THE TOYS OF PEACE - SAKI

The lesson “THE TOYS OF PEACE” is written by Saki. Saki is the pen name of Hector Hugh
Manro. His stories are loved for surprised endings.

Harvey and Eleanor Bope are brother and sisters. Eric and Bertie are the little children of Bope.
They are very much interested in playing with the collection of toys like Machine guns, Cannons and
Battleships that are related to war. Bope also complains against her children’s games with these toys. She
says that the children know the uniforms and flags of almost all the countries. They also know the names
of the respective commanders and even their objectionable language. The same language is used by the
children when they are playing with the military toys. They assume that they are the commanders and
chiefs of the soldier toys with which they are playing.

One day Bope happens to see a suggestion of the ‘National Peace Council’ about the children’s
toys in a newspaper. She shows the information to her brother. According to the ‘National Peace Council’
there are serious objections in giving presentations to the children with regiments of fighting men,
batteries of gun and toy soldiers. This kind of toys will encourage a sort of aggressiveness in their little
brains. The peace council makes an alternative suggestion to parents in the name of - exhibition of ‘Peace
Toys’.

Harvey and Eleanor Bope have taken a decision that they should do an experiment on the children
by giving them soft toys as suggested by the Peace Council. On the occasion of Easter, Harvey brings a
cardboard box which is full of soft toys. But the children’s expectation is some other way. Harvey drew
forth a featureless building and says that it is a municipal dustbin. And then he presented the toys like
municipal wash house, a sanitary inspector, a district councillor, and local officials rather than guns and
soldiers. But the children do not know what to do with those toys. At last Harvey gives them a clarity that
those are the toys with which they have to play hereafter.

Leaving the children alone in the room, Harvey goes out and comes back within thirty minutes to see
how the children are doing with the toys. He is very much surprised to see the creativity of the children.
He observes the municipal dustbin toy is pierced with holes and it is altered like an imaginary cannon.
Most of the toys are altered like military soldiers. Red ink is used to create a battle field. At last, the
information of the whole scene is conveyed to his sister and they come to a conclusion that their
experiment with ‘The Toys of peace’ is a failure one.