The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-22
Kept in Memory by the Tin Soldier.

Every one remembers the pathetic ballad OF
the little tin soldier-"and one little leg had
ne " "Gounod's March of the Marionettes" is
in reality the march Of a tin sollier brigade.
SAYS the Chicago Tribune. They are very i'm
portant folk.
4 state street toy man is a connoisseur in tin
soldiers, aud has the history down pat.
II you ii come over TO the house some night, -
he remarked, IN show you the finest collec-
ton OF TN soldiers IN this country. In fact.
To- re Is only one collection in existence that Is
more complete; that is the famous one in the
Trades hall in Nuremberg"
The newspaper han had heard of any num-
Der OF odd collections collections Of shoes. and
hairpins, postage stamps, snuff boxes. and has
himself a weakness for old china-but thlS
struck him as about the most whimsical OF all.
80 one evening he went out 20 Oak street and
saw 800 odd little tin soldiers IN glass case.
The gem Of the collection was squat little fel-
low IN Jerkin that had once be.n buff and
breecheS that had probably been red He mas
no name. but his history is ia ry authentic.
He was made in Nuremberg and dates from
the days of military enthusiasm aroused by
frederick the Greats surprising exploits in the
seven Years war. Then there were others,
french guardsmen, who owed their existence to
Napoleon's campaigns; Turks and Paynims,
little Italians, and redshirted Garibaldians,
Austrians. and of course any number of little
TN warriors tricked out ike the French and
Germans of 1870.
You see" said the collector THE tin soldier
industry is sort of war thermometer When
oelhcose affairs are hot the tin soldier industry
goes up; when there is a cool, peaceful atmos-
phere 1t goes down. | tell you there have
been fortunes made by shrewd men who looked
ahead.
There was a man named Getzler IN Some
burg who foresaw.the last Franco German war
and cOrnered the tin soldier market. When the
war broke out the demand for tin soldiers on
the part of patriotic juvenile Germans was
simply immense. Getzler made his fortune.
I'm afraid that his confounded example has
cost me a pretty penny. When our trouble
with Italy was threatening, and it looked as
though there were chance for war, paced a
heavy order for tin soldiers in Nuremburg
They are drug in the market now. All well"
he added, I'VE must hope for the best -
Tin sol Tiers have been made for 100 years.
Inc industry is altogether German The best
artists are hired to furnish models for the sol
diers, and they are scrupulously careful to con-
form to the militia y costume of the period and
country TO which she miniature warriors are
supposed to belong.
The designs are engraved upon molds of slate
or brass. Then the tin is poured into the Mods
and there you are-or rather, the tin soldier is
OF course, he has to be painted, packed in
boxes, and-to achieve his ultimate end-sold.
There are lead soldiers. But the toy dealer
does not think much of them He says that
lead is low-down sort of metal and has no
military ardor; in addition, it is poisonous.
The capital invested in this business is he as
serted, over 100000. By the way another
fact The workmen who make lead soldiers all
die Of consumption; the men who make tin
soldiers don't.