The sun., 1901-03-31
FRANCES 5000. 900 COLLECTIONS.
Newspaper wrappers. Funeral Invitations
Birds Eyes and Carriers Among Their Fads.

II Is said that there are 5000, 900 collectors
In France That seems like a pretty big
proportion when one remembers that the
population is about half that OF the United
States, where collectors don't grow on every
bush or even in every neck Of woods
But they have a mania for collecting in
France. The only line in which the fad isn't
popular is the collecting Of families They
ofler prizes TO mothers and fathers with large
collections Of children. but even then they
cant make them fashionable
When IL comes TO buttons, or corks, or
some other thing Of that sort. the Frenchmen
are reOdy IN collect Nh the cows come home.
So 10 speak One man has collection OF
cork>. labelled and classified, souvenirs Of
hundreds Of dinner. mncheons and tete-a-
tet"s win his friends
Here are two other collections worth men
tionng though they're worth little else
One Is collection ~ q, 400 newspaper wrap
p"rS. which somehow seems about the most
useless thing one could find to collect, even
If one sat up nights TO think Of useless things
The other is n collection of birds eyes. which
might bc useful 10 a uggardly host as an
anti-appelizcr for guests to dinner
A more interesting and less qualmish col
lection 10 one of suspenderS OF all periods and
Countries one Partisan has a collection of
gartrrs donated by the popular actresses Of
the gay city There are button collections
4" burn
ono man has made a collection OF the
funeral invitations which are always sent
out after death These invitations always
mention a long list of relatives OF the de-
ceased The ironcal collector has written
marginal notes on those Of his collection.
omitted from the list
The French poster collectors are innum-
cradle There is man who collect, old
bills and posters and has "A habit Of pilr-
sung MS fad among the shops, especially
az th" grocers In thrifty France paper
bag bog. are almost unknown The grocer, the
or leaves from old ledgors anything they
can SET hold Of VI Dahl in. the collector in
question. goes about fussing over these old
paper and occasionally finds real treasure
~ which he promptly puts two cents worth
of something IN order TO carry II oil without
exciting the cupidity Of tho shopkeepor
here was d br, Piog"y, who, collected
hat,, pipes, helmets, military uniforms.
everything
Apropos Of collections. Princess Maud Of
Iugant has rather queer one Of tIsks ~
elephants and waruses, teeth or alligators.
scaIs, whales and so on Bismarck used ~
collect thermometers, harmless sort of
} ~. hl' U'l 'AttllN Nlldt one would expect ]
of the man of blood and iron Carmen sylvia
has = mHria for peri Imcry bottles
The modern teGput collectors and their !
nann Il legion. were fathrrcd in their fad
by G"orRe " Louis of Bavaria had pen
chant for old NaRs Louis XIV multiplied |
locks and locks until even his big palace- /
w"r" vcr-'0"ked Mcyerhocr's brother col .
lcC'ed programmes and theatre bill, and .
when be- died, out and out cra2v. A. many !
collectors are Thought 10 be by tho outside /
worll. ho was "raup"d in these yellow papers /
H~ " 10" Wcr" mummy. and in death A. ha !
hnI been i'm llfr was buried In his collections .
Tho records Of IA" trnn-1 'iions nt Irrnpv, /
IN" country house near Geneva whore Vol .
iar" Grt throw some light on the worth " |
som" collections An entarpri~inR calcu-
lli"r has figured that since the early ypara
ol u" nineteenth century the guardians Of |
The lp'-r hay" sold, each wear. 5000 bustS II |
' N"lt.lr", all mad" from the soil Of Ferney"
ih"-r were sold AZ one franc apiece
Iu'n there ar" leo autograph letters, all |
authentic. az - francs each. -op "authen-
lie can"~ n 80 francs each 400 perukes
II.n authentic az 100 francs each
lhi. make" total of 5000 francs, or about
~ 600 annual nuomo FROM the Crodulous
public Oi '0'r-n tho collectors will affirm
NAT they didn't buv the 3Oo authentic wigs
q. unv ~ the r"el Of the stun hut th.v have
1rrhnps been bitten in other spots