Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-12-14

Ii will doubtless surprise many read
l erS OF the st. Nicholas TO learn that
/ Uncle Sam has one of the largest col
/ lections of toys in the world He keeps
them in the National museum at Wash
ington. where they may be seen by hun
dreds, nicely arranged and labeled. in
the exhibition hail. But on the balcony
in the west end of the big building is
the real Santa Claus shop. Like the
spiders parlor in the nursery song, the
way to this w2nderland is up winding
On each side of the long balcony.
writes win II. Chandlee, is a range of
tall pine eases fitted with drawers in
which are stored toys and games from
all parts of the world. To be sure. these
drawers contain many other interesting
objects besides, for il is in this depart
ment that everything relating TO ethnol-
ogy is sorted and catalogued for eXhibi-
ton. Ethnology is the science which tells
Of human races in their progress from
Savagery 10 ciyilization-how people in
all parts Of the world live, Of the things
they use in everyday life, and how they
use them.
The toys aud games in Uncle Sans
collection have been gathered. by his
agents, from every known country. Many
of them are rare aud costly. and heauti-
fully made; but the most interesting and
unusual are the product Of mciviliaed
hands Some are gorgeously coored and
decorated with beads and shells, while
others are grimy and pitifully mcaui but
they have each brought their measure of
joy to some childish heart, somewhere
or dolls alone there are enough to give
any little girl reader Il new one every day
until she becomes too old to care longer
for them; ivory babies from Alaska.
dressed in little coats of deer fur to pro-
tcCt them from an Arctic winter; South
Sea island puppets with scarcely any
clothes Mt all: Indian papooSes decked
with beads and buckskin; pink-checked
waXen beauties from Paris; Acknowledged
Japanese in red kimonos. black wooden
images from the Congo; and various 9th
CIR dolls fashioned from clothespins. pine
cones and coruhusks;
Some In rags
Some IN iage.
And some In velvet GOWNS
Uncle Sam is especially rich iu Alas
kan dolls Some OF them are of ivory.
no bigger than your thumb; but the
clothing is made with the greatest care
from the softest sealskn, trimmed with
bends and edged with white hair from
the leg of the deer Others are two or
three feet in height, and are carved from
wood, and equally well dressed, even 10
their mittens, skin caps with earnaps,
and their perfectly correct snowshoes.
Then there are the dolls of the Xuni and
the Moqui Indians of Arizona and New
Mexico. These are a brilliant and cheer
ful gathering, and occupy "A drawer all
to themselves Some are made Of wood
and others of baked clay, and all are
painted in gnudy COl0TS Some among
them have real hair, done mp in funny
little knots above their ears, or in braids
with feathers and red flannel
Many of the more beautiful toys were
made by The Eskimos. During the long
Arctic nights these wonderful little pe0-
pie carve. from the tusks Of the walrus.
figures of every conceivable shape and
design. Often entire villages are made.
the hutS. bidarkees Tor canacsi. and dog
slcdgcs being in perfect miniature. The
long slcdge shown in the picture is from
Labrador. II is n fine specimen Of ma
tive workmanship, The dogs are cut out
Of ine-grained white wood. and are most
natural in their attitudes. The toyrmak
crs of Nuremberg or OF Switzerland
could not have done more skillful work.
The art Of these Arctic folk is the more
wonderful when one considers the very
primitive tools which they have TO use.
The knife with which they carve the