omaiiav Sunday morning, December 13, 1903.
Fashions in Toys Run to Practical Ideas Without Neglecting: Novelty
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ANTA ClXVS, that genial Indi
vidual whose personality looms
large as Christmas draws near,
has reached deep into his trea
sure bag thla year and hoa
brought forth thlnaa. now and
s
old, for the delight of all good Omaha
children who obey their parents and love
their teachers. More than ever, toyland
Is a bewildering and endless maze of new
Bind startling wonders. Most of all, It
resembles a soologlcal garden, with crea
tures more amazing- and curious than any
ever seen at Rlverview park or In the
menagerlo of any circus, which has covered
the billboards of Omaha with flaming
pictures.
There are bears, cats, dogs, goats, frogs,
bugs, horses, Whales and grasshoppers
which crawl, walk, dance or awlm accord
ing to their several abilities, and they do
It so well that that it is easy to believe
that they are al and might bite or kick
if they are not treated with considera
tion. Of course the Teddy bear Is one of the
tandbys. This fuzzy little animal has
found a place In childish hearts which will
make him long a favorite. But the little
bears this year are even more amusing
than they have ever been. They are larger
and they have acquired some accomplish
ment They can walk, they can dance,
and some of them can even dance on their
heads. Just as well as they can on their
leet The Teddy bears were Invented by
an Invalid women, Mrs, Margaret stelff,
who still lives in the town of Qingen on
the river Brens In Germany. She made
the first ones to amuse the children of
her neighbors, but they became so popular
that now hep aons have built a huge, fire
proof factory, where they make the bears
and many other kinds of toy animals as
well.
The Teddy dog and cats are also popu
lar this year, and many of them are being
made and sold, not only those Imported
from Germany and other countries, but
Christmas
HE person who cannot readily
aTr I select a Christmas gift for a
I woman thU year, be It
uwiiivj, uiivr, iwfeuiHn or
wife, is fastidious and dif
ficult. Indeed, to please. The
hops are full of beautiful trifles that
must delight any woman, and by far the
greater part of these are easily within
the reach of the average person. There
re things for the woman of fashion, the
school girl, the sensible young woman, the
faddy girl, the housekeeper and the grand
mothers, and each and all of them are at
tractive and suitable as Christmas gifts.
One of the most expensive trifles among
this year's novelties Is the little mesh bag.
It is not altogether new, except In Its
costly construction, and In this It surpasses
anything: ever before offered in the line
t wrist bag. It is made. Just like last
year's bags, of chain or plates, but these
chains or plates are of solid gold or sll
fm and the mountings are handsomely
Utid or stuaaea with precious stones.
Some of these purses are fringed with
snetal pendants or bangles, but more are
without trimming at the lower edge. The
chain la only long euough to slip com
fortably over the band and this is the ap
proved way of carry It g the purse. Its
function this season is merely to hold the
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MECIIANTCAIi TOTS IN ABUNDANCH.
also those made In tho United States.
Aside from these lifelike little animals
there are others, whose distinguished
characteristic is their powers of locomo
tion and, sometimes, of speech. Mechanical
toys are being improved each year, and
now some of them are endowed with
powers which are so natural and so like
real life, as to be little short of wonderful.
There Is thti big frog which sits In solemn
and passive gloom until you touch a spring
which he has concealed Inside of him and
then he makes a Jump which Is real enough
to give one a start. The beetles, bugs and
grasshoppers, some of them of immense
size, have only to b wound up with a key
and they walk across the floor In a deliber
ate and dlgplfled manner and some of them
flap their wings with great rapidity, adding
much to the realism of -the effect.
The flying man hangs from the celling
by a string. From his back there projects
a pair of wings which move with more ease
and rapidity than did ever those of
Darius Green whose flight ended so dis
astrously. If any real man could learn
to manage 6. pair of wings as does this
new and interesting toy, the problem of
flight would come to a quick and easy
solution.
This calls to mind the toy flying
machines. They are of two types, the
Baldwin dirigible ballon sort and the
Wright aeroplane. Uke the flying man
they are suspended by a string and are
equipped with propellors which revolve at
great speed and give a good presentation
of the real airships.
The bucking broncho Is another neif
mechanical effect. A rider sits in th
saddle and when the broncho is set in
motion he is thrown high over the animal's
head, but he always returns to his seat In
the saddle and the contest is kept up until
the spring runs down, and has to be wound
again. Another feature is the horse and
buggy which moves across the table or
floor, the horse prancing and the wheels
turning like a real vehicle.
Things for Womankind Show Endless
'kerchief and possibly a tit of change and,
It may be add.-d. It Is worn on the wrist
at afternoon affairs or wherever it is car
ried. This style of "wearing" the bag
Is undoubtedly due to its value as well as
its convenience, for thtse trifles range iu
price from $50 to 460.
The same sort of tags, only a llttlo
larger and of less ccctly metals, are very
popular for street tnd afternoon use.
These, too, are studded with Jewels, but
they are Imitation. Their mountings are
also etched and they coet from S3 to 115.
"Afternoon" Jewelry, or "shirtwaist"
Jewelry Is one of the most popular novel
ties; In fact, the Jewelers pronounce It the
only new thing this season. It is made
of the dull gold or silver in oriental styles
and serves as mounttng for semi-precious
stones. The shirtwaist ring Is one of the
vry best examples of this Jewelry and by
far the best seller of the season. Jade,
coral, turquoise in the matrix, lapis lazuli
and fine agates are set In the large, high
mounting, perfectly plain and of the style
ordinarily worn by men rather than
women. The stone Is the conspicuous fea
ture of the ring and it is popularly worn
on the little finger.
Signet rings in the enamel are also pop
ular. The return of the tailored waist with Its
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WHERE THE "LITTLE MOTHER'S HEART REJOICE 3.
A tub of water affords a chance to dls- Mechanclal tops are Interesting, not to girls and the grown people as well,
play another set of what might be called only to boys, who are supposed to be Some of them play tunes as they spin,
marine toys. There are whales of any size especially concerned with such things, but Another sort, a novelty, Is spun by simply
stiff linen cuffs and collar, or the tailored
stock, has brought back tho old-fashioned
cuff button and cuff and collar . pins.
Plainness Is characteristic of the smartest
of these sets, although they are hand
somely enameled and meet of them Jew
eled. It Is noticeable, however, that the
enameling Is set In Hues usually forming
a border at the edge of the piece, while
the Jewels are embedded In the metal. A
pin In form of a buckle, almost square, to
be worn at the back of the collar, Is one
of the most effective of several designs In
the collar pins. Little bar pins, enameled
and studded, are also used to fasten the
cuff in the long cloth sleeve. These are
the very newest things, though they are a
revival of a style of many years ago.
The bar pin Is very popular and It comes
in the eechend or the perfectly plain.
The lavelier Is still counted good and
many of them are being sold this season.
It comes in a variety of styles, dainty and
heavy. Jeweled or of the "afternoon" style.
Corals have never been more popular than
they are thla season, and they are more
effective when worn in the string as beads.
These necklaces are frequently composed
of two and three strings but they are
daintier in but one.
Cameos are enjoying a popularity ' that
you wnt which open thetr hvgh month
and gulp In the water and then apout It
through the top of their heads Just as th
real animals do when they are making; a
meal of flah and want to get the aea
water out of their mouths. The motor
boat Is also Interesting. It Is equipped
with a screw propollor anby placing the
rudder at an angle can be made to re
scribe circles of any desired else. They
move with considerable rapidity and with
proper Tare will last a long time. Other
water toys are the ducks and geese which
can swim and will also give a startled
squak or Quack If they are pressed on the
aides.
For the boy who thinks he would like to
be an engineer or couductor of a train
there are toy railroads of all sites and
kinds. Trolley cars, with tracks and poles
may be bad at small cost.' In the line of
steam railroads there are some which have
a full train and tracks with switches. The
mechanical arrangement la very Ingenious.
All that Is necessary Is to open and close
the switches at the proper time. The en
gine will move out and pick up
the tender or "tank" as railroad men call
It. then the baggage car will be added and
finally the three will back down to the
passenger coach, which couples auto
matically, as do the others, and behold,
the train Is "made up" and Is ready to
start for any part of the Ulted fitates.
Some of the tracks are arrange! with a
long gap, supposed to represent a river
which must bo crossed by a ferry. The
train runs onto the ferry which Immedi
ately crosses to the other side and the
train resumes Its trip. Sometimes, how
ever, the ferry stops too soon. Then there
Is a realistic train wreck, all for the sama
price.
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few settings have had. Anything In cameo
is counted "good," and some exquisite spe
cimens are offered among the holiday nov
elties.' Brooches, rings, stick pins, earing
and bracelets with these settings are
among the choicest novelties. While the
better cameos are expensive, there are
many inexpensive cameos that are nice.
The silver and gold beauty cases carried
from a chain on the wrist are still good
this season. They are practical and so
convenient that women are reluctant to
give them up. They Include the powder
sheets or chamois, a little glass and a bit
of powder. The newer ones have space
for the court plaster, which has come back
into fashion. These are expensive in the
better samples ranging from 15 to 25.
Hat pins are huge this season and are
ornamental to the extent of being a nui
sance as they are dtstructive to veils and
everything else that comes in contact with
them. In addition to being large they are
studded with Jewels. In the more expen
sive goods the fine workmanship redeems
their gaudlness, but in ' the inexpensive
goods they are cheap in every respect. A
perfect craze, exists for enamel, and it ap
pears in many of the handsomest belt
buckles, pins and other articles of adorn
ment worn by women.
Bracelets are Just as good as ever In
spite of the reappearance of the long
sleeve. In fact, they aid materially in
covering the slovenly wrinkled expanse of
cloth between the elbow and knuckles.
They are pushed up over the sleeve to
about the place they would have on the
arm with the short sleeve.
Leather goods offer some of the most
attractive novelties for women this season.
The bags are of all sizes, extremely large
and extremely small. They are also in
many shapes, long, square and pronouncely
rounded at the corners with satchel
bottoms or envelope bottoms and the ma
terial Is as varied as the style.
It Is in the mountings that these things
are handsomest, gold and silver being used,
and this handsomely etched or engraved.
Embossing Is used in some of the more ex
pensive goods In seal and It gives the effect
of stripes or "sun rays." Walrus and
alligator are especially good, but the alli
gator bags are not so handsomely mounted;
In fact, they have little visible metal about
them, Ounmetal is a popular mounting for
the bags In seal and walrus or the black;
leathers.
Card cases, change purses and novelty
bags come In all kinds of leather, but
these smaller purses have little metal trim
ming unless It be the etched silver or gold,
and there is little of that.
Hair ornaments In the way of bacll
cunibs, side combs and barettes are so elab
orate they are almost gaudy. It is notice
able, however, that elaborate decoration
prevails only In tne cheapur things. Tur
tolse shell with gold mountings or carved
is one of the best of the better comba The
mounting is plain and usually etched
where the surface is decorated at all. The
gray bone and pearl combs are among the
handsomest of the nice hair 1eirrlons for
elderly women. The back combs are ef
fectively carved and sometimes mounted
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with silver. Side combs are delicately
mounted. Jet is also very fashionable and
expensive, but hardly practical, for it Is
heavy and hard to keep In the hair and
breaks easily. It may be well to add that
only the extremely full coiffure will con
sistently carry one of these full sets, in
cluding back and side combs and the
barette.
The linen departments abound In pieces
that must delight the heart of the house
keeper. Lunch cloths, tray cloths, carving
cloths, dollies, centerpieces, table cloths
and napkins, beside drawn work, embroid
ery and the many linen laces and other
fancy pieces for the table, are to be had
thla year at prices at which they have
never been sold before. Although It 1s not
generally realized, the linen departments of
the big stores afford some of the most at
tractive novelties offered for women.
To the Country for Christmas.
The Christmas country house party
(which seems to be a phase of today) did
exist twenty years ago, says Emily Post,
In the December Everybody's. At least, I
can remember Christmas at a certain very
big house overlooking Long Island sound,
a brick and frame building with verandas
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DOLL T7IING3 AND OTHER DELIGHTS,
laying it on the floor and pressing with a
stick a colled spring In tho center. When
this Is done the top responds by soaring In
the air, sometimes higher than one's head,
and, slowly descending to tho floor, con
tinues to spin for two or three minutes.
Little rash registers which act as savings
banks and teach something of business at
the samo time, are for sale this year at
prices which are surprisingly cheap. They
record each penny, showing tho amount
put in each time, up to 10, when they
start over 'again. Other automatic banks
are set in motion by inserting a penny. A
bird or other llttlo animal reaches for the
coin and places it safely Inside. Some of
these banks have music boxed which play
a lively tune when money Is placed Inside,
but make doleful music when any is taken
out. x
riionograph toys are not in demand this
' year as they were last. Tho reason given Is
that they get out of fix easily, are too
complicated for young children, and thai
the records for them cost as much as for
real Instruments, which may now bo pur
chased almost as cheaply as many toy a
Many of tho toy animals have Ingenlua
devices for imitating the noise which the
animal makes in real life. The ducks and
geese have been already mentioned, but one
of the most amusing of these Is the toy
goat, which may be had In Bizes almost
as large as life If the belige.rent animal
Is given a blow In the stomach, which, as
every child knows, is a very unsafe thing
to attempt on the real animal, tho toy will
give forth a prolonged "ba-a" which never
falls to bring laughter.
Moving picture machines, which are sur
prisingly successful, may be had as low
as 15, and from that price as much higher
as one cares to pay. Another ingenious
device Is called the "post card projector."
By an arrangement of mirrors illustrated
post cards may be thrown on a screen, and
if one has a collection of these ubiquitous
cards, many winter evenings may be whlled
away in this manner.
Variety and Beauty
enclosed by glass and an enormous hall,
and with the biggest fireplace that I had
even seen. The dining room had high
backed chairs that seemed to stand In
solemn military file against the wainscot,
and on the table, I remember, were pink
fluted finger bowls of a fine ribbed glass.
And there were hothouse grapes and mar
rons degulses and iced cakes, which Thomp
son, the butler, used to save for us children
when we had supper In the school room.
On the day before Christmas each after
noon train brought to this house a new
group of cousins. It was a four-mile drive
from the station, and we children were
crowded into a sleigh, with Innumerable
express boxes packed around, underneath
and on top of us. The sound of the sleigh
bells and the long white road up the hills,
our own noisy chatter and our speculations
as to what could be in this and that par
ticularly delightful looking package are
the Impressions that I keep most vividly in
mind. In the huge hall great Christmas
logs blazed-probably they blazed every
afternoon but those especial logs In that
especial fireplace are lndissolubly con
nected In my mind with Santa Claus and
the 25th of December.
It was an ideal house for Santa Claus.
and I remember sitting on the window sill
ARK JLU KOTHINO LI KB THIS TO
But the boys are not tne only ones who
have been thought of In tho array of toys
offered this year. The llttlo girls may
have dolls of any size, color or shape.
There Is nothing especially new In the
dolls themselves, but t lie "outfits" which
may be secured for them are both fearful
and wonderful. One of the most fascinat
ing of these Is the doll's range fr nursery
use. Wood Is no longer depended on for
fuel as heretofore. Alcohol, with a suita
ble safety arrangement bus loen substi
tuted and there is an oven which will bitke
real bre.id or cake, and will Iwke It Just
as well an a full-sized oven. Tho rans
Will also heat water to Imlllng In a real
water-heater on top of the stove, and thrs
are sauco pans, kettles and other utensils
all of granite ware Ju.nt like those in a real
kitchen.
Another new feature of tho doll kitchen Is
the alcohol washing machine. Of course, It
Is made on a small scale, but It Is prac
tical and Its work Is done thoroughly. It
Is nfcide on the exact lines of the washing
machines ueed In many laundries. Water
Is heated to boiling by an alcohol lamp,
and the doll's clothes which are to be
washed are put Inside a cylinder which Is
slowly revolved. Clothes lines, clothes
pins and soap, all doll's size, come with
the apparatus. This machine is not only
a toy, but may bo used to advantage In
washing handkerchiefs and collars and
boarding school girls and old maids might
find It to their advantage to have one for
their own use.
Doll automobiles with full outfits . of
suitable clothing. Including waterproof auto
coats, are also on the market and the
material used In some of them is surpris
ingly good.
At the leading department Btores and
other places In Omaha where toys are
kept, all of those mentioned are to be seen
and one must be fastidious Indeed who Can
not find something to suit out of the end
less kinds and styles which are displayed
In tempting array.
one night with a cousin, who could no more
sleep than I, and looking out across the
gleaming fields, white under the winter
stars. We both gazed long over the billow
ing hills for a sight of the sleigh driver,
reindeer and all. We were no such little
children, either but with a moonlit scene
spread before us, it took very little Imagina
tion to hear the alelghbells and the hoot
beats on tho roof. In tno morning there
were queerly lumpy stockings and piles of
presents. Such presents as they were, too.
And then came the sleighing to a small
country church, and the midday dinner, and
the long afternoon skating and coasting.
At dusk they lighted the tree in tho
stable. There was another smaller one at
the house later, but the big one was for
the children In the village, to each of whom
were given two presents, one of clothing
and one a toy, besides nuts, oranges and
candy. I remember the array of dolls and
toolchesls, tin kitchens and grocery stores,
go-carts and skates piled along one side of
the harness room; the other side was
equally heaped with caps, gloves, mufflers
and Jackets. The smell of woolen things
and of the tin and paint of the toys to this
day la almost as strongly associated with
my thought of Christmas as It the aromatlo
spruce.
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