Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-19
THE NAME OF "D0LL"
WHO CAN TELL ITS CERTAIN
ORIGIN.
WHAT TIE ANCIENTS KNEW OF IT.
The story of q Pretty Little Roman
Girl Who Was buried With Her
DOLL in Her Hnnd-Romancs Of an
Orphan Doll That Was Adopted.

ALTON, VA, December H.-(special)-
wonder IL every one is as fond of dolls
as 1 am?
Twas in a large city last week, and had
a commission given me to go out and
md Santa Claus and see what he was
doing and what he was going to have
for all the good children this Christmas.
Go and see Santa Claus" thought 1
TO myself, as the Irishman says. "And
where will I find himf How can catch
him? And 1 wonder will he TALK"
1t happened that in going down the
street heard a rich, mellow voice ring
out;
who's, therer'
And I saw a big dray unloading dolls
Santa's first consignment for the holi-
DAYS. I went In sthe store at once-for
a doll will draw me like band OF music
draws a small darky-and was swamped
in an avalanche of dolls! Big dolls and
little dolls, plain dolls and gorgeously-
attired dolls OF French mechanism, that
cried. don't" and stop" and II want
a niece Of bread" and called for mamma
lust as naturally as the yerlest lttle
golden-haired tot among human darllngs.
There were lady dolls dressed for balls
and grand receptions and gentleman dolls
in full military uniforms. 1t struck me
as too funny when one OF these brave
soldiers cried mamma and papa, for who
ever heard of a man OF war going TO fight
and calling for his mamma?
THEIR NAMES
T revealed In dolls Of all descriptions,
and then l began to wonder why these
pretty miniature men and women were
called dolls.
Between the busy unpacking cute
. little old man, that must have been
Santa's city agent. told me the doll was
from the English name Of Dorothy. This
is certainly a very pretty compliment for
all the little girls who are named Doro-
tiny. It set me to thinking, however,
that all dolls could not have been called
from this quaint old name of Dorothy
Dolly-because there were dolls long, long
before England had a name or the Eng
lish girls a home.
could not find Santa Claus for fur
Their Information on this subject, nor do
know where he went to school; but he
knows, of course that there were dolls
in Rome when julius Caesar and Cassius,
ION a raw and gusty day." communed
among themselves as 10 wnat tney
should do with their girls"
I have an idea that this raw day was
about Christmas and the transla-
tor should have 1t. what to give our
girls" instead.
ANYHOW, there was a dear, little Itai-
ian girl named Creperia Tryphaena, aged
Is years, who owned the first OF which
we have any clear account as to the
exact ownership.
l do wish little Creperia had been called
Maria or Sophia or something more COM
Portable; but one must follow the facts.
Poor little Creperia died. and In her
arcophagus-which is only long name
for tomb-was found, an exquisite doll,
carved in oak. This doll is 1ointed, just
IKE the dolls Santa Claus will bring
TO your house and to my house on Christ
mas-eve.
Al ROMAN GIRL
II is nearly $500 years since the feet
OF this little girl trod the streets OF Rome
or carried the doll she loved over the
grassy Campagna. but when the marble
coffin was. opened the doll was found 70
be in a wonderful state OF preservation,
probably the finest doll known at that
early day, and nearly foot In height