Show lights of new york L y L STEVENSON for the last lew few years adult americans have been turning their atten tion more and more to pastimes that in the past belonged solely to children so at the toy fair air which each spring makes the upper thirties the toy cap ital of tile the country there were play things to keep grownups amused along with hundreds of others designed to make childhood hours happier and bus ler fee in fact to tn this mechanical age this observer had difficulty in deter mining where one left off and the oth er began for instance there were electric trains with all kinds of accessories cess ories ranging from scales for weighing cars to automatic couplers curious as it mav seem the intricate trains were tor for the youngsters whose parents could afford to buy them while for tile the parents there were far simpler trains the essential difference it seems Is that the toy trains for adults come in pairs so that there may inay be betting as to which can make the fast er time emphasis seems to have been placed on the gambling instinct as tar far as toys for adults are concerned racing hating trains had as companions companioni parlor norse races dog races and even rabbit races then too there was the bird cage with dice instead of songsters song a device familiar to visitors of county fairs of the past the old army game parlor shooting matches may also be held field as complete galleries ver exhibited hibi ted including those with sets of miniature min latura soldiers which serve as krilov ing targets there were also pistols lin and d guns which shoot special copper covered bullets and they occasioned the statement that shooting ashes from cigarettes Is now a popular pastime among debs of the middle west that statement Is not given as tact fact since I 1 have hare been unable to verify it another thing that struck my eye was a riding horse it the hobbyhorse of old days but a big thing on heavy springs those springs are pulled down and released when the rider gets aboard thus there Is the effect of 0 a bucking bronco without having to travel to a dude ranch a the majority of exhibits at the toy fair this year as usual were of amer lean ican manufacture though some forean countries were represented among them thein was russia It most alost of the toys shown from there were peasant products A number of foreigners attend ed the fair for the first time because antinazi anti ti nazi feeling caused a prejudice german toys in some localities incidentally the american toy business in the last 11 14 1 1 years has increased from froio to annu ally just as an afterthought adults adelta who buy toys for themselves or for kids this coming christmas time will pay from 20 to 40 per cent more than they did iasi year reports a scout sauntering along fifth avenue was a perfect example ample of how a well dressed young man should appear morning coat topper yellow gloves white spats malacca cane etc at forty sixth street a taxi tal driver made a quick right turn through a puddle and grinned with joy as be spattered the fashion model but at madison avenue a red light stopped the taxi and before it changed the well dressed young man arrived jerked the driver from tits seat socked him twice and threw him film back into the cab then he picked up his cane walked over to the avenue and resumed his saunter and not even tits bis gardenia was disarranged disarrange dl 1 4 women drinkers who in the past done much meddling with cock tails falls other than the fruit or oyster va biety have brought a new dew problem to certain popular priced eating places so one chain has provided rest rooms where the effects may be allowed to wear off mk bell syndicate service |