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UKRAINIAN WOMAN OUR ENGLISH COLUMN Toys and Politics It would seem that ■nothing’ is farther removed from politics than a child’s toy. Ye't facts show that the toy can become a tool in the game of politics. The August 1958 issue of “Ra- dianska Zinka” (Soviet Woman), a magazine published in Kiev, fea tures an article entitled: “Toys at the Exhibition and in Stores.” It is signed by four authors, three of whom are “kindergarten” specia lists. The purpose of the article is to reveal the state of the toys supplied by the industries of the Ukrainian SSR. It informs re gretfully that in the Ukraine there is a marked lack of rubber- balls — the simplest of all toys. The rubber balls used to be manu factured by various rubber pro ducts factories but now the In dustrial Board of Ukraine has cancelled this branch of produc tion. We find that summer season toys such as hoops and jumping ropes are importted from the Rus sian Republic. Simple wooden toys (shovels, doll carriages, rakes), once produced by wood work plant's of Ukraine, are now hard to find. For some obscure reason the Board has closed down the wooden toy factory at Bila Cerkva; at the present time these toys are supplied by other satel lite republics. To cite one more example: furniture factories have stopped manufacturing doll’s house furniture, and these articles are imported from Rostov or Moscow. But even these “obscure” facts are enough for those who are ac quainted with. Soviet life to form certain conclusions. The toy in dustry is transferred beyond Uk raine’s boundaries in order to rid the ountry of one more branch of light industry (consumer’s goods). This, considering the state of Soviet transportation, would sipell out a complete scar city of toys for Ukrainian chil dren. We are informed that the Min istry of Education of Ukrainian SSR holds a constant exhibition where some 1500 toys are display ed by local industrial companies. The exhibition shows exquisite samples of dolls, clowns, bicycles, and automobiles. lUnlfortunately these can only be found on exhibi tion. When parents wish to buy similar toys for their children (samples on display are not for sale) they cannot find them on the market. For the market offers its customers either drab imita tions of the samples, or doesn’t carry the merchandise at all. As a result the child’s esthetic taste fails to develop and his imagina tion is not stimulated. Scarcity of toys limits the variety of games, and this in turn fails to cultivate a fondness of work in general. This leads to further conclu sions. Tre toy industry, as every other industry in USSR, puts up a “■front” to demonstrate its achievements. The public derives no benefits from the masquerade since display merchandise is not converted into mass produce. This short but revealing article has managed to lift that piece of Iron Curtain which up to now has been hiding the state of children’s toys. We see its pathettic condi tion and persistent policy of dis crimination of the Ukrainian child. OUTSTANDING YOUNG TALENT OF 1958 OUR LIFE, continuing the cus tom initiated last year, has an nounced its intention of nominat ing the brightest young talent of 1958. In response our Branch press correspondents nominated candidates who in their opinion had attained greatest prominence in the artistic, professional, or so cial field of work. The choice this year fell upon our young poetess, Lesya Ghrap- lyva. She was born in Lwiv during the uncertain interval between the two World Wars. Her early years are marked by the terrible chaos of World W ar II. Shortly afterwards her family started out on the fateful journey which brought them to the shores of America. Here she completed her education receiving a master’s de gree in biology. Lesya Ohraplyva began her lit erary career when yet a young girl. Her poetry vibrates with a deep love of native country; it is standing of nature, particularly effervescent with a tender under- the majestic scenery of the Car pathians which she came to know well during her girl scout summer hikes. Lesya Chraplyva is well known to our Ukrainian youth. She is an enthusiastic “plastunka,” Ukrain ian for “girl scout.” Miss Chrap lyva entered Plast’s ranks in 1942. For a number of years she work ed as press correspondent with different Plast formations and fi nally became the1 head of all Uk rainian girl scouts in the U.S.A. Recently Lesya Chraplyva pub lished a collection of narrative stories titled “Wind from Uk raine.” She dedicated these short sketches to all Ukrainian children living in the free world. The book, in its own inimitable style, ac quaints its youthful readers with Ukraine's struggle for freedom. These beautiful narratives can not fail to deepen our children’s love for their far-away homeland. Збірник для дітей „СРІБНА ЗІРКА* Коштує 50 ц. Замовляти в Централі СУА
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