The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-12-12
DELIGHT OF THE JUVENILE
HEART,
GERMAN PEASANTS MAKES MAJORITY OF
PLAYTHINGS

PLAYTHINGs.
Once year in the big depal tment
stores the head of the toy department
becomes the "big chief" and the arti-
cles under his charge move from the
modest quarters which they occupy
at other season of the year to the most
conspicuous place in the store.
Although Xmas is almost month
off yet, the movement of Christmas
goods and toys to the front of the
store displays has already commenced.
Dealers expect the Christmas trade
of this year to break all records. Yule-
tide never yet found the stores un-
prepared, and back of their prepara-
ed, and back Of their preparation is
the activity of months, sometimes of a
year or more, on the part of those who
prepare Christmas moods for the mar
ket
The great masses Of holiday goods
which will be exhibited in some of the
stores In a short time are the result of
efforts which were begun in October
of 1901. More than a month ago ini-
tial preparations were made by several
Of the large stores for getting holiday
goods for the Christmas season of a
year hence. That fact alone given an
idea Of the immensity of the tesk evolv-
ed in putting one of the big modern
stores on a Christmas basis.
1t is simply pleasing mystery to
the average person, wondering where
all the Christmas goods come from,
how the stores get them, all SEEM
ingly at the same time, and in such
endless quantities. But behind the
mystery there is nothing magical
cnly long months of hard work, keen
foresight and an elaborate system, the
result of years Of experience and ex-
perimen' ing.
MADE IN GERMANY.
Packed up in cases in sections of the
great stores where the public never
visit are the wonderful things which
will tempt the gift-buyer. Some of
those of Christmas goods began to
arrive at the stores in August and
July last, when their purchasers we're
sweltering in the heat.
Most Of the toys are made in Ger
many. In February last our orders
were in and in scores of the little Ger
man hamlets the people were set to
work making the toys.
The work ofthese German peasants
is ore Of the most interesting features
of Christmas, though it is done long
time before Christmas. For instance,
one of our buyers may have ordered a
thousand dozen of a certain kind of
doll. Those $4,000 dolls, every one
of them alike, were made probably in
500 different homes in the mountains
of Germany,the makers ben:ng men and
women, old and young, and in some
cases children.
The buyers dispose of the doll and
toy question by May l preceding
Christmas. Fixing upon the guam
titles to be ordered is a task in itself,
many complex questions entering in
to the operation.
Novelties, such as new designs in
leather, jewelry, silver trinkets, books,
stationery, toilet articles, ETC., are
ordered many months in advance.
Books are made up in new styles Of
bindings, odd types and kinds of paper
being used.
NOVELTY is CHIEFLY SOUGHT.
The great problem is to present new
things, even articles which have been
in use for numberless years, in a novel
way.
For instance, the umbrellas display
o1 ot HLr;et ,noe %;,oo ,o,.< l.,,o ,o,~o
distinctive mark to make them differ
ent from umbrellas sold all tire year
round. No change can we'll be made
in the materials for the covering, and
that particular problem has resolved
itself to question of handles.
Scarcely had the recipient of an um-
brella last Christmas received the gift
when men and women began to coddle
their brains to figure out new conceits
in handles for the crop of umbrellas
for the comiug Christmas.
Everything in silverware must be
new to appeal to the Christmas buyer,
and after the designs have been work
ed out the quantities to be ordered of
each article have to be figured on.
The Christmas stock of musical in
struments must also include attractive
novelties in the materials used and in
The decoratiee DESIGNS. These. too.