Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-10-26
TIE OHILDREN.s BEST FRIENDS.
A visit to q Toy Man ufactory--
Barnum's Circusses-1he Dude
The Negro Minstrel

| Barnum's Cfrcusses-Ihe Dude
The Negro Minstrel
Novelties In chlldren's toys are constantly
being placed on the market Many that
were being hawkcd on the streets year ago
are gone. In their places are a thousand
and one new devices City children get used
10 the multiplicity OF these mechanical at
fractions on the street. But the progress OF
a child from the country through the region
frequepted BY the toy hawkers resembles the
motion OF balky horse.
Years ago Germany had q practical monop-
oily OF the toy manufacturing business. Now
American manufacturers have come to the
front In this line, as In almost every other,
and to-day We ship great quantities OF toys
to Germany for the amusement OF Bis
marks little proleges. About the time that
Fourth OF July ammunition and accidents cease
to be the rage the toy making business begins
To BOOM 1t keeps It up until Christmaa and
then comes the annual lull. Just now the
trade is active, and visit to one OF the big
toy factories Is well worth The the making.
Toys might be roughly classified as wooden,
TIN and mechanical devices. 1t Is In
cal toys are made that the sights
are most interesting. A little pounding,
little cutting aud punching, bit Of
soldering and good deal OF paint ing there,
lug tin into a menagerie Of the animals
and figures SO dear to the little ones. Before
the obseryant visitor had gone very far on his
rounds lie has made up his mind to one thing
! there Is precious little waste OF ma terial or
labor. In the first place the tin which 10 to
be converted into childish marves isn't the
bright. glitterng tin OF which the house.
hold utensils that shine are SO made. 1t 10 a
cheap, lustreless article made OF scraps of
tin picked up in the streets and ash barrels.
When 1t Is painted II looks just as we'll as sill
yer would, and so there is no use wasting
money IN tin OF the best grade. Big dies and
stamps, operated by steam power, cut up the
sheets Of tin into the forms OF animals. men
and carts. OF course, In making tin carts,
Hat tin soldiers, etc 1t Is not necessary to
stamp or curve The patterns, and the tin is
simply cut In the desired outline. In FORM
Ing animals and figures OF more or less
rotundity the tin must be bent aud curved to
represent thickness OF the body. For this
purpose heavy dies are emplOyed-a concave
die VI the desired design being fixed on the
table or bench at which the operator sits. A
convex die, which precisely corresponds with
the set die, works up and down SO as TO cx-
actly ft into it The operator takes a sheet
OF tin, holds IL over the set die and the NOV
able die falls upon 1t with great force aud en-
bosses the piece OF tin In the desir-
ed shape. There are, of course, two
right side OF animal or figure. and
one for making the left side. Suppose you
are watching the manufacture OF a tin COW
or horse aud have seen two pieces of tin bent
so as TO form either side OF the animal. The
pieces now 90 to the solder room where MIN
ble-tingered workmen tit them together so that
the edges are even, join them with a drop of
solder at, say, the feet, head and tail and
presto, we have horse instead of piece OF
tin. The newly created but tin colored horse
DOW goes TO the painting room to be properly
touched up. Long rows of girls SIT at tables
there with liItle pos of p lint before them
and with single motion of the brush trans,
form the bare tn Inquire TO a bright colored
horse. None OF the PAL ters attempt TO ham
die more than oHe color, and when a toy re-
quires two or more colOrs many fIerent
painters handle IL as there are colors needed.
This Is but one instance of the principle
everywhere employed IN toy factories of hav-
Ing each process in the manufacture perform
ed by one class OF hands, trained 10 that par-i
ticular work. 10 that way better and quick
er work is secured, and not motion is wasted
once painted the toys only require a thorough
dryness in a temperature or something like
20 degrees, and, are then put on the market.
All conbusllble refuse matter accommodating
in the course of the work is converted iuto
fuel for the great furnaces.
Manufacturers and their employees are con-,
stantly getting up new ideas in ther line and
bit by bit an idea lakes shape until IL ends in
the production " some salable novelty.
There are some toys that seem TO have per-
petual popularity with children but, as
rule. the moment a tov becomes old the de-
maud Tor IL dies out. Ole OF the latest nov
elites In the toy line is the figure OF . man
drawing cart. By means Of clockwork In
side the figure the man can he made TO walk
for some distance In n very natural way and
draw the cart after him. This device has
made big hit in England and France, and
10 now offered for sale by vendors on all the
principal promenades IN this city. Some late
novelties which will be placed on the market
this fall are now being manufactured on q
large scale. One OF the queercst of these lie
q so-calfed Giving figure" reproduction of
Pucks cartoon representing Mr. Blaine on
the point OF retiring aud directing William
Walter Phelps IN the guise OF valet to call
him In case message should come from Chi
cago Other designs In the same general line
are Tine Watchmaker's Workshop" 1.-THE
Butcher Shop" aud THE Surprise Party.n
The aforementioned depicts the interior of
watchmskers rooms where the old man and
all his family are engaged in various process
es OF Matchmaking. "Ihe Butcher Shop"
piece Is fair representation Of the interior
OF a store Of that description and even por-
trays the proverbial cat skirmishng about
customers basket 1.-The Surprise Party''
represents a small and thoughtless youth
aiming with gun at a target set up against
q partition on the other side Of which
drummer Is packing his trunk. AS the boy
fires the gun the drummer springs to an erect
position aud caps his hand over the seat of
his trousers which unfortunately was In
line With the target and only protected by
the thin partition. In all these pieces the
several figures mech ancally go through the
proper motions to sustain their several char
scters and thus make any amount OF sport
for childish spectators One Of the widest
departures from old patterns OF these me
chanical devices Is a represen tation OF
gorgeous saloon fiicd with drinkers While
the saloons customers are standing at the
bar police officer makes his entrance and
causes great confusion. Designs whose
names indicate their character are "Barnum's
Circus" the Yankee Dude" md the Negro
Minstrel."-NeW Yo,k Maj aud kzprtss.
Character in Handwriting.