Show PARIS SHOPS FIND HOLIDAY Y TRADE IS S DUll Uncertainty Means l Less Costly Gifts for fOl rench P French Children D By Di Dim to The Stand Stand- Stand ril 1 Examiner rd-Examiner E Co Copyright ht 1926 19 G Consolidated Press Association PARIS PAniS Dec Us U's 25 Its It's a meager Christmas for thousands of French children judging jud inc b by teh volume ott of ot sacs t es mad made by tho bl big bis Paris shops Never ever In history of oC merchandising dl dising have the bl big bis Paris Parts retailers offered such elaborate Christmas ys as this year ear and ind never the they st say has bust business ess ess been so bad Th Th great f d department stores stores- stores the Eon Don Marche the Lt- Lt La Lafayette fayette faiette the tho louvre have Louvre have spent millions of ot francs franc In an and 1 displaying their windows an and 1 coun Coun- Counters counters Every In the early earl winter twilight h myriad color colored d out the electric bulbs geam on facades of these thess Immense lums lums transforming them them hem Into fair palaCes of dancing beckon beckon- beckon Ini In lag the tire throngs thrones from flom afar to the enchanting displays display of ot Christmas merchandise TIlEY DIDN'T BUY PUY And th the throngs thrones came They came to press pres around 1 the dazzling windows and nd gaze at the marvels m I ot of the toy-maker's toy art art tvs n never Yer so 50 ingenious They cc through endless aisles templin I novelties Dut But the they didn't bu buy The fhe economic crisis due to the therise therise rise of ot the franc was wa blamed for tills this state of affairs People a e 1 out of jobs or jobs or fear that they soon will be Other Oilier small people people small shop shop- shop keepers sold keepers sold nothing themselves the in and therefore couldn't afford to lo bu buy nearly nearly everybody verbo In France Is to some extent an Investor had had seen their securities decline on the stock market marlet and were full of oC caulion caution If it not full of panic And the consequence Is that Santa Claus pack this year was wasa wasa a slim one The Th boy who wanted a bicycle found a jackknife in his 1118 little wooden shoes The girl cirl who wanted a big biff talking doll with a areal areal areal real dolls doll's carriage tried tiled to be pleased with a book of fairy tales Somebody who wanted a watch or a bracelet got rot nothing but hearty Christmas wishes NOT OLD CUSTOM Of course tho the custom of Christ Christ- mas mas giving is not an old and andi deep deep- rooted deep rooted one in France Prance n fact tact It ItIs itis itIs Is a war post-war development for In fn Inthe Inthe the old days das day the great treat bulk of giving was wa as done at New ew Years Year's The shop shopkeepers taking laking advantage of the th popular readiness for tor new Ideas after atter the war rr tou fou foud d the In- In Institution institution In Institution of o Christmas giving an excellent plan for tor flattening the holiday peak Some of them hope that between now and New Years Tears Year day the enor enor- enormous enor- enor enormous enormous stock of ot gift goods will wl be- be begin begin be gin to move Others announce with determination that they will slash prices and force it to move But Dut Duta Buta Buta a few tow of tho the wiser ones declare that when the public gets Into a 1 cautious mood there ther is nothing to todo todo todo do but wait walt until It gets over it Tho The mood Is one ono that always alwa's goes boes with deflation they say But Dut and 1 sta- sta stabilization deflation revalorization an sta stabilization are pretty big bie words to otter offer the French kiddies as explanations explanations explanations of why Papa Noel didn't bring what they asked for tor |