Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-02-11
ga nuntrg Readers.
HOW DOLLS ARE MADE.
BY OLIVE THORNE.

y
anything nice can come from such a
place, do you say?
fear you'll be shocked when I tell
you that not only Rosabel, who is d
perfectly-lovely" wax-doll, but your
own most precious dolly, if she's any
thing better than china, probably came
out of the same dreadful place.
To be sure her head, neck, hands and
feet are all of wax outside, and, as only
this covering shows, she is just as good
and as pretty as though she were wax all
through; and you know the old saying
that beauty is but skin deep" But,
nevertheless, she did come out of the
rag-bag, and I'll tell you all about it,
while she sits there on the sofa, elegant
~ dressed, and looking as lovely as
though she never even heard of such
things as rags.
The true story of her life, since she
was first created, would be very inter
esting; but it would make a big book,
and | can't tell you half of it.
A new doll, did you say? Well,
know she has not lived long in her pres
ent shape, but you must remember that
she was not always doll; she was once
wrapped up in a green bud, growing on
a bush. She came out of that long
white bit of cotton, went through ever
SO many processes, and became cotton
cloth of some kind was bought and sold
and made up and used, washed and ironed
and worn out as cloth, just to begin
with. Think of all that probably hap
pened to her before she even became
rags!
That was only the beginning. After
beng WORKOUT rags she went into the
rag-bag or the alley, made journey on
the back of a rag-man, went through
dreadful course of soaking, and washing,
and boiling, and bleaching, and pressing,
and drying, and ever so much else be-
fore she came out nice clean paper,
ready for use again. Did you suspect
your dolly had ever been paper?
Well, she was paper once, and who can
tell what may have been her life when
in that state-whether she was beautiful
note-paper and carried loving messages
from one friend to another, or whether
she was used for business writing or for
wrapping up cOnfectioners' dainties, or
whether she was made into book or
not, or did good or harm. She'll never
open her lips to tell of her past life; but
you may be sure she was put to some use
as paper, and could tell strange stories
Of what she has seen if she could only
remember-and talk.
You see she's very old, older than any
of you, and don't think it's respectful
to old age to treat her as some of you do.
hope you'll mend your manners toward
her, now that you know about her age
and dignity.
When the paper of which she is made
was old and soiled and unfit for use it
was taken to doll mandatory, in
the little city of SOnneburg, near the
northern border of Bavaria, and there it
went through the operations that made
it into this pretty doll.
The first thing, of course, is to make
that mass Of paper into clean pulp,
and we'll leave it boiling away in a big
kettle while we see what the doll-makers
are doing to get ready to use it. First
they must have model of Miss Dollv's
head. A model, you know, is a figure
made OF the exact size and shape of
the head, for pattern. The man
who makes the model has
narrow workbench which he can
make higher or lower, or even
turn around if he wishes. From lump
of soft clay he cuts and shapes a dolls
head and neck. When the model is fin
ished the modeler makes lines on 1t with
colored crayons as a guide to the next
workman, who is called molder.
When the pattern, or model, is ready
there must be made mold in which to
shape the paper pulp from the kettle.
This is made by the molder. He takes
the pretty clay model when it is dry and
hard, and lays it face up in a dish of wet
clay, pressing the clay into every corner
up to the colored line which the modeler
made, This beng done, he builds wall
Of clay around the mass, coming up
some inches higher all around than the
face of the model, which is left uncov-
cred. The whole looks life a box half
full Of clay, with a face looking out
of it.
One man then holds the clay walls to-
gether while another one pours
over the face some melted sui
phur. Sometimes plaster of Paris
is used instead of sulphur, but it is not
thought to be so good.
The mold is not done yet The clay
was put on merely to protect that part
of the head while the rest was nodded.
When the sulphur is cold the box is
turned over and the clay taken away,
leaving Miss Rosabel with her face
buried in sulphur. It's we'll she cannot
SMELL the visitors to the room who can
do not care to stay long
Clay walls are again built up and more
sulphur is poured in to make mold for
no hook of bar boo6