Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-04-18
ETHMoLoc,cAL FACTS

ETHNoLoc,cAL FACTS
| 4 Series OF Parallels Collected b. . Well
Known Schclar.
There are two methods of studying
ethnology-one by studying the growth
of q single culture. the other BY COM
pairing isolated phenomena among a
great number of tribes While the
former yields results of historical in
terest the second is of prime import
ance to the student of psychology. who
investigates the Laws of the growth of
human thought r Andree. who has
for long time continued the latter
course of studies, has collected a series
OF essays on archaeological parallels, :"
most Of which have previously been
published in various journals. One Of
the most important results of such
comparisons is the exclusive evidence
that many similar customs must have
originated independently in regions far
apart. Among many o her phenomena,
the author traces the occurrence Of
masks among various peoples. and
shows that they occur all over the
world. in America as we'll as in Aus
tralia and all parts of the Old World.
1t seems that the games in which our
children delight are well-nigh univer-
sal The children of the ancient Egypt
ians played tag;they had balls and dolls.
Bodies of dolls were made of wood.
and might be mistaken for modern
fabrics. Undoubtedly they were
dressed BY the Egyptian girls. as our
girls nowadays enjoy dressing their
dolls. There were even movable ones,
the hands and feet of which could be
moved by means of strings. Others.
made of painted wood. were very i'm.
perfect in form. and had strings of
beads instead of hair. In the museum
OF Leyden there is an ancient toy that
looks as though it had been bought 1t
q Christmas fair. There were figures
OF animals with movable mouths, and
balls Of leather. Among Greek and
Roman antiquities, dolls made Of wood
or clay, and others OF wax and ivory.
are found. Dolls houses with lead
furniture; the saving-box with q slit
on top; toy COWS, horses and hogs
were known to the children of ancient
Rome, as they are to our own. From
this evidence it might be supposed
that our dolls are descendants" of the
ancient dolls; but it must be remem-
bered that there is hardly any people
that does not have them. Their use is
30 general. and SO natural to the
child. that even the laws of
Mohammedanism is disregarded by
the childish desire. The Koran
forbids representations of human be-
ings. and still the Mohammedan child |
plays with its doll. The women of
Bagdad believe that doll may event.
ually come to life, and harm their chill
dren. and therefore prevent their use.
Tk girls. however. play with cushions |
and pieces of wood instead. which they |
nurse and dress. In Siberia and Arctic |
America ivory dolls, clothed in furs, of |
beautiful workmanship, are found; in
Peruvian graves, dressed dolls of clay
are found; and in Africa the girls play
with wooden or clay figures. In this
way Andree traces numerous ethnOlOR-
ical phenomena in their distribution |
among various peoples, and shows that
the human mind every where develops
on the same lines, and that q migra-
ton OF inventions must be supposed
only in such cases where its existence
can be proved by historical facts
Science.