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Page 1
THE TOYS OF PEACE
"Harvey," said Eleanor Bope, handing her brother a cutting from a London
morning paper of the 19th of March, "just read this about children's
toys, please; it exactly carries out some of our ideas about influence
and upbringing."
"In the view of the National Peace Council," ran the extract, "there are
grave objections to presenting our boys with regiments of fighting men,
batteries of guns, and squadrons of 'Dreadnoughts.' Boys, the Council
admits, naturally love fighting and all the panoply of war . . . but that
is no reason for encouraging, and perhaps giving permanent form to, their
primitive instincts. At the Children's Welfare Exhibition, which opens
at Olympia in three weeks' time, the Peace Council will make an
alternative suggestion to parents in the shape of an exhibition of 'peace
toys.' In front of a specially-painted representation of the Peace
Palace at The Hague will be grouped, not miniature soldiers but miniature
civilians, not guns but ploughs and the tools of industry . . . It is
hoped that manufacturers may take a hint from the exhibit, which will
bear fruit in the toy shops."
"The idea is certainly an interesting and very well-meaning one," said
Harvey; "whether it would succeed well in practice--"
"We must try," interrupted his sister; "you are coming down to us at
Easter, and you always bring the boys some toys, so that will be an
excellent opportunity for you to inaugurate the new experiment. Go about
in the shops and buy any little toys and models that have special bearing
on civilian life in its more peaceful aspects. Of course you must
explain the toys to the children and interest them in the new idea. I
regret to say that the 'Siege of Adrianople' toy, that their Aunt Susan
sent them, didn't need any explanation; they knew all the uniforms and
flags, and even the names of the respective commanders, and when I heard
them one day using what seemed to be the most objectionable language they
said it was Bulgarian words of command; of course it _may_ have been, but
at any rate I took the toy away from them. Now I shall expect your
Easter gifts to give quite a new impulse and direction to the children's
minds; Eric is not eleven yet, and Bertie is only nine-and-a-half, so
they are really at a most impressionable age."
"There is primitive instinct to be taken into consideration, you know,"
said Henry doubtfully, "and hereditary tendencies as well. One of their
great-uncles fought in the most intolerant fashion at Inkerman--he was
specially mentioned in dispatches, I believe--and their great-grandfather
smashed all his Whig neighbours' hot houses when the great Reform Bill
was passed. Still, as you say, they are at an impressionable age. I
will do my best."
On Easter Saturday Harvey Bope unpacked a large, promising-looking red
cardboard box under the expectant eyes of his nephews. "Your uncle has
brought you the newest thing in toys," Eleanor had said impressively, and
youthful anticipation had been anxiously divided between Albanian
soldiery and a Somali camel-corps. Eric was hotly in favour of the
latter contingency. "There would be Arabs on horseback," he whispered;
"the Albanians have got jolly uniforms, and they fight all day long, and
all night, too, when there's a moon, but the country's rocky, so they've
got no cavalry."
A quantity of crinkly paper shavings was the first thing that met the
view when the lid was removed; the most exiting toys always began like
that. Harvey pushed back the top layer and drew forth a square, rather
featureless building.
"It's a fort!" exclaimed Bertie.
"It isn't, it's the palace of the Mpret of Albania," said Eric, immensely
proud of his knowledge of the exotic title; "it's got no windows, you
see, so that passers-by can't fire in at the Royal Family."
"It's a municipal dust-bin," said Harvey hurriedly; "you see all the
refuse and litter of a town is collected there, instead of lying about
and injuring the health of the citizens."
In an awful silence he disinterred a little lead figure of a man in black
clothes.
"That," he said, "is a distinguished civilian, John Stuart Mill. He was
an authority on political economy."
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