An Educational Toy

An Educational Toy

THE picture shown in this editorial was taken by a roving cameraman seeking pictures of novel toys for Christmas. It presents a contrast.

Study the innocent, trusting face of the little boy. Now look at the toy he is trying out.

In case you have never handled or faced one — it is a MACHINE GUN — the outlawed weapon of the gangster and public enemy.

There is no immediate danger the earnest-faced baby will harm himself or anyone with this toy, but there is danger this toy will harm some man of the future, now a baby-faced boy.

Serious persons, interested in child training, have demonstrated the educational value of toys. The photographer, unaware, has depicted another type of “educational toy.”

A “Pretty Boy” Floyd or a “Baby Face” Nelson may be the idol of some adventure-loving youngster, but the stamp of approval should not be placed upon his misguided hero-worship by a fond parent, bent on “keeping in step with the times” by providing the newst of toys. This picture shows one of the latest things in toyland.

Do not bring your boy up to be a big shot gangster by glorifying the tools of the gunmen’s trade.

There are many other toys — new and marvelous — which you can buy your son this year. The stores of Rochester present many marvels of modern science in the new toys.

If you want to give your boy something “in step with the times,” get him a streamline electrical train or automobile, but —

DO NOT PUT A MACHINE GUN — EVEN A TOY — IN HIS HANDS.

Rochester Evening Journal (Rochester, New York) Dec 13, 1934

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Yet, if the law-abiding citizens had real machine guns, maybe they wouldn’t have been clamoring for this, which ran on the same page as the above editorial:

Rochester Evening Journal (Rochester, New York) Dec 13, 1934