The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-25
STREET vENDERS OF TOYS.
rHEY HAVB MUCH TO OFFER AND
arr AAKING MONEY.

Chrisuas E~adeatBrsr- the first to Take
Cp the Noisy Mouth CaIIiOpe. Which
nas Bees seiltug by the Thousand The
Ctir.bine Monkey nsd ISIS Fellows
There are in round numbers $4,000 people in
this city who are doing their best to amuse
themselves Mt the cost OF making miserable the
lives Of all who come within n block Of them,
and at the same time they maltraat many OF
the most popular tunes more atrociousiy than
any barrel organ or German band could do. The
means adopted 10 attain this end Is the innocent
looking little piece OF vanished wood called =
,alliopc. u worthy namesake Of the instrument
that brings up the tail end Of n circus process
sion.
Early In the autumn there could be found
wandering up and down Twenty-third street,
between Fifth and Sixth avenues. n lonely
Greek carrying In n satclel a dozen or more
calliupes. while he footed m~nnfully on one all
the times that he knew, which were sweet
VI trle" and Home, Sweet Home Nobody
e'sr saw him sell any, but In n month lie was
Joined by another who could play his tunes and
Maggie Murphy's Home" besides. Then an
other appeared, and about six weeks ago the
vendors Of callIopes cropped up In every part OF
the town, to the great delight Of the small boy
md the DISGUST of his parents. who not only had
to purchase the hcndish things but were pur-
sued by the dolcful sounds wherever they went.
The calliope had come to stay. and the only
thing for the supersersitive person to do was To
leave town and go TO some spot where novelties
are never known.
This instrument comes from Ohio. Last sum
mer, when the Christian Endeavorers held their
Convention in Cleveland, n firm in Norwalk. o..
decided 10 make some money out of them II
possible, and tried the calliope. 1t sprang into
popularity among the Endeavorers at once, and
they would wander around the town in bands
playing their favorite hymns. From hymns TO
Sweet Marie s a long stretch, but the cal
Hopes were capable OF 1t. and that accounts for
the many that have been sold In New York. II
is n very simple AFFAIR. Ten holes are bored in n
square piece OF wood. Across the upper part of
one Of tho surfaces an oblique groove is cut.
which is about one.elghth OF an inch lower at
one end than at tho other. The groove lays all
the original holes bare, the upper part being
partly plugged up. The slant in the groove
gives the different tones, and the result is that
any tune that doesn't go over an octave and two
notes and has no sharps or flats can be played
on II.
over a thousand gross Of these things have
been sold IN this city In the last month and a
half. They are sold to the vendors at 81 a gross,
aud as the vendors make four cents apiece on
them and II ~ no .thrng to sell a
leads TO IL. oSserystion that rD1oo' one Of sn neei waste
sympathy on the innumerable vendors OF toys
town TO SS tonne TO tho o III ane s Msey m 1ro% s Spe to es $50 Of d tne
Every article they sell brings at least 80 Ia per
cent. profit. and the most OF them bring so, per
glory are Fulton and Ann streets and Park row.
Along Ann street from Broadway to Nassau II
that surround their carts, On these carts is to
be toupd q bewiIderinG array Of toys,
cents and none higher than a quarter. The
great proportion of the stuff comes from Nurcm-
the field and are competing With the m
There are sets OF parlor furniture made OF metal.
four pieces, a sofa. rocking chair. and two
Many OF thc carts are devoted to boxes and mir
rors saudily ornamenied with shells. great
and chain for 10 cents, II watch that will run for
five minutes IT it Ia wound up enough. Then
christmas trees. glass balls. beaded toys. and
little birds that squeak when they are squeezed.
caused nsS '4 mnny a G rood man " to- isss: E Msis iem 9es
while taking II to pieces to see how II worked. is
a a string nnsr or Climbs rnbed do%n a, i ,he TN Ini nmpc g!i np Iov gP
string is pulled. In It's body are two wheels on
which the strings are wound. The toy is in
and has had n great success. the firm
which makes 1t being compelled to work night
Among the other toys that are good sellers"
are those which move on wheels impelled by n
spring. he, jumping frog. for instance, OF which
going on IA continual chase after a rat which
Is always Just out OF reach. There Is. again. "a
rider mounted on a fiery steed. which the ring
master whip. as It Rnllops around, and there is
tHe iuuy III tue ttuAn Cnhlr whlch Two sum
knced lorters are carrying. and innumerable
other toys.
\ large dealer In these things was asked
he could make any sort OF an estimate
Of the amount of money spent in New York on
these cheap mechanical toys.
1t would he impossible to do so" said he.
without putting n good deal OF time TO II. but
will GENE to many, many thousands OF dol
lars. This year the season has been unusually
good, or rather much better than last year. The
people who buy the things belong to the poore-
rieSer t tSf comes ens ,H ont. h fse ih sT nli mhsnsy money a new
every body, rich and poor alike, buys them. You
Here a big. swsrthy Italian came in and de-
manded a gross OF calliopes.