NEW ENGLISH TOYS 93 



sheep-pens, painted cows with movable joints, 

 wooden corduroy-clad labourers, and old-fashioned 

 Mr. Noah, now converted into a typical John Bull 

 farmer, not bring back to the child of to-day some 

 love for country life? These objects, which are 

 being created by our new English toy-makers, 

 should help to restore that happy balance of com- 

 bined interest in town and country which has for 

 some time been unevenly maintained. Is it not 

 possible that these subjects, rendered in an attrac- 

 tive way, will help to develop a genuine love of 

 farming and country life in the three-year-old sons 

 of our landowners? If so, a work of national 

 training will have been commenced, one which 

 will help revive that " back to the land " move- 

 ment which is health-giving and steadying in this 

 strenuous age of rush and unrest. Thus does it 

 depend upon the women of England, those mothers 

 of young children who have such a far-reaching 

 field of work of Empire-building before them 

 in the years which will follow the war, to learn 

 themselves about the great treasures that for all 

 time lie safely held by the land, but which have 

 become too little appreciated or noticed as civilisa- 

 tion has increased and town life has absorbed the 

 interest of the majority. If they learn to look 

 seriously upon wooden toy farm-houses, their 

 children will wish to play with them, and thus 

 seed will be sown which will bear fruit of food pro- 

 duction in time to come. 



The importance of encouraging toy-making brings 

 with it a consideration of the advantages that all 

 similar industries offer to village communities. 



