May 1, 1915.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



433 



tainly arc numerous, and they counterfeit all tools that have sharp 

 and dangerous points and edges. For instance, there is the rub- 

 lier razor. If a young man wants to attract considerable atten- 

 tion in the boarding house parlor he can jump to the middle oi 

 the lloor and announce that his life has been a failure and he 

 proposes to end it forthwith, and then gash at his throat with 

 one of these rubber razors. It is quite evident that lie would 

 create considerable commotion — especially in the breast of his 

 landlady if he were somewhat in arrears for board. Then there 

 rubber dagger, looking for all the world like the real ar- 

 ^_ tide. It giT- with. >ut saying that it 



would not be difficult to cause quite a 



I 



The Rubber Hatchet. 



little excitement in a gathering of 

 friends if two of the number appeared 

 to el into an altercation and one suddenly pulled forth this shin 

 ing weapon and proceeded to plunge it rapidly into the other's 

 front, back, side or some other suitable location. The rubber 

 hatchet belongs to the same category. Arm a small boy with 

 one of these and let him make a savage onslaught with it on the 



Ch ippjng the Piano — with the 



1 [atchet. 



choice marble statuette in the parlor, or on the piano, and it is 

 obvious that he would have his mother in a state of mind. 



Again there is the rubber tack. If a person wishes to attract 

 favorable attention to his general imperviousness he can put a 

 few of these, point up. on a table, with his friends seated around, 

 and then bring the palm of his hand down with great vigor on 

 the upturned points. He can then gather in the tacks and go 

 whistling away, to the great perplexity, if not admiration, of the 

 onlookers. 



Rubber jokes of this variety arc often used as nerve testers 

 in initiating new members to secret organizations. One form is a 

 bed of spikes with sharp steel points — made of soft rubber. The 

 novitiate is obliged to remove his shoes and stockings and then 

 is tossed upon the glittering points. As a matter of scientific fact, 

 the efficiency experts have employed rubber deception in making 

 their tests. One test of a man's nerves is to suspend a pane of 

 glass from the ceiling, have him stand with his face close to 

 it on one side while the experimenter strikes the pane from the 

 other side with a hammer. It is a rubber hammer, and the glass, 

 instead of being shattered into a thousand pieces, simply oscil- 

 lates gently in the air. But if the subject of the test can stand 

 the experience without wincing he shows that his nerves are in 

 good condition. 



There are other rubber jokes, not quite so sanguinary as some 

 of those cited above, which deceive and excite wonderment with- 

 out causing either alarm or mental anguish. As an illustration 



of this kind is the rubber dumb-bell, which looks as if it were 

 made of solid iron with each end weighing 100 or 200 pounds, 

 and yet the athlete who is giving an exhibition of his powers can 

 hold this dumb-bell indefinitely at arm's length or toss it easily 

 from one hand to the other and perform with it various feats 

 ■ Samsonian strength. It behooves him, however, not to let it 

 fall to the floor, for it is likely to rebound as high as his head, 

 for the two massive iron ends are simply inflated rubber bal- 

 loons and the entire dumb-bell weighs rather less than 3 ounces. 



The rubber pencil is another joke of an innocuous character. 

 It looks like an ordinary lead pencil sharpened at both ends and 

 supplied «ith a metal cap which covers the end not in use. One 

 end has good lead. The owner uses this to write with and then, 

 putting the metal cap over it, passes the pencil to a friend to use. 

 He gets the rubber end and when he tries to write finds the 

 fictitious lead bending in all directions and making no mark. 

 He may make several attempts before he discovers what the 

 difficulty is. And then there are other pencils which have per- 

 fectly good lead but a rubber joint just above the lead which 

 makes the pencil double up when one tries to use it. And there 

 are perfectly good and honest looking pens constructed on the 

 same aggravating principle. 



But this was not to be an inventory. These samples are 

 enough to show the nature of the rubber joke. Xow the interest- 

 ing question arises — How much of a business does the rubber 

 joke constitute? How many people are engaged in its sale? 



The Rubber Dagger. 



Where do they find customers? And what volume of this rubber 

 humor finds a market in the course of a year? 



There are about 100 jobbing houses in the United States which 

 sell these rubber jokes — not exclusively, of course, but with vari- 

 ous other novelties. The retail dealers, including distinctive 

 novelty stores, of which there are some in all large cities, and 



Harmless Suicide — with the Rubber Razor. 



including also the big department stores— all of which, prac- 

 tically, carry these articles in some department, either among 

 the rubber goods or on the novelty counters — probably number 

 5,000 in this country. This would take in all those people who 

 have booths and counters at the summer beaches, at the autumn 

 fairs and at the carnivals and mardi gras held at different times 

 in various places. While these humorous rubber goods are sold 

 in all the large cities of the country, their best market is found 



