The Portland daily press., 1900-12-20
Features Of the Present Holiday
Things for Children.
Many Factories Turning out Electric
Devices I'm ths shape ofToys-Fun Ms
Wen as InAtruetion-EIeetric Raii-
roads and ships for Boys-Eisetrie
Toys for Girls.
NEW YorK Sun }


tell their students In the class room that
while electricity might be applied as
power TO turn q toy wheel 1t never could
be of practical use as propelliDg force
OF machinery or vehicles. 1t was gener-
ally the Introduction OF the little brass
wheel driven by the electromagnetic ap-
piiance that evoked this prediction. And
the teachers were quite right, according
to their lights, and they had the text
books back OF them In the assertion.
Now it has come to pass that We have
the electric toy, but long after electricity
came into use for just the purposes for
which the professors Faid IL couldn't be
used. The development Of electricity ss
the propeliing force for rail- cars and for
machinery was so sudden and went 40
far ut one prodigious leap that the inven-
tors nad to rstrace their steps and pick
up the toy as an afterthou ght. 1t was
only quite renently, comparatively speak
ing, that electric power came to be used
"seriously, just for fun"-the word seri-
ously referring to the very important
matter of money making. Many hun
dreds OF thousands of dollars are now In
vested In plants which do little else than
turn out electric toys for children, young
and old. Particularly within the last
year has this industry grown. The good
times naturally are In measure respon-
sibie for it. The fathers and mothers.
the big brothers and sisters and the
uncles and aunts have great deal more
money In their pockets this holiday sea-
SON than they had even a year ago, and
as consequence the small boys Christ
mas treasures are not only more numer-
GUS but also more costly than they were
then. SO the manufacturers Of toy elec-
trio appliances have been very busy in
venting and turning out new things to
please the youngsters.
The consequence of this is that the new
century boy is being electrically equipped
as he never was before. With all the
amusing ohildren's electric devices
that are nov on the market, a boy of
or 10 years old is In fair way to learn
moro things about applied electricity
that the natural philosophy OF his
grandfathers ever. r..dreamed or. 1t Is not
too much to say that mere child may
now get q foundation from even such
study as an ordinarily bright boy Will
give to the why and wherefore OF his
mechanical playtbinRs that may be the
inspiration of more than one great service
to humanity In the years to come. The
principles applied in the operation OF the
electrical toys ara precisely the same
principles as those which go into the
movement OF prac tioally all the electrical
machinery that now outs 50 great figure
In the toy stores, VIII be an advanced
pupil II he ever seriously begins the study
of electrical engineering as profession.
Especially Will this be the case If, with
his fun with the toys, he gets little In
struction thrown In.
The electric railroad, equipped down to
the minutest detail, is one of the features
of this years playthiDgs for boys. The
owner may get electricity from an ordi-
nary wet battery or may generate 1t from
q dynamo driven by turbine connected
with a running water faucet in the
house, He may lsy as many steel rails
around the room as be pleases. The cleo
tricity is let into the rail by tiny wire
from the battery or dynamo, and Is picked
up by motor concealed in the boiler or
the engine. He can back the engine by
a reverse lever, or he cRnEstart and stop It
at will. lie can run 10 at a speed or l50
or 200 feet q minute. or he can just make
it crawl. There are passenger oars and
freight cars; switches and sigma towers; |
stations and sidetracks.
II boy wants TO be in the coal husi- |
iness there Is q complies reproduction OF
the engine and cars used In the ooal (
mines He must learn all about positive |
currents and negative currents, that is, |
in their practical significance as TO ma |
ohinery, and In charging his storage bat |
series-for there are storage batteries in |
the conference.-the mnst learn how to do |
it, and what will and what will mot kill |
his dynamo. Then II he chooses to
string elscterio lights at the crossings or |
all along the line, there are the lights to |
string, ana he must learn how. to con-
nect and sdisconnect them. 1t is fairly |
what fun boys may have and |
are .having with the electric railroads |
that are now made for than. OF course |
they are getting useful information all |
the time, and useful information in |
pies would revolt the soul OF any we'll |
organized boy. But he doesn't know he |
is getting it In this case, and even If he |
OF course there are offsets OF |
some kind to pretty much everything in
this world,
: some of the electric railroads in the toy |
stores this holiday season are imported
from Germany OF oourse-but 10 1oesn t |
follow that they are any hetter than, or
SO good as, those made right here at
home by several concerns that have large |
plants devoted to that and other work. |
boom is all over the world as well as in
the United States.
And of course the electric railroads are
only a detail in the electric toy business.
There are electric toy automobiles, cleo
trio toy nattleships and torpedo boats,
electric games and what not. The toy |
and torpedo boats are good
craft, not made for puddles and
bath tubs, but for big ponds, where the
waves run high enought put their decks
all awash. They are two or three feet
long, some OF them. ana ara equipped
with water-tight commitments ana en-
gines that Will drive them through the
worst seas going in any park lake or
country mill pond. You can turn their
rudders so that they will cruise in curves
or you can make them My regularly from
pors to port. And they Will run for ten
hours on stretch with one-csll wet
battery.
For smaller boys who are not yet ready
to 60 in for maritime war or for railroad
ing or GOAL mining and for girls as we'll,
there are electric toys OF various kinds
electric automobiles in which to send the
dolls ont for an airing. automobiles of all