The Ely miner., 1914-12-18

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THESE latter days. when every
branch Of human activity has been
; 4: !"
W. systematized and we are brought
FJE4E whether we like 1t or not under the
s4As spell of scientific management of the
~ Yb smallest business. what is more natu-
E< E#M& raj than that should now be OBJ
TXSz<sSSl liged to accept the scientific manage
| H<SSeS0 ment OF Christmas?
Christmas science! How our
a. grandfathers would have gasped at
L@4lAJ the idea! In their time Christmas
was spontaneous holiday. Christ
mas eve they hung their stockings the mantel-
piece In full confidence that Santa Claus could
Ind his way through six-inch stovepipe. Then
here was the Christmas tree with grandfather
20 distribute the gifts and strong force of uncies
ana aunts to maintain peace among the cousins.
And there was skating in the afternoon with the
choicest sort of melee to give the finishing touch
60 the day
There was need of science there; It would.
in fact have spoiled the whole thing But
che spirit of Christmas has changed We still
nave our Christmas trees, subject to the regula-
sions of the fire department, but we are really
slaves OF our Christmas shopping list. From
Thanksgiving to Christmas most of us live In
atmosphere of deepening gloom We have con-
tinually hanging that dreadful problem
of what would be the best thing to give So-and-
so. and when have made selection hearts
hisname may give the same thing.
It is to relieve this situation much as posst
Die that science has been called in to our aid. or
course, even science has not yet been able to
prevent two people from sending the same gift
30 one person. But it has been able to display
unusual gifts and larger number Of them for
consideration, that it will be easier to Sc
fect present which We may be quite sure anoth-
person would not think of. And the greatest
advantage Of scientific Christmas shopping Is the
increased speed with which the ordeal may be
gone through.
There two things which have brought about
this result. The first is the establishment Of ex-
hibits of gifts for children in the schools of the
large cities of the country. And the second is
the-scenti1c arrangement of gifts for sale In the
shops and department stores. On one floor we
have a department devoted entirely to toys and
other gifts for children in another place presents
particularly suited to men; and elsewhere Sec
lions for women and boys and girls. 1t is all the
direct result of the card index and the filing cabi
net. You look under the particular heading you
wish and you find displayed before you vast
quantity Of suitable gifts to choose from.
The object of the school exhibits Is not so much
90 save mothers labor, worthy object though that
might be- Nor is it to display the latest and
most ingenious products of the toy market. Child
welfare is the primary purpose, and there we
have another side of the scientific Christmas 1t
.s to save the children from being deluged at
the Christmas season with inartistic, unhygien1c
and useless gifts Esthetic and hygienic are
words that loom up larger In the vocabulary or
the present than that Of the past.
And So although Noah's ark will remain Noah's
ark to the end of the world. twentieth century
youngster whose family attends one Of these ex-
f!bits will feel constrained to suck the paint of
shem. Ham or Japhet For, 10 and behold. they
are entirely innocent OF the familiar rcd and
green and blue of that unsanitary century wo
have left behind The of the patriarch and
all the animals that went In two by two" are OF
reasonably hygienic white wood.
By the same token, dolls will be dolls. For here
again the scientific Christmas has produced
change to a more esthetic and hygienic product.
Instead Of the big rag DOLL whose features have
been kissed into obliteration by several genera
tions of children there Is stockinet successor.
equally unbeatable far more beautiful. and abb
soutely impervious to washing.
For older children finds marvellous all
wood dolls again embodying the three important
virtues. They are unbreakable, washable and ar
tfstic Their naturalness Is evident at a glance,
and the visitor is not surprised to learn that they
are reproductons of American children modelled
by American artists.
And yet the thought rises, will modern Dorothys
and Nancys love these charming creations
whit more than their mothers and grandmotbers
loved the china and wax dollies who preceded
them? There Henrietta. gorgeous Partisan.
you may remember, whose pink and white loveli-
uess is still a happy memory Poor Henrietta!
She died the victim of bad small brother who
tried the effect Of midsummer heat upon her
waxen complexion Then there was Juliet, she
of real brown hair that combed and a warm
brunette complexion, and a host of others who
may have had untold attractions. But you must
put them out of your mind In this scientific age.
Real hair harbors horrible microbes and complex.
ions do not digest well in small stomachs
Then there other suggestions which are the
result of the practically of time. Housekeep-
ing furnishings. for example, such tea sets in
pewter cooking utensils in granite and metal an
ironing board and iron which really be used
and IN iron cookstove upon which things can be
cooked. In the matter of musical toys, science
has gone even further. The pianos for the child
OF today are marvellous instruments Alas for
The prestige of the ,fnkly toy of generation gone
by. These have from two to three octaves Of the
cnromatic scale and accurately tuned ito
concert pitch"
But all such marveis cost money and are not
likely to avail much for the household where
tve or six must live small income So 1t Is
good to discover a containing number OF
soys ct a minimum price. Not exceeds ten