Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-12

III
MI GA dent, II not inherent,
- occupation, and with
others. again, q mere
temporary fad-one Of series Of whims as
fantastic and changeful as a summers
day.
When a person not mad enough to be
dangerous or to keep his relatives In con-
slant fear for their lives takes to amassing
CASTOR buttons of celebrities boot heels.
corks. warming pans or any other special
class Of relatively insignificant articles he
usually applies the whole persistency of his
nature to the realization of his fixed idea"
with more energy than he could summon
for the devotions to ordinary everyday life
and its avocations. The collector possessed
OF demon of specialism must necessarily
be something of a recluse and nissan tllrope.
His ruling passion often develops the
maniac in his nature, always crying for
more treasures. not only for the delight of
their possession and for a harmless noto-
rety that they give to their owner, but
also to excel dangerous rivals. for the es
would seem to differentiate man from
beast, is competition. IF a man We're
alone in the world" says Kant. "he would
between him and a thing. The relation Is
between him and other people whom he ex-
cludes from the thing"
Changing Vagariss.
The vagaries of the collecting mania are
mutable from year to year. with the excep-
ton of few. which even Maynard fashion
never succeeds in expressing. Ever since
the plastic arts and literature first cnlis Shit
ened the lives Of men there have been COL
lectors of books, statues and Dicturcs-ob-
jects which may tuctuate in price, but
which never pass out of vogue. To the
realm of art belong also the innuynerable
ceramics. coins and medals, which are
owned in every civilized country. Every
now and then the heart of che dealer in
curios Is gladdened by the resurrection Of
kind of porcelain or earthenware or for
ivory carvings, fans. lace, stuffed birds. old
superfiuity that the fancy Of the hour may
decree. All these REVEALS stimulate the
collecting mania. besides raising the mar
ket for one class OF articles and depressing
it for another. Thus blue china gives place
to red. Limoges to Dresden. cloisonne to
enamel. Yaienciennes to Brussels and pugs
to King Charles spaniels
1t is In channels of eccentricity that the
individual usually distinguishes himself as
collector. gathering together ,rivialties
such as SNUFF boxes, walking sticks. shoe
buckles smelling bottles. tobacco shoppers.
etc, so that collections of pins. nails, but
tons. play bills and sword knots furnish
the work of a lifetime and give society
evanescent topics of conversation.
The Sense Of Mine and Thine.
Sometimes the ruling passion has been
known to confuse the collectors sense of
mine and thine" and to lead him astray
from the paths of virtue. Many curious in
stances of moral deterioration We're AFFORD
ed during the prevalence of the tuHp-coi-
lecting mania that ragged in the low coun-
tries two centuries ago and broke out
afresh in France soon after the Bourbon
romances. The Black Tulip" describes
the UBIQUITOUS attempts Of a. tulip fancier
incident to the production of a new va
riety of the once paramountly fashionable
flower. Alphonse karr. too. In his Voyage
moral perversion and extravagances of
conduct generated by the tulip monomania.
According to Karr flowers inspire the
and of ali varieties of the nonomaniac the
florist is the most ferocious-a fact that is,
perhaps. verified by the zeal and reckless
expenditure of the enthusiast In orchids.
Admit ting that intellectual culture.
generous Golfer and abundance of time are
essential to the collector. it is natural
should display a special aptitude for this
occupation. Frederick the Great was
famous collector of snuff boxes and al
though thrifty in regard to household ex-
penditure never grudged any outlay to
crafty this taste. He was also great
dog fancier. resembling Henri III of
he spent thousands of francs In obtaining
choice breeds and frequently carried lit
ter in a basket that was suspended around
noted for his fondness for spaniels, his
favorite breed being one famous today
Richelieu collected cats; the poet Cowper
MOntespan, white mice brought. from ST.
IBERIA to roam his apartments in Yer
ark in number and variety Of pets-squir-
rels, apes. Angora cats, goats, ponies
dwarf asses. besides an enormous raven.
who always said Come in when any one
knocked and who had the air of owning
the menagerie.
The Princess of Wales is about to re-
,<afxr tv.<,vr 4, S,l.
Of couple of every breed Of dogs of her
native country These are to be sent to
her in care of veterinary surgeon, and
each dog will wear silver collar bearing
the arms Of its royal mistress. The col
lection Of pets at Sandringham is already
a large one.
Some Royal Collectors.
Some Of the most eager and successful
collectors Of the present day are occupants
of thrones or members of royal families
of Bavaria, has the most complete and ex-
tensive collection Of beetles, and is also a
skilled entomologist, deeply versed in the
wasps and everything that flies, crawls or
wiggles. Don Pedro. the late Emperor
Brazil. captured and arranged wonderful
complete one in the world Alexander
Alexandreivich. Gar Of all the Russias,
has a splendid collection OF birds eggs
gan during his early youth. The King of
Roumania is an indefatigable collector of
autographs. King Oscar of Sweden and
Norway, a writer of verses himself, collects
books Of poems enriched with the authors
signatures, and King Humbert of Italy has
fad for horses, keeping 15o in his stables.
which he has constructed according to his
original plans. The Duke Of Edinburgh
collects stamps. The Princess Maud of
Wales has a curious hobby for collecting
ivory. At Marlborough house she has pre-
served the tusks Of elephants shot by her
father and uncles, the "tvories' of wal
ruses. seals, sharks. lions and alligators and
the teeth of wild boars shot and sent by
the Emperor of Russia to enrich her mu-
scum. The speciality of Queen Margherita,
the Pearl of Savoy" is an assortment of
the gloves, boots and shoes worn by dis
tinguished persons. They include the san
dals of Nero. Rienzis throne SHOE" a
pair Of slippers and a fan that belonged to
Mary. Queen of Scots and shoes worn by
Queen Anne. Marie Antoinette and the
Bulgaria is little renowned for anything
save his huge collection of dressing gowns
He has a perfect mania for these garments,
and has paid as much as 1926 for an en-
broidered robe made up for him In Paris
This fact recalls the famous wardrobe of
Queen Elizabeth, who left at her death
5000 articles Of various kinds, and a still
greater number was left by Elizabeth Of
Russia no fewer than $500 articles had to
be enumerated at her death. The Empress
Josephine's wardrobe was also famous, as
was also that of the Princess Metternich
who left 800 gowns so clOaks. so shawls
152 petticoats, 365 pairs of stockings, 156
pairs Of gloves, 50 pairs of boots and shoes,
20 belts and sashes Ga brooches, 81 fans
"a parasols and bonnets too numerous to
mention. A more remarkable collection was
hat ~ he of 81