The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-12

1t is truly remarkable how many guns
and warriors now stand in the shop win
dows, pleading to be taken into your
home The boy who signs for cannon
ana fort can ask Santa Claus for them
freely, for they are very easy to obtain.
West Point soldiers have also been made
in great numbers, and they can be seen
firing big guns from the Palisades and
along the Hudson
The moral question has been raised as
TO whether it is not harmful to the
growing youth to place in their hands
so much that is conducive to the spirit
of war. VIII not the children who play
with tin soldiers grow up with a mad
desire TO toy with the real article in
later life? The German emperor firmly
believes that as the twig is bent the
tree is inclined, and he has trained his
six sons to play with soldiers as relis-
iously as we train out children to play
with alphabet blocks. From the
rangement of the guns in the toy fort, and
they learn how to arm a real fort; ana
from the placing of the armament upon
the ship they learn how to man and arm
a cruiser.
The toy builders have catered to the
spirit of the times this season as never
before. In great pasteboard boxes there
lie troops of artillery all mounted OH
horses, ready to be set up in battle ar
ray. They are made of lead and are
heavy enough to hold their own against
attack. Scenery also comes for them,
and you can buy boxes of green trees,
lead rocks and very fair-siZed paper
mountains and clouds. These the boy
stands up. In front of them, going az
breackneck pace he stands the artillery.
Facing them ne places the opposing forces.
He can get the British troops facing the
Indians at Khyber Pass. He can exact
1t Unit ata ha VyiFh
cry, and by using a little artistic taste,
he can get up a battle as fine as any birds
eve view of a battlefield.
Now comes the action Little toy can.
non come-the like of which were never
seen in the days when big folks were
little - for storming the forts. These
toy cannon are made of tin and iron.
The cannon, which is of tin, is mounted
on an iron standard, and it is heavy
enough to "kick" well. The cannon is
discharged by pulling a little wire loop
which pulls back a spring. The spring
on being released sends the cannon ball
into the ranks. The ball consists of
roll of paper, very round and hard and,
If the boy is a true warrior, chewed
into a compact mass This is stuffed
into the end of the cannon and fired at
the troops. The real game of war is to
send the balls into the armies in recl1-
less profusion, and the victorious army
IS the one that stands the longest under
the rapid fire.
Many of these toy armies come very
high; "a for a troop of cavalry is not
cheap, yet they come as high as $12
and SIS. A very good set consists of
twelve soldiers on horseback, three inches
tan It can be obtained for SO or 81.
The Infantry comes much cheaper, as
there is less work upon them. A very
fair toy regiment can be obtained for S.
Then of course, there is a great assort-
ment OF cheaper soldiers, from to cents
each, which do very wellindeed In fact
they are quite good enough to be shot
down before the ruthless cannon.
Christmas firearms vary in price. An
excellent cannon that will carry paper
balls four feet comes for 10 cents A larger
cannon costs % cents, and a big one 50
cents. Beautiful rifles come at 45 cents
and 81. They shoot cartridges four inches
long, and they carry ten yards. The
cartrdges are works of art. They are
made Of gray pasteboard and they look
trecisely like a real cartridge. In fact
iAe imitation is so exact that nervous par
nls frequently ask the shopkeepers to cut
cartridge in half SO that they can view
me interior. II is hollow, with pasteboard
tdes. At short range, a stin pasteboard
cdrtrdge can do some harm, but as there
J. no explosive it cannot more than sting.
IAe fashion in Xmas toys is also for