Still cold.
Merry Christmas to you all.
The principle dry goods houses will be closed to-morrow.
A Mr. Goodman was arrested yesterday for hitching his horse to a lamp-post.
The Y. M. C. A. mission meeting will be held to-day at their hall on 6th street. All are cordially invited.
There will be a concert to-night at the First Presbyterian church, given by the Sabbath school.
At the Market House yesterday, an award was given to the finest display of meat, quantity, quality, taste in display and variety being taken in consideration. Brooks & Raub stood 95; Ford & Co., 90; C. Herold, 78; J. Burnett, 75; and Wm. Coleman, 58. The committee-men were, Judge Sheffield, Col. F. R. Long, Wm. McGee, Judge Bates, Dr. Jewett and in. N. Hicks.
Kansas City may well be proud of her butchers and her market. In every season fruits, vegetables, and meats are exhibited in astonishing abundance, and there is no city in the country which lives better than this one of ours. Yesterday morning the display of meats was positively astonishing, and the wonderful ingenuity and taste of the butchers was tested to its utmost to arrange the bulky beeves, monstrous muttons, plethoric pigs, and other defunct animals in something approaching order. But they did it and well. Garlands of roses, miniature flags, banners and mottoes gave the interior of the market house a brighter appearance than it has for so me time. Each butcher strove to eclipse his fellow in the attractiveness of his stall. Many of our leading citizens and hotel men were made illustrations in colors on the sides of pigs, sheep, and antelopes, and they good humouredly secured their namesakes at a Christmas price. On the outside a good assortment of vegetables, fowls, and such like was to be had, and today, we presume, there will not be a family in town which does not have a good feast. We trust so, at all events.
The pair of horses and the wagon, reported as having been stolen before Frank's grocery, night before last, was found a few hours afterward in a stable where the unintentional thief had left them. It seems he was intoxicated and mistook his team for his, and consequently drove it off.
A happy affair was consummated yesterday at one o'clock at Long's Hall under the auspices of the Mission Sunday School. Promptly, and on time, the newsboys and bootblacks of the city came in by ones, twos and in half dozens, and bashfully (for them) dropped into the first chairs that offered. By half after one at least forty were in the room, and their various attitudes, variegated garments, and in some cases, tattered shoes, were the objects of lively sympathy to the bystanders and good people who hurried around making preparations for their dinner. The boys themselves, after a little time, resumed their usual boldness, and sauntered around the hall, and indulging in quaint remarks about different matters. The approaching feast made some of them quite hungry, or in the words of one, "the smell of hash struck him like a cannon ball," "hash" in newsboys' parlance signifying anything edible. Boys with names like Yankee Jack, Rotten Toes, Snaughty Ike, Limpy, Stinky and Dutchy enjoyed a pretty song sung by Mr. Benson, accompanied by Miss Emma Patterson, which received uproarious applause from the boys. After this Oyster soup was first presented, and then followed meats, pickles, coffee, cakes, etc., and the boys crammed and crammed, and filled their pockets and asked for more. What they couldn't eat went into their pockets, many a bulging pocket betrayed the presence of drumsticks and hunks of cake. Their jokes at the table were softened considerable by the presence of the ladies, but one or more showed levity while the Rev. Irwin asked a blessing. Immediately succeeding dinner, the boys wanted to rush out, but hey were detained and another song given by the good little children on the platform, very much to the amusement of the waifs who passed tobacco around among themselves, and played tricks not a few. The boys finally got out, bought cheap cigars and felt full -- bully, as one fellow expressed it. All in all, the good folks at the Mission have initiated an enterprise, which will, in future, do great things towards making our bootblacks and ragged urchins think better of themselves and their elders.
The thermometer at Harlem on Friday morning at 6 o'clock, indicated 4 degrees below zero. Yesterday morning at the same hour, 9 degrees below.
Christmas eve is always celebrated in a joyous manner, and last night was no exception to the general rule. At the Widow's and Orphan's Fair quite a crowd was present. The array of last night was astonishing in its variety, and the beautiful young ladies who graced the scene were quite successful in their endeavors to accumulate lucre for their beneficiaries, the widows and orphans. The fair continues all week.
All the churches made the usual arrangements for the proper celebration of Christmas, and will all have special discourses from their pastors to-day, suitable to the day which we celebrate. At the Christian Church on 12th and Main, last night, a Christmas t ree was the principal feature, accompanied by songs and speeches and a distribution of presents to children. Santa Claus was got up in quaint style, and elicited much laughter from the scholars of the Sunday School. At the Methodist Church on Grand Avenue, Santa Claus was in full feather. An arch was constructed on which hung presents innumerable for the children and teachers.
