Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-08
AN INTERESTING COLLECTION.
Dolls Typical of Many Countries
Found I'm Paris Museum


Paris Correspondence Pail Mall Gazette
A museum full of dells-what dream for
the child! Such museum exists in Paris
The fairy godmother who waves her wand
and makes all the elves appear, and who
| transports us in a golden coach to the en-
chanted bail, Is M. Arthur Maury. NJ
| Maury is a well-knoWn philatelist In Paris,
and he has taken for a hobby the collect
| ing of marionettes. At the courteous invi-
| tation of CULVER We descended into IIiili-
put and saw and heard many things of it's
| little people. The kingdom of dolls even
| possesses theater, but of this more anon
The museum is situated in a lofty apart
| ment in M. Maury's fine house In the Rue
| Spontini, in the quarter of the Etoile All
| round the room are ranged marionettes,
some behind glass cases; Others reckless
| of their compilations from the dust, stand
| upon simple shelves They are representa-
| tive of all countries and all shades of NOR
ais.
| ures have played their part upon the stage.
They have had their comedies and their
tragedies; they have placed little wooden
| hands upon little wooden hearts and sworn
their ladies, and they have fought duels
| and performed deeds Of valor to win the
lady's love. Occupying post of honor is
| the traditional Punch and Judy of England,
| and NJ. Maury is very proud of a copy of
| the true drama of Punch and Judy" illus
| trated by George CruikShank. He regret
that he had not seen Punch and Judy
| played when he was in England for a few
| weeks, and was afraid that the historical
| drama had fallen upon evil times, and that
| its opponents were Of no consequence now.
! Side by side with Mister Punch and Mis-
! tress Judy was the famous Guignol of
| Lyons and the Polichinelle of PaSis Guig-
mol, as M. Maury explained, is quite a diff
| ferent character from Punch. He does not
n y.rlf oil or,di S 11r
honest sort of person.
| In another part one finds, under glass
| case, the marionettes of Italy. They are
gorgeously dressed these dolls and each
| one, by it's costume, represents a special
! town. Real, complicated dramas are played
| in Italy by the marionettes, and are often
improvised by the actors. In this collec-
| ton, too, one finds the dolls Of the purpled
| east, dolls that have been elevated into
| gods and goddeSSeS.
| There are dolls from Japan and from Java
which possess religious significance; on
| the other hand, there are little figures in
| painted cardboard which form the leading
| characters in a very gross drama as played
in Turkey. One of the Inflated adventures
| OF the exhibition was a marionette show III
| the Rue de Paris. The figures, which were
| beautifully carved, had all to be sold and
| M. Maury bought most of them. The limbs
| of the bodies are worked on a sort of slot
| arrangement. 1t may be said here that
| generally the marionettes are worked by
| wires some few, like the English Punch
| and Judy, are operated by the thumb ard
| fingers: others in the collection are auto
| mata, but naturally they are very .eXpen-
| sive. In the n1arionette show in the exrI-
bition there was a most lifelike representa-
| ton of a procession at one of the Quartz
Arts balls, which have a peculiar reputa-
| ton for their riotous gayety. NJ Maury
| hopes to reproduce this scene when he has
time to arrange his little subjects.
| But M. Maury has put his affection for
/ marienettes to practical account. He act
ually conducts marionette theater in the
Passage de fOpera, in the Boulevard des
EItalfens. Here little plays or variety enter
tainmentx are given every day to delign.-
ed audience of children. Unfortunately a
taste for marionettes does not distinguish
the present generation. and NJ Maury is
/ skeeping ON his theater at a loss He is a
man of means, but, naturally, he would
/ prefer that his hobby was remunerative.
i At the present moment he lacks artistes
to speak the dialogues, because those who
work the strings and those who speak the
parts ARE not the same in marionette
tieater. Consequently, at the present mo-
| ment, the dolly dialogues are not very
/ spiritual. but the proprietor hopes to play
/ veriuable dramas in his theater, as he has
done in times past. The cost of a fully
equipped theater. however. is sf12 day,
Ian outlay which he feels, at present, Is not
| warranted. NJ. Maury has taken the name
| of his. theater, Seraphin, from an.old thea,
| ter that existed in the time of Louis XVI
| az the Paiais Royal. An old play bill I'm the
| possession Of M. Maury announces that
| priests are allowed to attend the perform
ances; they were barred from entering or
| binary theaters The idea Of the proprie-
tor of the Seraphin is to give performances
for children every afternoon, and to give
/ plays of free, or advanced, order for
adults insthe evening Butsas he said ssAd-
vertising costs a good deal; the Paris jour-
mails demand so much money for saying
/ any thing about my little theater." The per
formances, as now given, .are extremely
droll. and quite worth visit from the
| curious
When you consider the chances a boy
fo1ra ic ,<5n,<a