The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-22

value will be rejected. The inventor, how
ever, is paid for his labors.
The designers are sometimes employed
on a salary. but the great majority are
paid a ertain sum for an accepted model,
or a percentage on the sa.es- First-class
inventors frequently make from 5000 TO
$4,000 a year in designing Christmas toys
There are certain toys which can aIwaxs
be depended upon to sell well every Christ
mas. and these are manufactured carly in
the new year for the following winter 5
use The new ones rarely 20 TO the factory
much before early summer. From that
time on the great toy factories are run
night and day TO turn OUT in time the mil
lions of toys that are needed for the trade
Il is estimated in round numbers that
about 100000 toys are sold every hrist-
mast season in this country. and. az most
or these are either broken, worn out. or de-
s-royed before another season. they must
5s 70 > aced by Others. The great maiD-.ty
of these are imported from France GER
many ard Switzerland. In these countries
a-CCt 100000 men, boys and women find
most Of their support in manufacturing
CHRIS mas toys To be more exact. Fra zee
valued AT Sl4O90.0 oe TO various countries
aE.i OF this number the United Stats re
cs'ves far more than half. and Great L-i.-
ain about oHe-sixth. Germany has even a
larger export trade in Christmas toys, and
Switzerland is only little behind her
Most OF the wooden toys come from
Switzerland, where the wOodcarvers of the
Black forest and Tyrol make the greater
assortment of animals. people and toys
imaginable. All through the long winter
evenings every small farm home and hum
bic cottage IS the scene Of toy-making
Large firms provide the people with the
wood, cur in appropriate pieces. and the
humble peasants cut out of it the toy ami
mails. carts. cars. Noah's arks, and scores
OF other creatures. They are all made by
handworn and paid for at ridiculously .ow
prices The farmer and his sons carve
out the animals while the wife and daugh-
tiers paint and finish them.
Likewise the dolls dresses are made in
these peasant homes. Factories turn out
millions Of the hina heads arms. and legs,
and the young women of Switzerland. Ger
many and France provide dresses for them.
Contractors go around from village To vii
lage and apportion a certain amount of
silk cotton or linen 10 each woman who
applies for II. \ pattern goes with each
piece. and the woman who accepts II must
make certain number Of dresses out Of it,
These dresses are all handmade and they
represent only a few minutes work for
each one. Al q certain time the contrac
tors return 10 the villages TO collect the
finished dresses. and to pay for all that
are acceptable. The women make only
few cents a day at this work, but the cost
OF living is small
The hair for these dolls is real. especially
for the more expensive ones. The hair is
gathered from the peasant girls Of Italy.
France and Germany. Hair collectors 90
through the country districts several times
d year TO purchase al 1.-THE locks that they
can find. Sometimes the pangs Of poverty
force some fair damse, TO sell her long
tIesses, but as 4 rule the girls make a bus
mess of cutting their hair AT certain sea
sons for the collectors The value OF this
hair depends upon its fineness and length.
The best Is not sold for the dolls. but is
made UP into wigs and switches for -
Partisan hair-dressers. One factory in
Switzerland pays out S7Oo0 10 $S.Oo0 year
for hair with which TO dress the heads Of
The dolls. In the dol factories hundreds of
girls are employed to put the dolls TO-
gether. When the heads and limbs are
brought out of the kilns where they have
been fred they are fitted upon the saw
dust bodies with cloth and mucilage by |
skiilful hands. Then they are passed on 10 |
the dressers and packers. One factory viii
sometimes turn out million dolls d sea
son. The wholesale way in which the for
esgners enter into the work Of making