Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-05-29
Fans.

1t is only Of late years that fans and
pnrasols have come into general use with
All classes Of society. Before 1890 their
use was confined 10 the luxurious classes.
10 stranger visiting our country in
summer the universal use of fans still
seems a national feature, and IL he be n
cIerical iI dignitary invited 10 preach, he
WIN ma u embarrassing in the extreme
before him. OF the cheap fans of China
and Japan exported by millions, costing
llttie or nothing to the consumer, but
remuneratlng thousands on their way
from the Oriental manufacturer 10 our
own lands. We will not speak: our -btlgi-
ness nj present Is with fans Of price and
fashion. On these in France alone about
1000 workmen nre employed. In one
department, not far from Paris. !. 800
persons earn their bread in cutting out.
ornamenting and polishing the sticks Of
FANS. These are made principally Of
ivory, bone, horn, mothcr-of-pcarl,
ebony, olive wood, etc Work of this
kind is done entirely by hand in France
with tiny saws made out Of watch
springs. The silk. paper, yelum or
linen part Of the handsome fans is
chiefly prepared in Paris. and many
artists in these days Of decorative art do
not disdain to take their share. ike Wat
tcau. in ornamcnting them. Yet, after
All, our handsomcst fans lack an indie
scrihable artistic something which dis
tlngui,hed the fans Of the seventeenth
century.
The earliest use Of fans was proba-
bly, IN Egypt, where. indeed. they seem
10 have known everything about
twenty Centuries in advance Of our own
civilization. Fans Of peacock feathers.
mounted ON long handles, may be seen
on Egyptian sculptures. carried before
priests and princes. In India. in Persia,
and in Greece (whcrc oriental luxury
thither found its way) feather fans were
used. especially those Of pcacocks' fcath-
crs. But the Romans mounted wooden
ones, and Ovid speaks Of them As a
part "i the toilette Of young girls in
his day. The earliest known Chinese
fans do not shut or open. Their
present form was given them in Europe
~ the eiicminatc and degraded court Of
Henry Ill. Of France. who was con-
temporary with the earliest settlements
Of Virginia. Large peacock fans were
then used 10 cool the brows Of great
ecclesiastical dignitarics. while the fan
a. We now use ii was carried by the
dandics Of the court. lit is a little
instrument says an old French memoir
writer of that period which opens and
shuts with jerk Of the hand" II
rapidly replaced the large ian Of gay
feathers which hung 10 the side Of a
lady by chain In Catherine de
Mcdicis time. 4 century later. in 1913.
thc number of fan-makcrs in France
became 20 great they formed them
selves into a guild. and great artists
did not disdain 10 devote themselves 10
what WAS 50 decorative and pretty.
The mot costly and beautiful were
painted on yoilum. with the delicacy
oi miniatures. and their mounting be-
came very beautiful and luxurious.
mothcr-oi-pcar being largely employed
for it. 4 coach painter named Martin
discovered about this time varnish
which greatly augmented the beauty If
moihcr-of-Pcarl. but his secret j. now
host to Us. The Spanish princessoz who
lniormarricd with ,hc later Louis and
bauphins Of France introduced the
Spanish custom of intriguing with the
tan. which has a language of its own in
the history of gallaniry. Poor Marie
Auioinaite'- brothcr-in-law. after,rard
Louis XVIII. presented her in the early
days Of her marriage with a beautiful
fan. on which were inscribed some lines
@! delicate HattcTy:
" ln thr heat ui these summer davs. glad TO
rrirosh thee,
Icphyr- I summon the brcczes to raise:
The Loves need no summons; they hover
around thee;
Wherever thou arr Love pcrsisicuily stays"