The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-27
lCHILDREN'S MUSEUM
 FULL OF CHRISTMAS TOYS

dolls, one in the everyday dress, the other in the holiday dress worn by the people of their district. And 1t must be correct-oh. down to the last little button. Just imagine" she said. turn ing to Margaret, the fun those child ren must have had dressing dolls Tn school hoursr
 But are all the dolls in the museum in Brittany costumes?" asked Mrs. Lindsay.
 "Ah. no, mol That was but the be- ginning. Thirty dolls were dressed so and presented to the Department of Instruction, as we call 1t, to show with the other work of the schools. Later, great national exhibition was held at Rouen and Mademoisele Koenig wrote to all the French public schools invit- ing the pupils to do as the Brittany children had done and send dolls to the exhibition. Two hundred dolls were received. some coming all the way from the French colonies in Algiers and India and Indo-China. This made the collection so large that 1t was given a home of it's own when the exhibition was over and beholdi the Museum of the Dolls! And if you go to see It." she said with a smile, you will surely to talk about it." And with pretty gesture of farewell she left them.
 Margaret declared that the next day seemed just like the one before Christ mas, she was in such a hurry for Thursday to come.
 Before Margaret realized 1t, nooh came and luncheon and the drive to the Rue Gay Lussac.
 Outside the building appeared to be a dwelling house and not at all as one expects a museum to look, but, as they went up the stairs, Margaret said to herself that, of course, Doll Museum would be quite different from any other.
 When they reached the upper floor g. door stood invitingly open and beyond, flooded with sunshine, was tho most delightful room imaginable. All the wall spaces were filled with glass cases in which the most marvellous dolls were to be seen, while down the center of the room was another great case with many more, each bearing a small card telling what the costume was, where and when it was worn, and by what school it had been made. There were a number of pieces of dainty needle work in the cases, too.
 "If they were real people what beau tiful fancy dress parties they could havei" said Margaret.
 And Margaret was quite right, for among all the costumes no two seemed to be alike One showed Joan of Arc as a peasant girl another dressed as a soldier as when she led the armies of France; there were fishermen and their wives, simple nuns and high born ab- besses, sheph erds and sheph erdesses of the mountains, queen in black velvet and gold lace, a lovely lady doll in pale blue silk with founces to her waist and an old-fashioned white-stringed bonnet. while near by was group dressed as Arabs, sent by a school in Algiers, and a doll bride and groom from the French colony at Pondicherry in India.
 And who ever imag gined such va riety of contrivances to wear on the head--not only hats of curious shape, but strange caps of ribbon and lace; one a wonderful structure of starch cd lace and wire, worn by bride-doll from the Island of Oleron. far out on the western coast-the biggest hat in France in proportion to its wearer. It was an enchanted afternoon for Margaret, and the French visitors seemed to share the pleasure of the little American girl. exchanging with her shy. childish glances of sympathy and understanding as they stood side by side enjoying together some special ly charming member of the Musee des