishop, aided by a half dozen amateur performers, sang the oratio of "Esther, the Beautiful Cueen;" and others; and Santa Claus was omnipresent among them, distributing, dis-tributing, lavishly, giftd of value as tokens of remembrance to tiie little ones, making glad their hearts and the hearts of their looking-on parents par-ents and guurd:ans, and many who participated will never forget the happy hap-py time they had on Ctiristmas Eve, 173. CHRISTMAS DAY, Which came on the 25th this year, was quiet enough out doors; what was going on on the insides I do not feel justified in even guessing at. There was very little drunkenness, considering consider-ing the number of people here, and the cheapness of liquid "pizen." The pleasure-seekers were out in full force at an early hour, and during the day the street cars running to the Potrero, North Beach, Lone Mountain and Woodward's Garden were loaded every trip. The closing of all the stores and shops gave a Sunday-like appearance to the surroundings and was a very marked contrast to the bustle antfbus-iness antfbus-iness of the preceding night. As early as o a. m. devout Catholics and curious curi-ous non-Catholics were stringing along to their places of worship to attend the Mass services; and from that hour until half-past 10 there were constant additions to the worshipers in all the Catholic churches. In the evening the theatres did a big business; especially espec-ially the California. The "Naiad Queen" was the piece and the introduction intro-duction of the Kemmclsberg Sisters and Marie Gaugain, terpsichorean artists, ar-tists, the wonderful Girartls.gyu masts, and Professor O'Ueardon, tumble-ronicon tumble-ronicon performer, with the piece, drew "big," so much so that when I went arounu, witn tne intention oi going in, I could get no nearer the door than across the street, no 1 contented con-tented myself with visiting the AI ham-bra, ham-bra, where a passable minstrel performance per-formance was witnessed by a house-full, house-full, half of whom had failed in procuring pro-curing admittance to the California. misci-:llani:ol's. General good business in all trades being carried on ; the sanitary con-jdition con-jdition of the city not very flattering ; smallpox and scarlatina prevailing to too great an extent ; weather " kind o' mixed'1 ; yesterday very pleasant, sun visible all day ; police court transactions average very light for a city this size; popular feeling, raised by the election of Booth, somewhat some-what dampened by the ditto of Hager; not so many men around with sparking spark-ing eyes and unsteady pins telling the story that " Hager's-lected" as jwere around witli " Booth (hie) sleet-'ed sleet-'ed -got six'y-one votes"; the Cuban ! excitement has calmed down; an oc-jcasional oc-jcasional fire breaks out, but the efficiency effi-ciency of the San Francisco Fire De-partmrnt De-partmrnt is such that none of extensive exten-sive destruetiveness occur; much j legislative reform is to be begun at i Sacramento after the holidays, and reformation in the municipal government govern-ment of San Francisco is much talk-i talk-i ed of; mure substantial sidewalks in 'different portions uf the town are to to be laid down ; Chief uf Police Cock-jrill Cock-jrill has fallen into hot water and is severely rated by the L'hrn.n le for the 'hand be h;is in the running of gambling gamb-ling houses; the Stock Exchange is .daily thronged with stock-iubbers. stock-brokers and stock-gamblers, and i the way they run up and rundown stock at their convenience, not ou the merits or demerits of the min or companies, mind you, is surprising; I Utah mines just now are nnt represented repre-sented as they should be by any res-j res-j ponsiiile pat ties, and consequently I are low down. Well, wishing you and t';e readers I of the Hkhald a Happy New Year !und the Hekalii continued success, I i remain, yours respectfully, J. E. E. |