The herald., 1896-11-18
CHIcAGo's DOLL HOSPITAL
A Quaint Old German Who Mends tn,
Childrens Broken TOYS


There is a quaint little building on Wells
street which is warranted to dry the tears
ana Drlng back the smiles to the faces of
an the poor little girls in Chicago whose
tea sets are broken whose household fur
nlture stands first a spell on one foot and
manner of the poets bashful lover. and
Whose tbar great es biz dollies have cracks in
naS iia also room in its tiny heart for the poor
little boys of Chicago and practically
stretches out a willing hand to tighten the
sorrows ,e accruing from tin horn that has
lost its toot; bass drum that refuses to
beat ana regiment of cowardly soldiers
declining an. upright position to meet the
onslaught of the enemy.
lt is such puny dwarf of store half
nidlfen between two modern walls and nest
ing close to the ground as if modestly
grown up people who hurry by it's door in
the daily whirl of the cable train. forget lis
existence in their interest in a newspaper
or look over its head in distracted contem-
plation Of the rushing landscape. But
the sign on the roof attracts the children.
and the tiny buildings diminutive size ex
nations, and the hospital for dolls and
broken musical instruments instantly peo-
pies the nursery with visionary rows of re-
ness with the inspiring clamor Of drum
and fife and trumpet.
The little structure of 647 Wells street
looks. like. a wooden bandbox for theater
ping brim and just high enough to cover
without crushing the. elevated feathers.
A small door and small window fill up the
front wall with exact measurements that
world Of Wells street with a desire to see
and desire to be seen.
Covering the bandbox is the long sign
which displays the trade and accomplish
merits Of Albin Hager.
ish eyes. the exterior attraction of the
quaint little hospital: 1T would be mar
fills every available inch of frontage not
already in use for the slender entrance.
Sugar and spice. and everything nice"
would be an appropriate text for the con-
tents of the window. There are dolls that
smile at you ard dolls that wink at you.
With an extra pair or two of eyes SHOULD
There are yachts with outspread canvas
that only need wet shelf and flowing sea
to eaa o anG to SScory There are Whs
kind of musical noise to stir up your neigh
borhood and arouse its interest in patriotic
gines and candy and popcorn. and one
cent prizes and .'penny-a-lcks," The ag-
ricultural hoy will see hoes and pitchforks
and the domestic girl can delight in pots
books for the 1itreary and tools for the
practical and every sort of toy to suit every
sort of taste.
The interior of the shop is as quaint as
the exterior. Between two dolls a man sits
at table, the genius whose skill has made
1t IS only since last May. that the dolls
hospital has heightened the list of city
Institutions whose object is to care for
the sick and manned, but twenty years be-
fore the physician in charge was gaining
his knowledge in far-away. Saxony DON
neberg. Is little town twelve miles north
east of Coburg.. and among its toy indus
tries and factories for musical instruments
Albin Hager learned the rudiments of his
trade. Dvery child in the small hamlet
was taught to mend broken toys ana served
his time in the factories, supplementing
night schools modelling wax, clay and glue.
But the thourough completeness of the
German system is manifest in the superior
excellence of their toys, and after twenty
the hos pital doctor, is an infallible prescrip-
ton for the woes of the poor little girls
who have broken their dollies and the poor
little boys who have punctured their drums:
Besides the toy work the proprietor of
the tiny structure on Wells street Is. de-
signer of wax figures that pose so patiently
in the windows of the shopping district,
dress. He is also skilled in sulphur molds
and papier mache DECORATIONS.
If any little girl in Chicago is in grief
over the unfortunate outcome of fam
lily jar let her gather up. the fragments
that remain to tell the sad story of domes
tic disagreement and carry them to the
tiny building with the. picture on the door,
and all wrongs shall be righteG in her
that tn edolls physician cannot dress. There
is no disease so deadly the dolls physician
cannot cure. He gives sight to- the eyes
and arms to the shoulders, He ties sev-
cred arteries and binds broken bones. He
arrests the flow of sawdust and sets new
head where the old one ought to be. He
all grades of children call down blessings
on his skill.-Chicago Chronicle.