The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-15
TWELVE CARS OF TOYS
Largest Shipments Ever Made
to Wichita
FOR CHRISTMAS TRADE
Demand Tends to Implements
of War-New Things.

It is estimated that there are a dozen
car loads Of Christmas toys on the
shelves of Wichita stores today. and
probably enough tin horns and speelers
10 reach from here to Kansas City. The
question of what to buy for the baby,
which nowadays includes everything
from the tiny infant whose lungs are
just strong enough TO blow a whistle to
the sweetheart Of 20, is one which ap-
preaching Christmas times have brought
about for the last time in this century.
The merchants report the holiday trade
starting out at lively pace, despite the
bad weather Of the past few days. It is
thought the trade for this season will
equal, II not exceed, that Of last year,
which is saying a great deal, for last
year was a. corker.
A reporter for the Eagle made the
rounds of the stores yesterday and found
them loaded down with Christmas goods
Of every description. The stores we're
crowded with buyers, too, and the mer-
chants were fairly we'll contented.
change in the kind Of toys was especially
noticeable Toys are the great feature
os the holiday trade this year. and the
stocks are large, handsome and uniquely
arranged. There are several new kinds
Of toys, and there is d decided tendency
10 the mechanical toys and to those rep
resenting the sinews Of war. Merchants
say the war toys are most in demand,
g. - T,+ Il !,
Spain and Uncle Sans triumph In every
instance. A little boy Of OF years can
find. helmet and soldiers armor Of gilt
tering silver in which to stride about
chasing Filipinos. There are also guns,
swords, cannons, etc, till you can't rest.
All this has been brought about by the
war enthusiasm with which the Ameri-
can breast has been filed, even unto the
little chaps. Next to the army toys the
imported mechanical toys are in demand
These toys are neatly arranged in groups
and represent nearly every trade and
funny trick known. At one place spe-
cialty toy consisted of a little bucking
donkey drawing a cart and a clown. You
wind up the toy and the donkey does
the rest. Another toy represents a mill
er who automatically climbs a pole,
dumps his sack Of grain into a hopper
and comes down again. There are roost-
ers which flap their wings and crow,
seals that run about the floor as natural
as life, large goats that bleat and buck,
bears that beat snare drums and dance
XII these and thousands Of other toys
are stacked in abundance at the various |
-
Merchants say that toys and a great |
many other Christmas goods are no
higher this year than last. notwith-
standing the general tendencies to higher |
prices in all lines Of goods. They say |
the increased cost pertains to the raw
material mostly which has not gone into !
this seasons goods. 1t viii be noticeable |
in the Christmas goods Of next year
For presents for the older class the
tendency this season seems to be toward /
high class books indicating a higher and
increased development Of Intellectual
ity,'' said a prominent bookseller yester-
day. Kansas people are great readers,
and they have a taste for good books.
For the holiday trade one firm ordered
almost a car load OF the most popular
books There were great stacks Of
Richard Carvel," William Allen Whites
Court Of Boyville," THE Other Eel
low" The Manders." etc, besides a
large stock of presentation books Last
year QUO Vadis" had the greatest run
of any of the books but it is seldom
called for this year.
Jewelry stocks all tend to new and
costly things this year, and the article
priced in the neighborhood Of S25 to $50
is in ready demand. There are souven-
frs, too and pretty creations in silver
and gold and precious stones.
Every indication points TO Saturday
and all Of next week as being the live
lest Christmas shopping season ever
known in Wichita, and merchants are in
creasing their force Of clerks in antici-
patton of the rush. The stores all
glitter with bright new goods that VIII
be marvel to the people who have not
Yet visited them.