The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-18
CURIOSITY HUNTERS.
Women Who Have Craze for Gath.
erinR Queer Things.
: 'Ffom the Baltimore Herald.

Women Who Have a Craze for Gath
erinR Queer Things.
From the Baltimore Herald.
Nearly every one seems TO have a mania
for collecting something. With many per-
sons il takes the form of collecting dollars,
which gradually grow into houses and lots,
and dollars continue TO sprout from every
brick in the house and from every square
inch of the lot. These are lucky collectors.
There are other kinds of collectors, not
less lucky, perhaps, but their collections re-
main what they were from the beginning,
instead of being meta norphosed into other
things There are some men who save
every letter or bill they receive and keep
copies of every letter they write. Such d
collection is not appreciated by their heirs,
it is almost needless to say. Almost as need
less 1T is t. say that all of us collect some
one thing, or, if we do not collect, we want
to. Because we do not collect is no reason
that we do not want to, but because we are
unable to do SO for some reason or other.
Perhaps women are more given to this
peculiar fad than men, and the reason for
this may be that they are content to collect
things of less value than men. Every now
and then some woman will start a craze for
collecting some one thing, and every woman
who can afford to indulge in it will follow
suit The acquisition of fans is a mania Of
long standing and very expensive one.
Fans of all countries aud dates, big
and little, historic and otherwise,
form the collection of many a woman,
who gloats over them as a miser does
over his gold. Another woman collects
shawls, and has as many as eight India
shawls, besides innumerable others of silk,
crepe de chine and lace. The India shawls
require great care to keep them free from
moths, and as the possessor of them never
wears them-for they are not intended to
be worn, but only looked at occasionally
they must be taken out, aired and shaken
several times a year. But even with this
careful treatment they are often corrupted
by moths.
One girls whole soul is devoted to collect
ing fashion plates, old and new. She haunt3
the secondhand book shops, buying up old
fashioned magazines and newspapers, be-
sides subscribing for several new ones. She
has already her large scrapbook filed with
colored plates, and an interesting collection
it is, showing the various stages of folly and
fashion through which women have passed
during the past 100 years or more. Another
girl is collecting pitchers of all metals. sizes
aud descriptions. She has already fifty of
them, some hideous and some truly beauti-
full. They are tall and slender, of Venetian
glass. and of Doulton, Royal Worcester.
Dresden and Sevres china. She has some
brac shops, some American cut glass, others
of earthenware and pewter Several are of
Japanese china, and are very grotesoue
almost startling. They are arranged on
shelves and cabinets, and are more decora-
tive, and, therefore, more enjoyable per-
haps than the fashion plates.
The candlestlck fad is not a new one. but
it has obtained a strong hold upon the
affections of mauy women, who began
their collectson with pair of silver can
delabra that belonged to some ancestor.
Starting with this, they have made a large
collection of silver, brass, bronze, china and
glass candlesticks, some in pairs and some
slngly. Trips to Europe have been made
for the express purpose of finding some
quaint specimen i'll out-of-the-wav towns.
and bric-a-brac shops have been searched
both in Europe and America. Something
with a history is always desired by these
insatiate collectors, but at the same time
they do not despise modern things that NAV
be bought at first hand. Chased with the
candlestick mania is the mania for fairy
lamps, one girl possessing thirty-eIght lamps
of this kind, each one different from the
other.
These are arranged in her cozy parlor on
tables, shelves, mantel and cabinet. and
when lighted the effect is fascinating. This
| girl likes tn have something to show for her
money, and has no intention of hiding her
u. trans
| lated into modern English, means that she
will not collect fans or shawls or ANYTHING
| else that must be kept in chess S, closets or
| dark cabinets.
Scent bottles of all sizes and shapes repre-
sent another collector, and make an inter
| esting collection. Some of these are quaint
and curious indeed. OF silver and gold,
most of them, and antique, with strange
| histories. European shops and chateaux
have. been ransacked to find them. OF
| grotesque or artistic form, and studded with
| jewels, these tiny relics of the past look as
! If they might tell many a romantic tale If
they could but speak. Perhaps in some in
stances they carried deadly poisons, instead
of sweet smelling spices, for the purpose of
| injuring some hated rival Or may thew
| have been filed with some potent love
p0ilter2 If they could but tell us how it
workedl
The cup and-saucer mania has passed
away, but it left behind it mania for col
lecting spoons. This fad is a strong one.
and is within the reach Of all The spooney
| girl is found everywhere aud talks ince;
sanity of her spoons. They are not collected
| by the dozen, but by the piece as it were
that is, they are bought one at time, and,
| of course, as in other collections.
no two are alike. They are large
and small. antique and modern.
| plain, engraved, repousse, and of gold
| silver, aluminium, ivory, glass and WOOL
There is the tiny salt spoon that belonged
to some ancestor, and the slender teaspoon
of century ago; the Russian spoon of to-
day, gilt aid enameled an apostle spoon is
much sought, as are the French spoons of
the eighteenth century. Ladies' and gravy
! spoons, along with mustard and salad
spoons, are eagerly bought-the plan OF the
spooney girl being to buy spoon in every
| city or town she visits.
| What will he the neYt colla.tiDo, ,,,ar;a2