, 1889-08-15

~aBNoNN
Nearly every one seems to have a mania
for collecting something. With many
persons it 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
remain what they were from the begin
ming, instead Of being metamorphosed in
10 other things. There are some men who
save every letter or bill they receive, and
keep copies of every letter they write.
Such n collection is not appreciated by
their heirs, it is almost needless to say.
Almost as needless Il is to say that every
n collects some one thing, or, If they do
not collect, they want to. Because they
do not collect IL no reason that they DO
not want to, but because they are unable
TO do so for some reason or other.
Perhaps women arc 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 ono
thing, and every woman who can afford
to indulge in it will follow suit. The &c
QUESTION of fans is n mania of long
standing and n very expensive one.
Fans of all countries and dates, big and
little, historic and otherwise, form the
collection of many n woman, who gloats
over them as n miser does over his gold.
Another woman collects shawls, and has
as many as eight India shawls, besides
innumerable others of silk, crepe dc
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 Mt occasionally
they must be taken out, aired and shaken
several times n year. But even with
this careful treatment they are often cor
rupted by moths.
One girls whole soul Is devoted to col
lecting the fashion plates, old md new.
She baunts the second hand book shops,
buying up old fashion magazines and
newspapers, besides subscribing for Sow
eral new ones. She has already her large
scrapbooks filed with colored plates, and
an interesting collection l. l., showing
the various stages of folly and fashion
through which women have passed dur
ing the past hundred years or more. An
other girl is collecting pitchers of all
metals, sizes and descriptions. She has
already fifty of them, some hideous and
some truly beautiful. They are tall and
slender, of Venetian glass, and Of Doul-
ton, Royal Worcester, Dresden and
Sevres china She has some quaint sill
yer pitchers picked up in bric-a-brac
ghOng qanna If Amarican ont Ulaea otbara
of -earthenware and pewter. Several are
of Japanese china, and are very gro
tesque, almost startling. They are ar
ranged on shelves and in cabinets, and
are moro decorative, and therefore moro
enjoyable, perhaps, than the fashion
plates.
The candlestick fad is not a new one,
but it has obtained n strong hold upon
the affections of many women, who be-
gan their collection with a pair of silver
c~andelabra that belonged TO some ances-
tor. Starting with this, they have made
n large collection of silver, brass, bronze,
china and glass Candlesticks, some in
pairs and some singly. Trips to Europe
have been made for the express purpose
of finding some quaint specimen in out
Of the way towns, and bric-a-brac shops
have been searched both in Europe and
America. Something with n. history is
always desired by these insatiate collect
ors, but at the same time they do not
despise modern things that may be
bought at first hand. Classed with the
candlestick mania is the mania for fairy
lamps, ono girl possessing ~thirty-eight
lamps of this kind, each one different
from the other.
These are arranged In her coy parlor
on tables, shelves, mantel and cabinet,
and when lighted the effect is fascinat-
ing. This girl likes to have something
to show for her money, and has no in
tention of hiding her lights way under
bushels, which, translated into modern
English, means that she will not collect
fans or shawls, or anything else that
must be kept in chests, closets, or dark
cabinets.
Scent bottles of all sizes and shapes
represent another collection, and make
an interesting collector. Some of these
are quaint aud 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 OF artistic form,
and studded with jewels, these tiny relics
of the past look as If they might tell
many n romantic tale If they could but
speak. Perhaps, in some instances, they
carried deadly poisons, instead of sweet
smelling spices, for the purpose of injur-
ing some hated rival. Or may they have
been filled with some potent love philter?
If they could but tells us how it worked
The cup and saucer mania has passed
away, but it left behind it a mania for
collecting spoons. This fad is n strong
one, and is within the reach Of all. The
spoony girl is found everywhere, and
talks necessarily of her spoons. They
are not collected by the dozen, but by
the piece, as it were; that is, they are
bought one at n 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
n wood. There is the tiny salt spoon
that belonged to some ancestor, and the
slender teaspoon of a century ago.; the
Russian spoon of today. gilt and enamel