The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-12-09
MILITARY FEATURES lie
Everything on Hand From Rlile
to Dreadnaught.
OF Course, the Girls Are Not 10
Be Overlooked.
fnY wEI1INGToN BRINKO

From now until Christmas, shoP
windows will be the objects Oh tl1 I,
an entranced gaze from the niue to. ~
That is one of the privileges u III
masses-gazing into store WIZ ~, -
Poor men. poor women, rlch men,
ricb women. shivering little white ooy'
wistful pickaninny, Russian, Jew, Cen
+iIe-they meet on common SrouIius
of pleasure. Little ragged glrl iohss
for rag dolly; thin 1O-year-old protheI
wants thin tin soldier; tallor-clau,
white stockinged Johnny desires the
,,,inie+ure electric automobile. So they
window-wish-each toward the toy
ideal nearest the circumstances OF ms
own life. Old st. Nick seldom dlsap-
points -, =,
some few of the older ones step IN
side the palace of holiday gi1tS. SOME
fewer take the children with them
Just TO "see the pretty things strange,
Old St. Nick himself is usually there
To greet the boys and girls at the toy
counters! 1t often happens, TOO, thal
Johnny will tell the old boy his dreams
and point out his individual hopes
Daddy or mother always s1nlies IN tiie
same queer way, or mayhap Sasps
little with a hand on pocketbook. For
certain toys have almost ceased to be
toys save in name.
There is that engine of war, the
Dreadnaught, which belches fortn
Cruiser. or, Just as you like, or rath-
or as the militant little man likes. 1t
is a submarine which puts an END 10
the latest battleship. Then there ls
the complete soldier set, Endorsed by
the American Defense league, Whlch
teaches conclusively how badly the
United States would get whipped If 1t
should ever draw sword against any
other of the large powers of the uni
verse. There are the latest "construe-
ton sets-priced at the latest figure:
There is the electric interurban and
freight train and passenger special
There are the latest spokesman of in
dustrv-the pile driver and the sand
shovel. There are games and puzzles.
Plenty of New Things.
If anything is. some of the so-called
TOYS are the new things under the
sun" Practically not being a neces-
sity. and efficiency resting at nil. what
inventors these mOrtals bel Coupes
hitherto undreamed of, house furnish
ings of the milIennial age, conveniences
for the small hOusewife-there is no
limit to the possibilities as they have
been worked out. Engines operated
on the third rail system, magic
sets, beautiful smaller-than-Shetla
ponies unspeakably good at standing
without hitching. What more could
even a grown person ask?
It's remarkable, by the way, how
little excuse it takes for the toy de-
partment to require the presence of
Brother Harry, Aunt Theresa or Uncle
Josephus-of course, he isn't really
an uncle at all, just an old friend of
the familys 1t may be, however,
that he just wants something to throw
fits into dada crawling bug will do.
Chances are, nevertheless that he'll
wind up the dancing darby when the
clerk isn't looking.
Reminders of the industrial world,
COMICS the power of a carefully
worked out lesson-in three windings,
spurs to the ambitious, honey to the
curious. miniatures. games, jokes, pro-
viders of physical eXercise-all these
and more have their appeals. Even
small blackboards, those awful re-
minders of terminated vacations do
very well outside of school. But to
come down to the essentials. The pri-
NAL joys and aspirations of childhood
still center about the same everlasting
thinEs-dolls, guns and locomotives.
Clerks right now are puzzling their
brains in an effort to refute success
fully the claims they impose So far
they have, as in other years passed.
given up the problem as a bad job.