Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-07-06

Nduld dNcuuc IL hdAhCo w S@A
that cater only to the seeker of souvenirs.
A casual glance at the windows of these stores
would convince anyone that the day OF the
Victorian knickknack is not entirely over. The
| mahogany what-not that stood in the parlor
corner and displayed shells, statuettes. and pine
cone thermometers on its towering shelves is
perhaps a relic, but the kind of thing it held is
The window of any one of these souvenir shops
is crowded with a glittering array of what must
be salable souvenirs. There is a clump OF paper
cutters warranted dull enough so that a baby
could cut its teeth on them with impunity, and
rendered further attractive by the Capitol dome
embossed on each silver handle.
Besides the paper cutters is a row OF 2ewe !
red velvet lining, and the Capitol, looking as
natural as ever. on the cover. Then come racks
Of silver candlesticks. vases, pin trays, ink
stands, a huge platter, spoons, match safes-in
fact, ANYTHING the most exactlng TOURIST couio
desire to wish upon his friends, and every one
Of them displaying a full-face view OF the
Capitol.
Above the carefully arranged disorder Of the
window shelf hang pillows and pennants. The
remnants have Washington" sprawled across
their entire length. but the pillows, as might be
expected, wear the Capitol, with a wreath Oh
pink roses twined round about its DOME.
The windows of these souvenir museums are
sure-fire bait for the stranger in town, ana even
the hardened native may find himself pausing
TO look over the exhibit. Sailors, children,
dreamy couples and ordinary tourists franticaily
collecting appropriate souvenirs for the folks at
home, are the patrons VINO progress Iro"
Here they are rewarded by further wonders.
The window was only a sample case, put sne
every possible article on which the Capltoi couIo
suitably be emblazoned. TO complete the illusion
of a universe of capitols, mirrors In the walls
back of the glass show cases multiply the stock
Contrary to a first impression, styles in souve-
Mrs do change. The silver spoon with some
celebrated building adjoining the handle was
twenty years ago the popular souvenir OF a
trip to Washington. Then came the macerated
Souvenirs Made OF Money.
The paper pulp which was left when old bilis
were ground up at the treasury bore faint signs
Of having been money. The pulp was used
largely in book-binding. but some geniuses
thought of making souvenirs OF II. so me Tas
that a miniature Washington monument could
easily be labeled 800, 900, and no one could
George Washington's head, about three Inches
tall and very thin, was marked on the pack
$4,000.
proftable and popular scheme, and for some
years the little figures sold regularly. But 70
make the money in the article more obvious an
attempt was made to tear off bits of good bills
and paste them on to show parts or ngures.
The pieces were much too little to be redeemea
but the government decided the money souvenirs
were getting to be a nuisance. Treasury ofhclals
had acid put in the water which macerated the
bills in order to destroy the pruning on sif.
After that, the macerated money looked no oil,
ferent from any other kind OF paper pup anu
the souvenirs were sponed.
TIL Post Card Craze.
But there is always something new to take
the place of a defunct novelty. The postcard mad
a long and exciting career as a souvenir. "nen
people collected them. only a few years ago.
there were a dozen or more makers OF carus
in washington alone. Even now, views OF
Washington sell by the tn thousand H;afnron every csrd yea If
ranging from sucn ola stanu-pys
as the Monument and the White House, 70 tne
newer cards of President Harding, the Lincoin
Memorial and the Capitol on a rainy night.
AS long as tourists rush about trying 10 see
in a limited time, the postcard viii De
li,nc IF travel. The simplest |
form of long distance communication so far
discovered is the postal of, say the Medlcal
carrying the reassurlns messase' we
The travel postcard is still used as a stere-
opticon slide in simple home entertainments nut
as a fashionable souvenir for a parlor alnum ~
is as passse as the paper-weight shell with the
Monument painted on it. .
Some of the once-familiar trinkets which have
passed out of the tourists life, had an untimely
end through the war. Germany furnished many
of the cheaper souvenirs. mad American manu-
facturers have not been able TO make soHie VI
them at salable prices. -
We are told by a man who Is closely IN TOUCH
with the latest Developments OF the souveni
business that the present fad is the photosrapn.
After getting this significant tip on the sltuatloh,
it would be obvious to any unframed eye that
the photograph is certainly being featured III
Washington. Every downtown window displays
the apitol on a rainy night, the White HOUSE
on a rainy night, the MonumenI at -bara
is no way Of rejecting the monument IN the
grass which surrounds 1t.
Then there Is the muSn nrrv traes Without
which we imagine no home is complete by TINS
time. In this the reflection is in the water over
which the trees shed their pink petals. Inc
latest attempt at romance in Washington scenery
is a view of the cherry trees, pink as ever. with
the Lincoln Memorial in the ofing, looking like
a Greek temple.
: Tins kind Of thing, we are told, is supplanting
the stamped leather card case, and the break
fast cup with George Washington looking d1gnl.
ned on one side and Martha looking dignihed
on the other. It may be so. But anyone VINO
loves Washington must shudder to think OF a
time when the Capitol will no longer De a
familiar and beloved figure on the nations Jewel
cases, pillow tops. and shaving mugs.