SOME FRENCH TOYS OF TO-DAY.
IN no branch of the industrial arts has
the progress brought about by the
participation of expert artists been greater
than in toy-making. Practically every kind
of toy, from rag-doll to hobby-horse, is
nowadays very different, and far more
pleasing artistically, than it was a very few
years ago. But, toys after all being made for
the children and not for the art critic, it is
interesting to note how far recent improve-
ments contribute to render the toys of to-
day enjoyable for their youthful possessors.
Toys, intended for children, are bought
by grown-ups. And the tendency to judge
them from an adult's standpoint may be-
come misleading. A toy may strongly
appeal to the educated taste and yet fall
short of its true purpose. It must be some-
thing to play with, not only to look at or to
show. And being that, it may still fall short
if it fails to do all that a really good toy
does by way of educating not so much the
child's mind—for the range of the educa-
tional toy proper is narrow—as its eye, its
imagination, acting as a stimulus whose
potential powers are practically boundless.
RUE DE CONSTANTINOPLE "
WITH MOVABLE FIGURES
MADE BY " LE JOUET ;DE
FRANCE "
The nursery of to-day, as conceived and
carried out by many a competent artist,
plays an all-important part in the early
training of the child's mind and senses :
simple, cheerful schemes, carefully planned
out in every detail; bright colours, inter-
esting designs are the order of the day.
And their carrying out calls for no less
skill than the most elaborate works of art.
IN no branch of the industrial arts has
the progress brought about by the
participation of expert artists been greater
than in toy-making. Practically every kind
of toy, from rag-doll to hobby-horse, is
nowadays very different, and far more
pleasing artistically, than it was a very few
years ago. But, toys after all being made for
the children and not for the art critic, it is
interesting to note how far recent improve-
ments contribute to render the toys of to-
day enjoyable for their youthful possessors.
Toys, intended for children, are bought
by grown-ups. And the tendency to judge
them from an adult's standpoint may be-
come misleading. A toy may strongly
appeal to the educated taste and yet fall
short of its true purpose. It must be some-
thing to play with, not only to look at or to
show. And being that, it may still fall short
if it fails to do all that a really good toy
does by way of educating not so much the
child's mind—for the range of the educa-
tional toy proper is narrow—as its eye, its
imagination, acting as a stimulus whose
potential powers are practically boundless.
RUE DE CONSTANTINOPLE "
WITH MOVABLE FIGURES
MADE BY " LE JOUET ;DE
FRANCE "
The nursery of to-day, as conceived and
carried out by many a competent artist,
plays an all-important part in the early
training of the child's mind and senses :
simple, cheerful schemes, carefully planned
out in every detail; bright colours, inter-
esting designs are the order of the day.
And their carrying out calls for no less
skill than the most elaborate works of art.