The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-01-06

curious customs have grovn :.
around them. According 10 a.. Y
these. every japanese cir, ~
whose family could afford n
presented with what is knov~
q 'hina"-a set Of dolls, repres =
ing the mikado and his vita ~
their favorite musicians and emu sua
tiers. The ''hiha" was not MI
with daily. like other common dc,,s
but was kept in a. large vsr,s '
known as the "godown" sns
brought forth only on ho,id.. .a
Upon the marriage Of the Jansrs..
maiden. the "hina" became ~
property of her husband vae
guarded it securely until the NAV ~
rage Of his eldest SON vher !.
would be turned over to him ~
this way doll collections grew ~
Japan with every passing renersl
ton, 30 that when a prominent 81,
izen died his property included ..
enormous and valuable doll col,ec
ton.
Japan still celebrates DOH IA,
when every shop is filled with doll.
More dolls are sold on this dav !.
Japan than are sold in this conn
try during Christmas. 1t is q dav
Of great festivity. But not 20 noi,
day In India, which is a TINA !,
great lamentation and sadna..
For then the little girls Of Indi,
bring their dolls to the bank, ~
the river Ganges, and, weepin,
throw them into it's current. cps'
tom having decreed that the river
must receive this sacrifice. Fur.
thermore, for three months a,fer
this dramatic ceremonial play Win
dolls is prohibited. and even doll.
making is regarded with stern dis.
favor.
The materials Of which dolls ara
made have varied but little in All
the thousands of years of their hi,.
tory, according to- the owner ofa
remarkable doll collection In 4
New York art gallery. The Greek
dolls were Of wax and the Egyptian
dolls Of wood, and there is still
little stuffed doll in existence which
scientists aver Is LOO years old.
During all this time, moreover.
doll-makers have shown the same
characteristics. That is, the an.
cient Greeks as well as modem
Americans have tired-at intervals
-ot producing ideally beautiful
dolls, and have deliberately striven
to produce sensational results in
the comic or ugly mannikin. Thus
we have the kewpie and the golli-
wog and homely realistic doll b.
bies.
Dolls for Grown.Cps.
"In the 14th century," says this
authority, dolls had a tremendous
vogue among adults. They were
made in replica of the human form,
upon which could be displayed the
latest fashions from Paris. Royal
ties used to send these deliberately
dressed mannikins to each other,
and they managed to keep a dull
German court entertained for days
Expensive and deliberately dressed
dolls also played a conspicuous role
in the extravagant court life Of the
French Louies.
in a way" continued our DOH
man reflectively, "the doll. Like
higher forms Of art, is indicative Of
the nature of a nations civiliza-
ton. The Greek doll was simple
and artistic; the Egyptian myster-
iously fashioned and marked with
curious hieroglyphics; there was
practically no doll at all during the
Puritan regime, while it flourished
in every conceivable elaboration
during the Italian renaissance; in
India it is the victim Of a morbid
custom, and in Japan it is tokn
of rank.
/! To-day, the most popular doll h
the European world, despite the
war, is the German image, with Us
flawless countenance and blue eyes
and flaxen harlan object OF great
mechanical perfection without .
touch Of art Is it not" he added
gloomily, indicative Of our age!
But as we looked at the photo
graphs Of the German doll and the
sunnocod Cronk doll which the doll
man showed US, we could not agres
that one was any worse than tho
other. What we did feel was great
disappointment in man. For in the
thousands Of years that the rscs
has been rolling over the globe, u
seems to have acquired so little
polish. The doll that we esteem
SO highly today is virtually the
same doll they esteemed in tho
days when the pyramids were nev.