Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-07-28
A DOLLS LIFE.
Strange, Variegafed and Most
Rventfal History.

A Strange, Variegafed and Most Il
Rventfal History.
IFrom the Pail Mall GaEette.l
From first to last, from the cradle to the /
grave, the life and being of the doll Ia full of |
change and of strange events. Quiet and
complscent as she seems, seated in her bas- |
ket chair or repOsipg In her satin quilted
and curtained bed in the glory of her early
youth. she is q person before whose eyes life
flashes by in very kaleidoscope fashion.
She, however, is philosophically minded.
Her happy days do not causs her eyes 10
sparkle in brighter light; and when she
falls upon evil days her cheek never blsuch-
ee, save when she happens to belong 10 the
highly srisiocrstic family of wax dolls or
when she Is q member of the other extreme
of society in dolldom-namely, the slummer
and vagrant, yclept rag doll, both of whom
have an insurmountabie objection to soap
and water. Wash them and thefr beauty is
gone; they lsnguish, struggle on perhaps for
time, but end almost invariably BY de-
scending into untimely graves. But with
the exception of these two members of eoci-
| ETY., who are unable to prevent their cares
| and sorrows from influencing their outward
| appearances, the Inhabitants Of dolldom are .
/ community of stout hearted stoics.
The crown and center of her existence is
| to the doll the day when, after having slept
| aud slumbered In the stuffy darkness of O
/ cardboard case, she becomes the possession
i of q human child. On that happy day,
when, rosy limbed, with o fair. smiling
| countenance, attired In brand new garments,
she Is for the frat time welcomed and kissed
/ and admired and kissed again by her small
| human mistress, the doll 10 generally
| sumed to be born. But this is as little the
case as that the crocus and the snowdrop are
born on the day when suddenly they have
been kissed into lovely bloom by the rsys of
4 the sun In early spring
The other day happened TO hDd myself
| face TO face with sn army of dolls, looking
complscently through ths large show win
/ dows of that famous shop in the Waterloo
/ road which constitutes the Garden of Eden
i of the English doll II Is there where q
great number of dolls come into being.
4 where there component parts are fashioned,
and where out of some of the msanest
| things of the earth are made the most beau
tiful creatures. But besides this center Of
creation there are in London hundreds of
| places where dolls of all sorts aud conditions
are made all tbs year round. Down In the
| east, In one roomed dwellings, close under
the sloping roof or down in the murky eel-
lar, they are stitched together. stuffed,
moulded into shape and finally huddled
away to shops and shows. On the premises
of Mr.. Wheelhouse, in the Waterloo road,
however, the creation of dolls is carried on
on very large scale. and by the courtesy of
the owner / was allowed to zee the whole
| process from frat TO last.
When the word frst goes forth, ''let III
make DOLE" 1t lie not to potter's clay thai
| the hand of the dolls maker is stretched
: | forth, but TO a large roll of white calico
cold aud smooth, and as dead az dead car
be. Quaint patterns are laid upon 1t, clos
z together, SO that there shall be no waste, ant
A k1,-t tha oharr euk rn-.nl
e The result is number OF articles looking
o exactly like those garments which In fashion
r papers are known under the name of comb
o nations Rumiliating though it may appes
! to the owners of a fine family of doll chill
dren, IL is nevertheless true that these COATS
! white combinations are the beginning G
II dolls of all sorts and conditions. As ys
y they are devoid of any life, even animal lif'
b but nimble fingers seizs them, eew theI
Ie | neatly together down the sides, round d
10 short arms and legs (for the calico arm
o. come only down to the elbows aud the Gallo
l. legs down to the knees), and feed the pa
,e form go diligently on dried ssaweed or hs
= that presently the limbs begin to grow roun
Fe and firm, the mysterious part called the Ii
D. side" swells to fair proportions, the Ia
J. aperture through which the tntestines ha,
ss been forcsd into the body is sewn up, m
IN beholdi q white torso which, IL not exactl
% like the perfect marble form of the Venus
D. MILO, mas still o good deal OF 'the nums
p form divine"
There they lie, dozen by dozen, swaitin
a- the touch of the hand which shall "creste
ar soul under the ribs of death" Il is alrcsd
9. near, that life giving hand, which now pui
1r down beside the torsos . tray full Of arm
,e and legs, and another tray full of head
is Some Of the arms and legs are OF leathe
In and destined, by Q wise providence, for q
g. working classes among dolls, for the gir
Ia and women who will have china heads viii
ts yellow hair, broad faces, fat red cheeks an
r frocks of cheap material. These heads n
W made In Germany, and for their vulGarii
IN and coarse looks are cordially despised
b. the more refined classes of the communit,
90 And they are ugly, no doubt, with . cheel
be full kind of ugliness, those broad face
or kitchen malkins; but who, having plsye
be with them and loved them with o child
be blind, eager love, generation ago, when u
o higher form Of doll was as yet unknown
In does not, with Q sense of yearniug affectio
d. look at the blue cred lass, End In her heA
n of hearts give preference to heri But q
be present generation knows nought Of sus
ue sentimental preferences; it chooses the fai
ck eat and coetliest; the doll with curly wig
sp human hair, or that most perfect Of dol
which has every hair on the head and In 3
H. eyelashes planted into its place, % II gro
,er ing out of the rosy wax.
Ip- Then there are china arms and legs, q
nd pretty French China heads; wax limbs,
he quisitely moulded of the best East Indi
". wax, and heads with bsaming eyes and bin