The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-11-12


Abont Dolls.
The origin of the word doll is curl
ous Centuries ago when saints
names were much in vogue for chill
dren, St. Dorothea was the most popu-
lar and her name the best and luck
lest that could be given to little girl
The nickname was Dolly, or Doll and
from giving babies the nickname. II
was an easy step to pass It on to the
little images Of which the babies were
so fond
The word doll is not found in com
mon use in our language until the
middle OF the eighteenth century, and
as far as can be discovered, first ap-
pears in the Gentleman's Magazine for
September 175l, in the following
Several dolls, with different dresses,
made in ST. James street, have been
sent to the czarina. to show the man
ner Of dressing at present in fashion
among English ladies'"
Previous to this the word used to
describe the favorite plaything Of al.
girls in all countries and in all ages
was baby" which is to oe found, to-
eether with "poppet," or "puppet," in
this sense in the works Of most of the
earlier writer's.
The wax and china doll originated
in the middle of the seventeenth cen
tury There were no ladies' fashion
papers as now. and in order to show
what was being worn on the continent
dolls We're beautifully and expensiyely
dressed and sent to the various Euro
pean countries. and from the models
orders were taken The dolls, to show
on their costly garb, must be made Of
more precious stuff than wood. SO wax
and china and even ivory ones were
made.
Thuringa is the land where most
dolls are born-puppetland, it is called
on this account About 200 years ago |
most Of the dolls were made in Elan
ders. and they We're called, not dolls,
but Flanders babies. There used to /
be an old English eouplet which ran
thus
The children Of Holland take pleasure
in making
What the children of England take
pleasure in breaking.
At one European doll factory Of the
present day 10O.0 dolls are produced
annually, some 500 men, women and
children being employed To make one
talking doll requires the joint labor
Of thirty men. Dolls eyes are made
In underground rooms, into which the
sunlight rarely peeps, and violet orbs
are the most difficult color There is
one town in Germany where three
fourths of all the dolls eyes in the
world are made. Only in the case OF
the most expensive dolls is human hair
used In a doll factory are wood
carvers, headmakers, leg and arm
makers. eyemakers, portrait artists.
hair dressers. doll sewers and doll
suffers, also small army of fashion
able dressmakers and milliners.
The Hindu child is probably the only
doll-less child in the universe. re
little Egyptians have their wooden
"Ushabu THE same in style as 1000
years ago. These were sometimes made
Of porcelain. When a child died its
dolls were buried with it. in the ex-
pectation that their spirit forms would
rise and do service in another world
The paradise Of dolls is Japan, where
they are most elaborately and gorge
ously attired affairs; so are the dolls
OF Kioto-" genroku," as they are
called They are often valuable wood
carvings. enameled in colors, or statu-
cites of great artistic merit
One Of the most interesting collec-
ton of dolls in this country is that be-
longing to the bureau OF ethnology.
Washington. They are dolls OF the
Zuni Indians Of Arizona, and are made
from the roots or subterranean (
branches Of the cottonwood tree. being ]
Whitfield out with knives; they are ]
decorated bright red. yellow, green and {
represent the gods OF the tribe-th 1
god Of the snow the god that eats {
up the rain Clouds the fire god: the
sun god and the corn goddess. The I
Zani children play with these dolls as s
other children 90. Any one who goes q
into a Zani habitation IS certain to see I
a row Of these dolls suspended from .
the ceiiing-not being in use they are a
hung Up until wanted. G
la Infaptila is a doll with a history. d
It is made Of clay and is considered by d
ts owner-a Mexican lsdy-and bv \
hosts Of other people. 70 be a worker e
1f miracles. and quantities Of costly h
gifts arc constantly being offered to II. L
A room in the house OF it, owner Is q
yet aside for its exclusive use. here II
{ reciines in a canopied bed or solid B
'iirer; it has beautiful tressss and u