The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-17
SOME STORIES ABOUT DOLLS.
The Make Believe Babies Which Little Fora
eign Girls and Little Indians Play With.

Brookfyn Union.
The most touching incident remember about
n doll is, that one was found some years ago in
the tomb of Greek child, and the little girl
who had passed away many, many centuries
ago, held in her hands doll. 1t is quite certain
that this little Greek girl had loving and sorrow
ing parents, and they, remembering how their
child had cared for her doll when she was alive,
when dead they placed her to rest with her
doll. j have seen o drawing made of this doll,
and it was eight inches long, and the head,
hands and feet were made of clay. How it was
dressed was not known, because the stufs it
was clad in had wasted away.
There can be no doubt but that the toy makers
in the time Of the Greeks and Romans sold very
beautiful dolls, even more artistic than those our
little girls play with to-day. The heads were
sometimes made out of clay, beautifully mod.
eled, and when these heads werc baked they
were fairly lasting ! think that iointed dolls
are by no means new Inventions because the
Japanese made them long and long ago. La fact,
both the Chinese and the Japanese are masters
In the art of toy manufacturing and could teach
US some lessons in this respect
When l a youngster there used to como
from Japan box as blk as tea chest, contain
ing an endless assortment of children's play
things and no two were alike. There were
great many simple mechanical toys, that worked
away when we pulled them, with all sorts Of
petty little things, cast In lead. A whole box
used to cost dollar, aud there was amusement
enough there to last child for months.
The finest doll | ever saw was exhibited in
Holland museum 1t was at least two hundred
years old. 1t was not more than a foot high,
and was made of ivory, all jointed, and you could
move every finger and toe The wardrobe for
this doll filled lacquer chest, which, as far as
remember about five feet square There
were three hundred different costumes all com
p,ete. and there were great many masks for
the do and inEumerable fans. 1t was said
that the dresses showed all the costumes worn
by great ladies in Japan think it was the
most perfect doll ever heard of
remember an Indian doll saw once in the
hands of little Sioux. 1t made out of
piece of cotton-tree wood, which is rather soft
wood, but it showed some skill in its production.
In the National Museum at Washington there
are numbers of such dolls. The little girl who
| was playing with her doll had been watching
for some time. There DID, wornous
moccasin on the ground, and she picked 1t upt
and though it was very dirty she put it in her
mouth set her white teeth into it and tore it up
Then she made kind of pouch out of the toe OF
the moccaSn slipped her wooded doll into It,
tore off two little slips of skin and slung the doll
behind her back, and pretending that the load
was very heavy, trotted off, bending down. as il
it was all she could do to bear the weight. She
was at first quite indignant when / laughed at
this performance but made friends with her
by giving her piece of red ribbon and an old
thimble. ] had to spoil the thimble, because
the little Sioux girl would have me make hole
through it, and she hung the thimble, sometimes
around her own neck, or around the dolls neck.
She was very clever in decking her doll, and
color Where she got the paints from do not
know, but sometimes the doll was far from being
nice-looking. as, for instance, when she painted
it black with red streaks. Once | saw her get
into quarrel with little brother of hers, who
could not have been more than four years old.
She was, think, about six.
Some one in our camp had thrown away o
corned beef can and the little girl had found it.
1t was a prize for her. She set it up on its base
and covered her doll with it. The little brother,
IL cOrnad
upset it, ] think she pretty patient for
while, but at last she got angry and gave her lit
tie brother an ugly scratch. He didn't hoer
bit, but he siezed hold of the doll took the head
between his teeth, chewed around it, and then
pulled out of the top of the head few long
horse hairs his little sister had stuck there
That baby savage, with cleaning eyes. had
really made believe to scalp his sisters doll
/ would have stopped the quarrel if l could
have done so. Presently saw the little girl sit
ting on the ground crying her eyes out hold
ing her dear dolly close to her breast if it had
been hurt child After great dealof coaxing,
| induced her to come into my tent. With u
cork | cut her out new head for her doll L
made the eyes with two round headed brass
tacks, and so that it should be quite complete, L
stuck with some gum patch of fur on it's
head for hair. twisted up some writing paper
into a cooked hat and put that on Its head, and
slung around It's neck string of beads aud that
little girl was quite solaced.
After that we were the best friends in the
mother, was highly pleased at the attention l
paid to his child. | tried to explain to him that
his little boy was not very kind to his sister, but
l could never make him understand that for
get now what was the Indian name of the girl.
but translated it meant: The girl that washes"
This was name which was very badly assorted
to this young person. for only when it rained
was my little Indian girl ever washed
certain use made of dolls in old times is
worth mentioning Although fashion-plates are
ia oar l1v
posed, how dresses cut and trimmed
was once shown to ladies in all parts of Europe
by means Of dolls. queen of France, Mario de
Medicis, who was of italian origin always had a
lot of dolls dressed up by the great mantua
makers and miiliners of those days. If the
Queen wanted to know what were the latest
Spanish or Italian fashions these dolls were
dressed up in Madrid, or Florence or Naples,
and forwarded to her. After she had looked at
them, providing another queen was in favor, she
would send on the dressed-up doll to the other
majesty through the French ambassador and so
all the great people at court knew exactly what
was the fashion. for in those days, just like in
ours. not to be in the fashion very dread
full thing, indeed.
Some years ago all our dolls heads were made
in Germany or France, and many china ones
come from there to day, but we make ut home,
now an indistructible head for doll out of pa
per and glue, which will stand any amount of
pounding
A few years ago exhibition of dolls belong
ing TO the ola Tune was neiQ In IarlS. some or
the dolls were made and dressed by the people
who worked at them in the sixteenth century.
They very curious because they illustrated
the way people dressed some two or three cen
turtles ago. If we only could have brought back
the boys ard girls who had played with them.
In Philadelphia, at the State house. doll Of
the middle of the last century has been pre-
served, and its dress is in good condition.
The lady still wears a gown with u very long
waist, pulled out petticoats, and has queer
md ic fxyna IF tha ,cfr ,at-
ity of those days On her face, which has q
funny shipper. are two or three little bits of
court plaster, fori those times it was thought
very becoming for ladies to paste little patches
of black taffeta on their checks.
Tho worst wrecked doll ever saw was on
railroad, and my heart was in my mouth about
it. 1t was just dusk, and / was travelling
on an excursion train in New Jersey, when saw