The daily gazette., 1878-12-10
TOYS FOR THE CHIIDRIx
Whdt Saint Nick Has in his Budget for
the GiHs and The Bous.

me Gtrts and the Bops.
Ii our grandmothers, who played with
rag dolls and counted wooden ionted
doll treasure, could see the toys prepar-
Ell Tor oar children to-day, what would
the Old ladies say? The manufacture Of
dolis, especially, is carried to such per-
iection That il well nigh deserves to be
ranked with the fine arts. Wax dolls
modelled in feature after celebrated beau,
Ties, with kid bodies, flexible Joints and
dellcately sculptured waxen hands and
feet rubber dolls, the fac SMILES of
chuDDy babies indestructibe dolls war
raileu 10 END .re any amount of rough
handling; china dolls, in infinite yar,ety.
patent rag dolls and dolls knitted of soft
woollen yarns for infants these are only
a few of the many children offered for
adoption by little mothers. There are
tihy oaDles at cent apiece, and exquisite
creations OF art costing, undressed, forty
dollars or more. The wardrobes for such
dolls as these last may cost anything one
chooses to give. There are several dolls
dressmakers in the city who do thriving
trade, and everything required by q
young lady of fashion NAV be had in
miniature for her counterfeit preseptment
Layettes for baby dolls are such as MIGHT
make poor mothers heart ache for
envy, Whlle 1t is easy to spend on Miss
Dolly and her outfit sum which, iudic-
lously laid out, might place poor family
beyond reach of want for the winter
These are, however extreme cases. The
average doll costs from 80 cents TO So
lhese at the latter figure being usually
prettlly dressed.
Furniture for dolls include all the an
polntments Of well ii ted house, and
some ready furnisheddoll-house have the
modern improvements, at least as far as
water and range in the kitchen. Bed
room sets, large enough to accommodate
"A medium-sized doll, being in painted
wood at $3.50, while Others of walnut.
large enough for real baby, come at
s..
There is the usual variety of mechani-
cal toys, with but little which is new.
A recently patented savings bank has a
man with rifle who shoots the pennies
into a receptacle like the trunk of a tree
an invention which will probably be
as popular as the Tammany banks have
been. A pretty and cheap toy bank is a
miniature safe which has real lock and
key, while a slit at the back serves as a
place of deposit for pennies. The price
is twenty cents.
| TOYS FOR EXCHANGE.
A nursery table with top, on which are
painted the alphabet and various figures
of animals, ec., is priced s.. 1t is a use
| ftl for a hntnn l. ~
same thing may be made at home from a
common round table for halfth cost, by
using the letters and pictures which come
in sheets, and which are for sale at most
toy stores. The pic ures must be sized
with glue and vanished, or the work
Twill not last. Nursery swings, to be
hung in door way, begin as low as sew
enty-fve cents. Those at a dollar have
cushioned backs and are large enough &c
hold a child six or eight years old. We
locipedes, sleds, doll carriages, hoops and
express wagons are all to be recommended
as incentives TO heal hiul outdoor eX.
ercse. Given rubber boots and warm
wrappings, even delicate children neeu
not fear to brave all except really wet
weather, and these toys serve 10 keeI
their little owners III motion rapid
enough TO keep up the circulation.
The ladies of the Peace Society pro
test against the purchase of military toys
for boys as calculated to encourage q
warlike spirit. Whether bcllgerent
disposition is not inherent with the aver.
age small boy is an open question, but al
all events, unless military parades can be
abolished, he will parody them, although
his uniform be of paper, hisgun a stitch
and his drum tin-pan. But well mean
ing relatives and friends, in making pre-
sents, would do well to remember that
small boys can make plenty Of noise
without any aids, and thiHk twice befor,
they send drums and trllmpets to houses
where here are nervous invalids, the de
| light to the children being in such cast
more than counterbalanced by the suf
fering the racket occasions.
Aud children, even boys, are as hap
py with a set of building blocks, a fur
nished grocer's shop or some parlor gam
, as when beating drum or blowing
. whistle, tradition TO the contrary not
withstanding.
: USEFUL GIFTS FOR GIRLS.
A us full present for girl from eight t.
IL