The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-23


rial ego, scores OF years after ING toys have been
broken ana burned, and the caIdles munched aad
eaten s ~ w u sss nSs
the past and he viii sign ~ he remembers that the
KIND hands that thus ministercd TO his happine &
are cold and helpless and that the dear voice which
first told him tia. strange legend OF Santa Klaus
and whose music he can never forget Is stlll and
e''1 THE CHRISTMAS TREE
No other Jp,e OF the little ones can compare Ger.
OF the dark green branches, bedecked with many.
colored ornaments and lighted brilliantly with It's
must indeed, be dead to every sentiment OF human
sympathy who does not gaze With pleasure uron SO
lighted children, their sparkling eyes ana flushed
cheeks and beanng faces, and the hight airy music
81 Their ERE nasad me best
niyal. Already. and, indeed, for fortnight past.
THE STREETS AND STORES
of the city have given plain and uu lstakaDie signs
OF the preparations that are being made TO give
Quarters, ii IL true, complaints made Of hard
tunes, OF scarcity OF money. or iulness QI trade;
accustomed .'growls' OF the veteran croakers to
WHOM the word never appears bathed Ill the rosy
tinted light VI hope. StOfexeeperS Oh all kinds report
a Iarger trade THAN they have done before, and
any one WHO mas beep much abroad in the streets
purchasers that have thronged and are now tnlong.
ing more lnickly than ever, the toy shops ana The
isncy goods stores must know tlat this years busi-
And what can be more CHEEKY and eniivenng to
MI who have still q corner OF their hearts lett for
sympathy with the pleasure OF their Fellow creatures
than TO watch the stir and hustle ana noise with
when this Christmas trade brighiens mp The stleet5
From morn oil through the bilght sunshine OF the
short winter day Until HE lamps lit ana the
stores grow maglcaily brilliant with innumerable
gas Jcts, The principal thoroughfares are one con-
slant busy scene OF buyng and selling and carry Ing
home the thousand and one articles That make up
CHRISTMAS GOOD CHEER,
or serve as gifts u gladd II the hearts OF Old and
young alike. IL seems too, as though special and
kindly dispensaton OF Providence nea ordained
OF winter for the rude but kindly blasts OF the north
wind lead a flush TO the lace and brace I'D the
nerves to en- energy and activity that endow the
scene with additional animation ana interest. Art
has already done much to FIX upon the canvas,
with the graphic pencil OF truth, the more proml:
neat and piquant features OF the Christmas festival
In the good old days OF yore;' and the Christmas
Alc OF the manor houses OF England, with oil its
pretty well familiar to US. But would not
sketch of Broadway. In the height OF the
scas9 y o rnb pam
stores, crammed from floor TO roof and in literal
fact swelling out at the doors with heaped up trea-
and eacn or the other organs OF sense; the well
dressed crowds, guyly tripping along, eagerly exam
the loops OF children following N the train OF
mother or aunt or cousin and not unfrequentY laden
with the toy spolis o mornings long campaign;
SO many happy faces and such prodigal abundance
OF every material element for raising yet higher the
the genial enthusiasm Of The season-these il rem
dered with ndenty would certainly make up pic
ture OF singular charm and interest.
But now 1t Ii high time that We should accompany
our readers upon our usual Christmas Journalistic
saunter through the principal stores and point out
In detail their most seasonable or valuable or popu-
lar contents. The only difficulty Is TO know
where to begin. Already we nave, In special art
Gle, displayed the attractions OF rnany's and Bali &
Black's ana the DINER principal jeyelry stores,
where every gem Of art or beauty or Intrinsic value
suitable Tor presents, may be found. SO, perhaps.
1t best now at once to visit the next most lmpor
OF a for aa e 5ns
the children, whose part and lot in Christmas mas
already been shown to be pre-eminent, and take up
THE TOY TRADE.
And II may be said IN starting that but very few
people indeed have anything Ike all adequate con.
cepton OF the enormous capital eInployed in the
manufacture and distribution VI the tribes, whose
happy iate it Is to make The innocent faces and
bright egcs OF the "llte ones" beam with sqfpriae
anu pleasure, ana then, alter few days or months
or years Oh wear and tear, TO pass away for ever
| In Germany and Switzeg,ana imany ana many q
village suhssts enhrely BY toy-makng, and scores
o. thousands Of deit-nanded workers toll out then
Whole ives in iniustgiousiy mnstering to the plea
sures OF the nursery. Then nearFy all me great toy
sprinSlllg OF men OF bralns aud artistic taste, WHO
spend tho greater part OF their time IN devslng IN
geh,sds and novel mechanical combinations, or Ii
giving without any great increase In the cost OF pro
uaciIon, more beautiful and finished form to toy
,oy s n ,se y 40 = ts 10 say ana
| vino first Introduces 10 to tho public. But O few
| minutes stroll through the store Of
! MESSRS. sTRASBURGER AND co.,
| OF 800 Broadway-an immense warehouse OF five
f0or each grooming beneath the weight OF countless
millions OF greater and lesser toys-Wii bring 4ome
| these facts far more strhiagly than mere verbal
description. Aud first Of all II must be understood
that this store Is but Of many branches OF the
| same Grm, which. from Its headquarters in Ger.
many. has pushed out Its operations in every part OF
| the new Worit-in New York, New Orleans Rio
Janeiro and the west coast OF South Amerca-uatil
1t annually distributes many millions or dollars
worth Of toys On the first Moor. Immediately facing
the visitor as he enters is big card, upon which
stretched out, Ike cruciGed thieves some five or six
dozen assorted sizes OF dolls, ranging In lnagntude
from r A., ahe an he Gesea
watch charm, to the foot and Half long lady, with
| body OF sawdust and head and shoulders Of wax.
The price of The smallest size You Will be told Is
| 81 IS gross. Just imagine how many OF them
must be scattered all over the Earth, and into
they must be introduced before the sales can reach
/ eyen poor thousand dollars And II you express
surprise a. their exceeding cheapness, you Will be
tod that they are made by mach merry, the cost of
| which, with necessary appliances and labor, in
wolves capta OF S25,Joo, OF course THESE NINA
goods manufactured Even more common are sets
OF dolls house furn ture, cups sancers. vases, &C.,
cent piece. And these prices, incredible as they
seem, are made up to the extent Of iorty-ve per
cent Of custom house duties and charges. Some Of
the ornaments Tor Chr1stnas trees, TOO, are well
worth looking at. Every year the improvement In
their workmanship IS very marked. While the de-
signs are constantly increasing in number For n-
stance, only few years ago the little silver bells"
were irs introduced, AMI their effect IN contrasting
the youngsters who drew them in the final lottery,
and who were unable to find that they were OF any
use except to hag up by string or to be broken In
pieces. But now the ball has been set In little
stands OF bright painted wood and adoraed at the
summit with a few imitation nowers and 1t will
serve as valuable acquisition to the doll house.
Some sets Of dinner dishes filed with admiralty
panied and fe-like limitations OF oil the most appe
tlzing yands, from soup and lsh down to the nuts
and oranges Of dessert, also claim notice as being
really artistic in design and execution. Then there
are some little glass globes, filed with floating fish,
ana costing only about quarter Of dollar dozen,
that VIII be popular feature In this years Orna-
ments. Messrs StrasDurger's warehouse is also
hiled with cnoce and complete assortment Of the
more expensive varieties Of toys such as mechani-
and socket, aud whose Ihroats give utterance to
various inartculate sounds; miniature theatres,
with movable figures and plentiful arrangements
for stage effects In colored lights; magic lanterns,
dol houses Of al kinds large ngures or horses and
cows and dogA One toy OF larger growth deserves
special mention. 1t is musical box, provided with
mechanical apparatus which sets In motion a
miniature ballet and at tho same time propels a
Blondin, WIN q man Ii Q WheelOArrOW, across Q