Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-12-26
Tho Time Tor Toys.

At any other season Of the year
han during the season of Christ
mas, juvenile opportunities for |
may be partly SATISFIED 4
with empty promises and caresses
more or less meant, according to
those who do the fondling. But Mt
Christmas the little ones rightly
demand that the pledges of many
weeks standing shall be solldly
and handsomely redeemed. II
Willie or Ralph, OF George, or
Harry, has been promised a hobby
horse, or velOcipede, or a drum,
or a gun (aLd we think the gun
and the drum ought to be among
the inhibited presents of Christmas
or any other time of the year,, the
obligation is already overdue by
reason of Christmas day. Was it
a crying-doll, or tete.a.tete set Of
china that you promised Edna, or
Mary, or Susie or Ella7 Then if
YOU have not redeemed that prom
Use, or given a satisfactory equiva-
lent for the article promised, then
the little one has a perfect right to
protest your note, and refuse you
credit for all time to come.
Yes,' say the little ones, 'NOw
is the accepted time for Toys.
They are dumb to be sure, but for
us they are excellent company. DO
not wait until we are surfeited with
gingerbread and plum.pudding,
but give us our toys now The
two monOsyllables are inseparable
at this time, and if toys and ROW
are not to be indisolubly and in
simultaneously welded, they cannot
be separated for a period longer
than that between Christmas and
New Years Day. For Santa CLAUS
will soon be gone up the chimney
for twelve months.
AS the years grow upon us, with
what curious emotions VIC recall
the generous givers of toys to our
selves in the long ago. Probably
in nine cases out of ten, the recol-
lections Of Christmas are associated
with that tenderest and hottest of
words in the vocabulary of earthly
Observation-Disclosures. When sleep
had overcome curiosity on Christ
mas Eve, and insensibly we aban-
doned the purpose to see Santa
Claus Oh that occasion, at least,
how strangely to our haIfawake
vision Santa Claus and mamma
resembled each other Bnlwer, in
one of his finest touches Of human
ity, makes the kindly old woman
in the play say that parents live
their own lives over again in the
lives of their children. Perhaps
that is better than bringing back
the years that have vanished down
the stream of our own lives. Let
the memories Of the little ones then
be laden with fragrant associations
of childhood made happy by gene
rous donors. According to our
means, then, let the children have
the toys. For besides being the
agency of securing their gratitude
for the pleasure given, they are
promoters of exercise and conse-
quent health. Besides, the inge-
nuity of the toy-makers Of our
time has made the toy as much an
educator of the mind Of childhood
as plaything. A stroll along the
streets Of any Ofonr large cities
during the holiday season viii
soon reveal the fact that toys have
grown in variety and in delicacy of
contrivance appealing to the imagi-
nation and the analytical faculties
Of children to adegree much greater
even than the skill displayed in the
arrangement of text books.
Again We say let the little ones
have the toys. Let there be but
Que limit to these donations, and
that the condition of ones purse.
AT least the HERALD is determin-
ed by its plea for the children to
make a good record for itself, and
it may be wisely throwing bread
upon tle water for assuredly its
ardor in the matter of toys for the
children, will give no offence to the
little ones and the shop.keepers,
however some parents may view its
disinterested eloQuence.