The Washington times., 1913-11-23
TOYMAKER LOOKS
INTO THE FUTURE
From a Life Devoted to Anus
ing Children He Turns to
Philosophy and Prophecy.

NE wYoRK. Nov. - "2-Standing amid
aisles of splendidly uniformed toy SOL
diers and gaily csparisoned rocking
horses and looking around over his bril-
liant toy bettle field. with the eye of
~ proud lnI satisfied general, a quaint
ID gentleman who was celebrating his
latieth birthday over in Brooklyn told
Afor almost all of those eighty years
he had spent his life as n toy-maker
ana a joy.maker for little children. The
old gentleman was Jesse \. Crandall.
and the place was his toy laboratory,
snug room full of miniature shapes and
myriad colors that looked like Nurem-
burg although il was only Brooklyn.
And there the charming cid father of
playthings, gray haired, with old-fash-
ioned cut whiskers, and keen brown
eyes, philosophical with quaint speech
about life and toys.
I've been carving animals and fig
ures ever since was five years old" he
said nearly cutting off my finger
when I first began. but thinking better
o fit after a while and now / intend to
60 right on carving till / die. Ny first
patent was taken out in 1859 1t was
spring horse. and the Prince OF wales
rode on one of its kind when he was
q child. He developed into an excellent
horseman thereafter.
THE shoo-iy is mine,'' said the old
man. proudly; 'the nested blocks, auto
matte targets, a score of puzzles and au-
tcmatic toys too numerous to mention,
all are mine. Most of my ideas come to
me of nights. You see, 1 don't think so
much of my sleep as some men. Sud
denly while I'm sleeping 1 think of
something, or it comes to me without
thinking. maybe. Anyway, he alarm of
the future rings me up, and I'm on the
carpet in a nlinIte with my pad on my
knee ..-....
.su-b., r Dr,S ,-o,,ne carvad ,,nder !,
blacksmith for while. and that has
come in useful ever since in the making
of iron toys. And put this down: What
America has seen in the line of invenr
fion since was q boy is only the begin
ming. Oh. We artists, inventors, master
mechanics, are the people, but with only
a kindergarten conception of achieve
ment 1t present from Edison down.
Mars Talk By Wireless. e.
Put it down that !, Crandall, the
toymaker, predict two new arrivals: The
electric stroke for setting off powder
without guns. and the emancipation of
women. Here's another thing that's
coming: Mars is now signaling to US,
that's thing I'm sure of. In time we
Shal perfect the wireless SO that We can
communicate with the Martians. They
are trying to give us some idea OF
their inventions, and we cannot make
out what they are saying. had almost
rather know what they are doing in the
line of invention on Mars than go b
heaven, although l know that wings are
mighty dressy.'
Old the toymaker is, but not old
fashioned in his ideas. He is firm ad-
vocate, of woman suffrage,
Woman was made mans equal IN
everything except physical strength,
he said. Men felt of their strong right
arms and said. DO this and woman
did IL because of that strength that
was her master. But with the pistol
came equality of strength: woman is
b. just as strong as man II her amp Is
good. And; Us far as that goes, they
say woman never fails to hit the man
she's aiming at Il
Am ] fond OF children? Well, I've
learned to look for their good points.
When / had a shop of my own every
riages would ask me: Isn't my baby
the most beautiful? and l always said:
The very most beautiful I've seen in
some time What else could l say to
ner? Well, that has made me see all
babies, no matter how odd-looking, in
their best light"
The old toymaker is rother proud of
the fact that he has not too much of
this worlds goods.
Did you ever know one of us that
had any money!" he asked. He picked
up little toy set of soldiers and shook
ms head. Il set up many an army,
ne said, but ] never conquered and
took prisoner everlasting wealth. I've
set little soldiers on their gallant horses
and placed the captain at the head of
mis- troops, but they never marched
out for me and brought me back my
desire gratified.
Indeed" he added. Il never knew
an inventor except Edison who really
had money. Edison is a business man
as well Us a creator. He knows how to
hold his ideas for cash, never letting
them out of sight, till the money has
been paid down. That's the combina-
ton that makes autos as well as phono-
graphs. That's what / never could do.
] surely never was gifted with the isusi-
ness brain. I've had money once in a
D. while, a few days or so, an dthen 1
lost it. ] was happy in the gaining and
happy in the losing. 1t was such a fine
shade of difference that you could not
easily grasp the sensation Id rather
shake the hand that holds the bar of
soap than the hand that holds the gold
bar. I'd rather put my shoes out to be
blacked in a line with the wagc-earn-
ers' than with RockefeIlers."
Among Mr.. Crandall's inventions is a
convertible baby carriage. a magical
affair of iatticed strips, which, when
drawn out to their fullest, form COM
Portable crib. His favOrite experiments
have always centered around horses,
and he has Efashioned many a jiCer-
horse and bell-horse, the first being de-
signed to take the place Of the ord-
nary bay Jumper. His American Speed
err was his first hand-running car,
which developed later into the many
forms of cars now worked by children
with the action of the foot. Aside from
TOYS Mr.. Crandall has invented many
useful sire. car devices, among their
an automatic switch for tramways.