Evening journal., 1906-11-20
SANTA CLAUS IS
GATHERING STOCK
Bringing to Wilmington a
Great Many Of His
i, Presents
SOME NOVELTIES ARE HERE


is accommodating his stock OF toys in
Wilmington. The bringing together Of
his presents is no mean task. They are
numerous. and ever since last Christ
mas he has had thousands OF men.
women and children in Germany work
ing hard to supply the demand which
this year according to all signs, will be
unusually large.
While there are many toys made in
every country visited by Santa Claus.
there is no country where the work is
as extensively carried on as in Ger
many. In the fatheriand there are more
than 100000 toymakers. and they sup
ply practically all dealers in the world,
for it matters not from whence a deal
er's general stock may come, 1t is not
complete unless a number Of the ar
ticles displayed bear on them the mys-
tic words. MADE in Germany"
The Germans are especially skilled in
their work, and with bits of wood. a
glue pot and a pot Of paint they produce
wonderful results. There IS nothing they
cannot make in miniature-that is, n
they think it would be practicable as
toy. Not only that but they keep abreast
OF the times. and each recurring year they
offer some new novelty. while those
things with which the men and women
OF this generation played as children are
modernized until they scarcely look the
same and yet they are, for toys are toys.
and one recognizes in the changed form
the familiar article of 20 years ago.
The toymaker does not solicit business.
He does not have to- for he knows that
during the summer the representatives, of
the toy importers will pay him a visit,
and he merely displays his line OF
samples. from which ne books his orders.
When the last one of the articles con-
signed TO local firm is made and packed
in its little box-for toys have TO be
packed with exceeding oare-they are
again packed In a great, strong case, on
which is painted after the name Of the
consignee, "Toys-Haudle With Care
and they are shipped on a great German
steamship to this country.
Shipments Coming In.
After gcing through the necessary pro
cedure of the customs officials, they are
taken to the store and carefully unpacked
and placed on display, or reshipped to
those small dealers who aave placed their
orders with the iobber.
In this city there arc shops that COM
pare with those Of any metropolis n this
country, for several Of the local dea'e g
import their own goods. and, by their
representatives going abroad early In the
season. they have the pick Of everything
that is new and novel;
These shipments from Germany are now
coming in, and every ship from nos until
the middle of Deoembcc will carry as part
OF her cargo some of santa Claus stock.
! The coastwise railroads win also share
In the business Of bringing the stock here,
for Santa Claus, when he is in a hurry,
has some Of his stock shipped from Ger
man cities, via London, thence TO New
York and brought from there by rail.
While some Of the Christmas stock has
arrived and is displayed in the shops. the
bulk of II will not reach here before De-
cember l. but that which is here Ia inter-
esting and IT prepares the mind for what
is to come And what 4 wonderful place
a toy shop isl A visit TO one of the large
establishments is like entering fairy
castle. for there is everywhere or c1un-
ters, cases. shelves, standing on the Il or
and hanging from the ceiling tiny repro
ductions Of those things We see in every
day life.
While the familiar toys Of boynood
greet us on every side there never has
been a year when something new for the
entertainment Of the children has not be n
added. This year is no exception, and
among those toys which Will be the nov
+ elites of the coming Christmas will be
bowling alleys. In every detail but onC
they represent the downtown alleys on
which big brother" makes such wonder
full % scores. and the exception is that
the tiny ball is shot with light spring,
All Sorts Of Toys.
There is a new style OF tenplns. The
ball Is suspended from a tall frame and
swung at the pins. The ole type Of shoot
ing gallery is replaced with a more inter.
esting bird game in which the youngstei
with a dart gun knocks little birdy from
his perch. Chuch-a-luok Il something old
in new guise, and is a series Of pockets
! in canvas on wooden frame To skill
the eye and arm there are target heads
the heads Of domestic and wild animals
being reproduced in papier mache. The
] iNWtl Jaw ~ ANNAniN citA ~ hehhN Ap0ii
A rubber BAH is thrown into the opel
mouth a spring is released and tho jaw
swings up, appearing as though the ami
NAL has swallowed the bali.
The maker Of automobiles has learne,
something new, too, for the horseless We
hicies are now made with rubber tires
detachable tonneaus and in ell styles an,
sizes. Most Of them are self-propelling
and in one little runabout IS a figurr tha
every now and then sounds on a hcrn tn
familiar "Honkl Honk. rne yachtbuild
er no longer asks the public TO buy Graf
whitfield from the solid block, but pre-
sents hollow-hulled racers that are mode,
Of the latest pleasure sailing craft. witt
spoon bows, overland sterns and fa
bodies. not Of the Defender or Relianc
! type but rather of the racing "thirt,es
OF the past season. There is also a no
ticeable Improvement in The manner G
making the sails, and they set and e
\ much better and their deck fittings ar
less clumsy
In what are known as mechanical toy
) there is a hosting railway that viii b
a never-ending delight 10 the little one,
at least until il is broken. This railwa
Is an. incline on which are two small cars
At the top are two channels in which ar
placed leaden marbles. The filled ca
runs to the bottom. dragging up IN
m.