Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-12-17


quite go beautiful Just now as the shops.
1t doesn't make any difference whether
you are rich or poor, indecd,, you can
be a beggar, though they do object to
you being thief, that is, il you are
pursuing your avocation. But any
body, that is, any honest body, can
feast her eyes on ail the lovely Christ
mas things, and in one way she will
own them Just as much aa the richest
lady in the land. There is something
fine in being able to enjoy without
possessing. cannot understand,
though, how any woman, with a
little money to spare can go into the
toy shops and come out without buy
ing some trifle to make glad somebody's
child. There are dolls of all degrees
offered to the doll. lover-there's the
wonderful French doll, whose face has
naughty expression. who il so
accomplished that she can cry like
real baby, speak like Il parrot, and
waltz with the eSactness of machine.
1t is true that, unlike real ladies when
she dances, she furnishes her own
music! Whisper it not in Gath, but
whom she moves around to tho tune Of
The Beautiful Blue Danube" the
tiny music box is concealed under her
lHce-trimmed pettlcuat.
Then there are lass expensive dolls,
real baby dolls, dressed in long clothes
and reclining in carriages, with doll
nurses, standing beside them; there are
little girl dolls, gowned In short frocks,
and having tennis racauets in their
hands; and there are lady dolls in long
trained dresses, who loll on easy chairs
Of gilt upholstered in satin. There is
do l.,l s.tttl .l,s.
bridegroom, and the bride looks SO
modest and the groom so happy that |
am certain that, last night, while all
the world slept the dolls came to life,
and there was a really and truly we'd
ding formed in the doll shop. There is
everything to make a doll happy. A
closely curtaIned brass bod of the right
size, il which she may dream a china
bath tub. in which she may take her
morning bath and preserve her COM
plexion, while for this purpose there
is a special soap warranted not to in
jure the most delicate dolls skin
Surely, the very height of luxury in
dolls has been reached; and yet-and
yet how often is child happy with
an old MANNED doll, loved not for its
beauty, but for its many sorrows?
There are some toys that never
change. The lovely woolly dog is just
as SO uare at the corners as he was
when | was presented to the first one
more years ago than j like to remem-
Der. Although science has progressed,
the workings Of the woolly dog are as
crude az ever. The same string is
pulled, the pink tongue comes out, and
the "bow VOW 10 Just as hollow und
artificial as it should be. Noah's Ark
is az absolutely artistic as when you
aud | first counted the animals therein.
The dog aud the elephant arc the same
haight, and both are pink. The croco,
ollie and the camel each have curly
tail, and are lively purple, and tho
only way you can distinguish Shem.
Ham and Janhet from their wives il
by their wearing stiff round hats. not
unlike those known as sundowns.
Shem is tue Joyous brown no always
was; Ham 10 brilliant orange, while
Japhet ia pale blue, and Noah is
delightfully."- notified. The dove. with
leaf 10 her mouth, is the same color
Ind size as the COW, but how lovely
they all are! Has anybody ever de-
citled whether the original family In
the ark got in through the roof, as do
the wooden family? And did they walk
W luH arh tWu W tWoy as many pro-
cession of wooden animals has been
arranged? | think they did. The ark
is too historical toy not to be correct.
TO what small child are you going to
send an ark? Or was it fireman's
get.up or a soldiers forgery hat you
had in mind for some boy? Somehow
the toy shop possesses a wonderful fas-
cination for me. think il good thing
that it does-and will tell you why.
The little time OF delight that comes to
you or to me while looking over the
tops that duplicate thoss we loved in
days gone by. bring before us those
old days and make us remember how
easily we were made happy. Then, as
u natural sequence, unless We have
become hard Of heart, which God Tor
bid we long with great intensity to
give Joy TO somebody else--somebody
else who in child. Perhaps it is for
some little child who like you Or me
pored over hook. then away we go
out into the fresh air, across the street.
n,ingle with the busting, merry crowd,
and land ut the book shop. Here there
is an arstocratic happiness to be found
there is that delightful scent that
comeB from well-bound books, and.
seeking earnestly for the hook that
will delight some child, We get the
chance to dip first in this and then in
that new lume, which is delight to
her who loves books. Here's a hook
for the little girl who is good mu.
scian--such sweet book-some OF
the luvelicst Of the poems of Eugene
Field set to must; and bound in
most delightful way. Think what it
will mean in the nursery to learn to
cling about "The Lady from Hushaby
Street." and to raise their voices
those voices that slusak bit yet-in
praise of 1.-THE Dinky Bird" while
some ones voice--a girls voice, think
IA bit sweeter than all the rest, will
linger with tenderness over the words
as she plays the accompaniment to the
story OF "Little Boy Blue " | have
always been as you know, most
aruent admirer of the poems Of Eugene
Field, the man l never knew, but
think it specially sweet that these
poems OF child-lite arg SGT to musir by
the friends of the dead man, good
musicians all of them, from DeKoven,
up or down and offered at this Christ
mastide.
There's a wonderful book, too. /
have forgotten its pane, but it tells of
out-of-door sports for boys, but oh !!
but ah here's richness! This is not a
book for child, nut oh! what mag
nificent book it is for you or for mo !!
The stories of to-day, the plays of to-
6ay ora oil ooip,r bunly IN tho n,oct