Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1919-03-19
TRADE MARK IS OFFENSIVE
From Germany Americans Want Moth
ing but Souvenirs of Victory--Ger-
man Toys and Other German
Goods Doomed in U. S.
BY FREDERIC J. HASkIN,
In CHICAGO Daily News.

I
been carefully packed away until some
distant day when American toy buy
ers shall have become reconciled to
the trade mark made In Germany"
Today this trade mark is not only
unpopular-it is offenslve.s Americans
will still buy Turkish rugs, Austrian
musical comedies and Bulgarian color
combinations. but from Germany they
want nothing but souvenirs of victory.
According to one department store buy
er, woman came into his store not
long ago, in search of a certain kind
of gloves which, she said, she had been
unable to obtain In two other cities.
She was delighted when he finally
brought out pair from some old stock
that met with her requirements. He
was very much surprised. therefore, to
find her In an argument with enc of
the salesgirls the next day over the
return of her purchase. 81 won't have
them" she was saying vehemently,
you can see as plainly as l can that
they are marked made in Germany"
Especially, do Americans feel this
way about German toys.
Boy Burns Rocking Horse.
One mother recently espied her
young son standing in Napoleonic at
titude before a blazing bonfire, In the
midst of which could be seen the fast
disappearing head of a white rock
ing horse.
why, Nathan" exclaimed his moth
er in a grieved voice. you used TO
be so fond of that rocking horse"
"Yes'm, but I'm not any more" de-
clared her son emphatically. 'It's got
Made in Germany on it."
While a few radicals have pointed
out that hatred for any cause is small
and petty and should not be encour-
aged in children; that such an atti-
tude Is not conducive to the success
of the new world democracy for which
we fought, and that we are pledged ''to
be just to those whom we do not wish
to be just" they have failed to
make any great impression. German
toys and other German goods seem
doomed in this country.
So far as toys are concerned, this
attitude has been an industrial boon.
For the American toy industry has
grown tremendously since the German
market was shut off and 1t cannot af-
ford to be injured now by the 'dump-
ing" of German goods. A great deal
has been said about the necessity Of
protecting the new American dye in
dustry from German competition now
that the war is over, but few people
know that before the war our importa-
ton of German toys was greater than
that of dyes. The figures show that
S90S4, 900 worth of toys were import
ed where only IS, 100000 worth of dyes
were imported in 1914, the imports of
both these lines of goods from Ger
many showed such q startling increase
| that 1t is now believed German dye
and toy agents In this country were
aware that war was approaching.
U. S. Toy Business Now Is Vast.
The only difference in the histories
| of these two industries is that toys al
ways had been made to a limited ex-
tent in the United States, whereas
dyes-at least coal tar dyes-had not
been made here at all. In 1918 there
were already II toy establishments,
designing and manufacturing Ameri-
can toys, and doing an annual business
| of S7,521 ,4S5. When the German toys
stopped coming this industry under
went an enormous expansion. Today
there are 1876 American toy firms. do
| ing an annual business of $4,000 600
A consistent campaign has been
| waged by these new manufacturers
| to educate Americans to the proper
appreciation of American toys, and
things are going smoothly in the toy
| industry. There is no doubt that the
American toy product is every bit as
good as, If not better, than that mad 2
in Germany. It is fact that our Amer
lean toymakers have not yet learned
to make bisque dolls or Christmas tree
balls, but most people consider that
the American dolls are much more
natural" and abundant Christmas
tree balls may be had from Japan.
Thus everybody was prepared for a
| peaceful, American toy Christmas this
year, when suddenly a cargo of Ger
man toys arrived in the port of New
York.
An earthquake could not have
caused greater CONSERVATION in the
! American toy industry. Immediately
the press took up the matter with the
free use Of bitter invective and the
vice president of one of the firms to
whom the toys were consigned issued
the following statement: 1--WE have
refused to accept the shipment of Ger
man toys which came to us from Hol-
land without notice. Though these
goods were bought and paid for before
the war and are our property we will
have no German made goods in our
stock"