New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-10-29
CHLLDRENS TOYS.


The dclightfnl. ridiculous, impossible toys that
used to amuse us in orr childhood, whittier have
they yanishedi The red, wooden horse with round.
black spots all over it, and a slip of rabbit-skin
fastened on with brass tack by way Of tail; the
Noah, Ark containing the ancestors OF oil the cre-
lures that have descended 10 ~ from maj Wen,
assorted menagerie; the ranks OF soldiers pIahted
upOn hinged sticks. by moving winch on the primer
pis of scissors interesting military eyOlutOns We're
obtained the famous, though familiar Jack-ih-the
box; the tin coach drawn by Tour tiu hois,s an
painted i'm coorS of the most eXtrayagant fancy;
these and hundreds of other devices 50 we'll rtheI-
bored by those of the passing generation nave mostly
cone way into the past superseded by the results OF
improved mechanism, if not by tendency % higher
Rpt tbe TOW in its abstract relation, is n thing that
never dies So far from It's having fallen INT" dsuse
fhe psriod i'm which We live might well be des uaicd
the age of toys" in Wow of the immense varieties
of those Initiating gimcTacks with which the city -
now Hooded. Men and boys bearing great clusters
of blue and red coapsble air bal are everywhere
to ho encountered Theirs ~ truly buoyant busl-
ness and they may properly be clasSed among specu-
lators with floating capital The balloon Is an
iunOcuous and simple toy which teaches children 10
hold their heads mp and gives item loiiy ANphtions
So much cannot be said for tho aLOnliuaho red ball
attached 10 elastic string. The inscrchut WHO
introduced that exusporating toy ought 10 be set IN
a pillory and bobbed at by boys armed with samples
of his internal cOntrIyance. One cannot 40
block Just now without being startled by the
sudden propulsion of dozens OF these aggra-
yating little spheres into ones features. Anywhere
along Broadway-eycryw almOst--toy dealers
actively engaged IN SHOWING OF lltlE WHITES 10
public junior. The largest business done by these
sidewalk dealers. perhaps, ~ IN the puppet line.
Their tables ara covered with queer lttlo igures
dressed i'm Turkish or ZOuave costumes and the spe
ciaty common to all these puppets is that when You
try To set them their feet they ia on their heads
and squeak. That squeak IA considered by the toy
men To be AN immense success. It's the squeak rs
does it, said one Of them in reply To question rs 20
wherefore Turk should squeak. " II our dolls
didn't squeak nobody would think nothing of them;
fallin' down and not squeakn amt natural like you
800" Many OF them exhibit birds, size
of life, and painted naturally enough,
and then, attached TO elastic strings,
of lowering with great success. Others have more
questionable class Of subjects on show. Huge ana
Horrible spiders. big and ugly rs boiled crabs, are
Haunted by them IN the faces OF persons passing.
Yertebrated snakes that twist aud dart with UNI
pleasant accuracy are not untrequenty produced by
them for sensational ELECTS. Here there stands on
the edge Of the sidewalk young man who looks
respectable enough To know better. and he blow
ing shIil and dsagrceable ppings through the body
holds between his teeth. IL Is sad TO have
to record that this. fearful toy finds favor
with public junior. Alasl yes; it's pitiful piping
is to be heard in the ,palatial mansion and in tho
close packed tenement house alike and it can hardly
conducc To the education of city youth, that their
earliest notion of the music of the rrcprcssihlo barn
door chantclecr should be whistle instead of crow
Out IN the street, there with large crowd pressing
closely around him stands broad-Sh0uldered fellow
with very stentOran voice, which he Is taxing 10
Its utmost extent IN delivering Grafton in praise
Of certain brd-calls displayed by him in box Anon
hc places Of these metallic frauds ms month
and, with slight contortions of the facial muscles
cOnjures up from the depths of his throat song
birds OF many sort. The mocking-bird he
initiates with much success. Original efforts are also
made by him in the line of bird music and he pours
forth fcathercd melodies snch piping bullfnch
ever dreamed of in his widest fronIics of German
waltz. Boys invest their loose change IN the bird
calls blowing on them with bursting checks they
go their way. but producing nothing better than fee
bic squeaks much like those emitted by the tumbing
Turks
In the regular toy-shops the progress Of art in the
manufacture of these Indispensable tTies is illus
trated in ways innumerable Real steamer gines
made of brass and copper and calculated TO
work with real steam, are there in NINA
tare; and no bad toys are they either
mind may be switched on to the track that leads To
the useful profession of the engineer. In the zooog
ical toy line the world has made cheering progress
horse with the black spots has been supplanted hy
one nodded more from the life-subject stecd with
archlng neck, flowing main and tail. aud propen-
slty To toss ms head up and down If ne had only the
motive power Cows and sheep are here with real
hair and wool upon their uneXaggcrated forms The
French poodle dogs with blue ribbons their neeks
ne far superior To the real live article for they har
Dor no icas, nor they gifted with the power of
dolls are ont IN great variety aud force some of them
gong 81 far ms 10 wink az the Intending purchaser
as naturally M some modern young ladies do at
young gentlemen VINO examine THEN points with
view Ia matrimonial negotiations. Small Indian
clubs-artOes quite unknown to the juveniles of past
generaions-are generally TO be had in these shops
things for girls well for boys and it is good To
see mat they are coming much into use Spring
rocking horses of SIMPLE but ingenious constructton
have nearly superseded the old family hack that
went on wooden rockers. The guns arc of % CON
stlucton vastly superior 20 the Od-iashiOned tin con
Germs with which the young idea Of long ago used 10
TO taught how to shoot. Drums, we regret to
To say still hold the market as they did of Vore-nnV
A hmm s.l.r