The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-11

Every British Nursery Has Become "a
Battlefield.

buttieueAu
London. Feb 1.--Most English toy
shop keepers have recently become abso-
lutely neglected. of what are ordinarily
the best paying branches Of their bust
ness in order to devote themselves entire-
ly to meeting the wonderful demand for
toy soldiers that has sprung up since the
beginning of the present war. Never be-
fore. they say, has juvenile England been
so martial or the English papa so ar
dent a purchaser of munitions of war
as since the troops went TO South Africa.
Every nursery has become battle
field, and there cannons roar and thin,
red lines of Brtlshers march upon Boer
'laagers' or storm "kopjes" hastily i'm
provised out of hassoc6s; flank movements
are executed, attacks repealed and bayo-
net charges carried on, until finally the
Union Jack is flying over the enemy's
works" and a miniature military band
realistically going through the motions OF
playing the national anthem.
Where these armies and their equipments
come from Is easily imagined after a
walk along Regent street or Cheapside,
for every window is one solid mass of
military men" Dolls, indian clubs and
rocking horses have dropped to the rear
aud Tommy Atkins and his brother Boer"
keeper told me that the Christmas attack
which his patrons made on his hastily
modified camp simply left him without
a color sergeant or rified gun to bless him
self with. "rhey regularly picked me
clean, sir" he said. 81 never saw CHRIST
mas like ii before in the soldier way. 1
could have sold three times as many if
l could got EN-, but l couldn't; there
wasn't one to be had"
This deponent is a little newsdealer, who
sells things for "kiddies" merely as a side
issue, and was not, therefore, quite com
petent TO speak, but at Lowther's Arcade
the queer tunnel between the Strand and
ST. Martins lane, which is damned full
of toys and is a veritabe childrens para
disc-they told me the same story.
I'VE had hardly corporal's guard as
they say, left after Christmas" one of the
women, who look after the waT-like branch
OF the business, said 1--WE sold lot of
soldiers last Christmas when the Sudan
expedition was on and sorie during the
American war with Spain, but nothing
like the number we're selling now.
Look at Them" she continued, rather
proudly, there are little soldiers repre-
senting every branch OF the British serv-
ice, cavalry, artillery, Highlanders, every
thing. Then here are the Beers"
There they were, to be sure, appropriate
ly bewhiskered, and slouch- hatted, and all
armed with rifles, some firing as If at
mark, others on one knee. There were
marvellous cannons chat fired a cap and
made a delightful noise. British and Boer
flags, whole rows of tents and wagons,
men with red crosses on their arms, car
rying ntters and little apart from all
these a real armored train.
we sell more of the regiments that
have distinguished themselves" the sales
woman said 1.-THE Gordon Hghlanders
and the Devons, the cavalry and the artil-
lerymen. But here are more soldiers left
over from last year"
There were whole regiments of Der
wishes In turbans and with spears, mount
ed on wild steeds of the desert, and Eng
llsh soldiers dressed just like those who
served under Kitchener More interest
ing, however, to American eyes were the
men In blue with grey hats, and In kakhi
with no hats at ALL and the tackles IN
flowing trousers made to represent the
men VINO fought with Dewey, and with
Shafter. Their late foes were In evil
dence, too, headed by floating ensigns of
red and yellow but the saleswoman said
that the men who supported the Stars and
Stripes had had the most popularity.
According TO her account, not only SOL
diers and camp necessities are being
bought up about as fast as they can be
provided, but swords, guns and drums
likewise, not to mention British flags.
Strange to relate, there are only three
firms in England who manufacture the
soldiers, most of them being made In Ger
many, and the greater part of them, at
least, by hand. AS the soldiers sell for
20 cents box and there are two profits
20 be gained, the wage of the warrior
makers is apparently not large.
No one seems TO be considering what
IL all Will lead to, however, or If the
strategist OF five and six may be an Alex
ander at eighteen or twenty. At all
events Englands youth is not even salts.
fed with playing at soldiers in their nurs-
cries, for hardly day passes without
the piquant record of the police courts
describing how terrified Britons and Beers
were brought before "his lordship and
lectured roundly. And only day before
yesterday the youngest and lttlest boy
in a church choir In Hampstead marched
gravely down to the Horse Guards and
offered himself as a recruit.
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