The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-12-30

the progress made during ten years As
/ for the statistics Of the trade al the pres
ent day the custom house returns show
the exports 70 have risen 70 $1,000, ,O0O,
while the imports are only 81 ,oOO000 In
these returns, however, are included GER
tain fancy goods which are not precisely
toys.
The toy manufacturers each have their
specialties. and generally deal only i1 that
! speciality Arms, armor and military
equipments for children were manufae-
tured By forty-one houses in ISIS The
workmen earn from Eve to seven francs a
day. and the women from two % three
francs This branch OF the industry has
increased greatly since the war Of Is7O-f.
and the French have now beaten all their
competitors, both in the cheapness aud ex-
ceilenee Of their wares, although for a long
time they were closely pressed and even
beaten by the manufacturers OF Nurem-
berg and Beigissm. particularly in the ar
ticie Of tin soldiers. These Tin soldiers are
made in the Mstrsis quarter, where over
100000 are turned out each year, that i
u say, AS many all the European armies
united Oae manufacture alone az Belle
vile employs 200 men and women. who
make nothing but tin soldiers
Ten years ago nearly all the high priced
doll babies used to come from Germany.
Ihey were stiH in form aud hideous in
color One day a Parisian lady had the
idea Of dressing one Of these miniature ba-
bles with all the elegance she bestowed
upon her own person Since that time the
full dressed Parisian doll baby has crowded
all the lobster red Gretcheus out Of th,.
market The Germans themselves ara uo,v
Obliged 70 buy their stock of porcelain
heads from the ceramic establishments al
Moutreuil and 81 Maurice. wher. tai
ented designers aud skillful modelers are
constantly employed. Some Of the most
celebrated sculptOrs DO not disdain %
model heads for the leading firms Paris
Is still a center for clieap dolls, made by
workwomen who earn only twenty or thir.
ty cents q day.
or metal toys-watches. kitchen utensils
and similar obiects-therc were seventy
nine manufacturers in lssS. The pay OF
the men i siN 10 eight francs q dav and Of
the women Two % three francs. More than
LOO workmen are employed In this d,.
partment OF the industry, which was for
meriy the monopoly of Germany The
manufacture Of these objects in France be
gan about 1870 In ls67 the trade in these
articles reached l.300OlO francs aud EN-
exceeds 100000 Of francs PER annum- The
chief article in this section Is the nine CENT
toy watch and chain. invented bv a c-trneiot
named HeriIaut about ls55 This Herbaut
now lives comfortably a. "a retired trrfies /
man at Beileville. enjoying an income Of |
Sl.oO year gained by selling these
watches This nine cent watch is now
popular al over the world. aud it, price 1
has been reduced even TO one cent. al 4
though IL passes through twenty eight i
pairs of hands before it reaches she Gus 4
toner's One manufacture OF TOY watches \
at Paris employs 80 persons, and his bust
ness amounts 70 Si0O.O0O a year, which is 4
equivalents 10 SAYING that he turns out 4
25,O0O watches day AZ prices varying from
four cents 20 three dollars a dozen.
Besides the workmen who try during \
their idle hours 10 invent some toy that
will have run during the holiday season.
there are kind hearted men like Mur-rr's
hero. Schanuard, who are continually
seeking 20 find some new kuickkuack Tor
the amusement cf children There Is a
hale old gentleman in the Temple quarter
who has spent his life in iHventing TOYS.
and particularly thOse of noisy kind,
which. a. we all know, are in high favor Z
with children This amiable old gentleman I
Is also the author Of the double sided gnb
let, in which You think you drink when Won
don't. rubber lizzanis and slugs, which
youngsters and others can snrreptitiousiy [
slip into the salad bowl, etc. All inventors
Try &c produce an article that will have an
immense vogue. that viii be the toy q the
season. but while we find each year an in
finite variety OF curious objects, il Is rare
thar any OF them strike universal attention
In looking back for the last thirty years
there arr only two that had an immediate K
and prodigious popularity -Pharoah's ser
pents and the Roman Question. The idea
of the serpent came in a simple and unex
Pected manner one day 70 a young chem
icai student while he was watching the
combustion Of a product in the laboratory.
THAT would please the boys he said %
himself. as be saw the fautastical turns
made by the burning product He mod
eled some little pyramids. which Orl-
needed to be lighted TO start of or thes-
serpentine course. and sold the idea % n
pyrOtechnist. who promised him a very
small royalty Tue Young chemist tLough- E
THAI perhaps BE might gain enough q
offer champagne once or twice % his -at.e
Il 'hote companions Three days af-e-var!
wherever be went be found some one who
was playing with she little pyramid. ard
At the end q each month, Cor a long while
sf5erwsrd. his modest income was in-
creased by several thousand francs As his
share oi the profits.
The inventor Of the Roman Question did
not benefit By his discovery for great
while He had no registered trademark
Tor II. and an Imitation was simple enough
for any hardware dealer, Bur during the
lirst few dsys Of IS appearance he must
have made Small fortune The puzzle I
in finding the WAY Of separatilg d
two pieces % iron ia the shape Of aa inter
rogation poiHt. i5 was very amusing
and irritaticg-to discover the trick your
self. and pleasing. As the late Mr. Dids5ury
would say. 70 watch yOur friends struggle
with the pr51iem. which e.as naturally
very easy when you knew bo7v it was dore.
Nothing Ike these two crazes has since
zppea-ed.-Pa-is Cor. New yorS sun.