The Washington herald., 1909-11-23
TOYS THAT HELP THE CHILD.
PlnythinEs May Aid in Developing
Imagination

Imagination.
! In the great world which is called Toy
| land IL has been said that there are three
different kinds of toys. The Look-Ons
/ the Do-Nothings ard the Do-Withs. The
Look-Ons are the sort that DO all the
playing themselves after winding up with
a key; all one has 20 do IS 20 gaze upon
/ their mechanical antics. The Do-Noth-
] ings do not do the slightest things them
selves and really 10 isn't much fun 10
play with them But the Do-Withs are
different; they just seem TO be inviting
YOU 20 come and play with them. saws
the New York Post.
People who are grown up and who are
strangers. sad though IL makes them
sometimes. 10 the happy land OF child
hood. incline toward the Look-Ons and
/ the Do-Nothings, because they prefer 10
sit in chairs and press buttons or pull
strings while the toys DO all the playing
/ But children who are really the vylsest
people I'm the world where toys are con
| cerned. want 20 take part On the sport
/ themselves Doing SO stimulates their
| imagination, and imagination is the
power that makes all the difference be-
tween a very charming world and "a
| somewhat humdrum one.
Toys for the DO-WIth Children.
| The Do-With chIIdren-Iiye toy men and
/ boys. as well as the men and women.
have houses built especially for them.
and they have chairs and tables and
sofas In which they seem 20 be very
comfortable although Of course they
can't say very much about IT, And they
/ have horses 10 drive and carts TO ride
| in and stables which are the very thing
for all the vehicles. as well as for the
: cows and sheep. the piss and dogs. the
colts and calves, which make up the live
stock of the family
There IS furniture which. made after
/ the fashions Of Chippendale and other
old forms. cannot fail 10 be unc0nsclouslv
mentally helpful. and the boy aad girl
I the man and the woman. are so iolnted
that they may sit down or stand Just
/ like any real persons
I The animals are just the best sort OF
/ the most satisfactory breeds. The cows
are warranted 90 furnish all the mill,
/ that the family can possibly use. and the
| horse is gentle. but evidently strong
enough 90 pull all Of them who wish
! to 80 a-ridinE at ouce. The st. Bernard
dog is a very faithful animal who IS
/ trained TO protect the boy or girl when
/ ever they need HIS services: the pigs
are the gruntlest sort, the sheep OF the
meekest and The colt seems TO be just on
tho point OF kicking his heels and sprint
| ing across the field.
Teach Logical Thought and Action.
The toys may be bought one or few
az time. but each IS part Of a scheme,
and with them all or even with several
the child may work out systems Of play
that will inspire It mertally. perhaps. in
something Of the manner which Froebel
found so successful In his gifts"
The child in its play may carry out
| sequence Of events. and that Is the
foundation. so the students Of psychology
tell US. Of logical thought and action. IN
making the toys no effort has been made
TO "particularze." as Il were. but essen
tial characteristics are emphasized and
the rest left to the chld's imagination.
For instance. the heads Of the animals
do not move, as the maker saws that
the child would be apt 10 become inter
ested IN moving them and forget the play
scheme
Caran d'Ache was perhaps the first Of
the really great artists who devoted him
self to toys to the exclusion Of every
thing else after he had become interested
in making them, but his creations were
rather more attractive 10 fellow-artists
than they could be TO any child. In these
new toys, on the contrary, there IS
every appeal to the budding mind, and
certain possibilities Of play not 10 be
found In the cast-iron objects with which
iroN- ov-a1 1ur
content themselves. They are oil strong
~ made OF wood, generally in thrce-plv
material, and are IN excellent color. and
proportion