Pueblo chieftain., 1921-01-06
Centuries OF Dolls

|, this way doll collections grew IN
Japan with every passing generation,
so that when prominent citizen died
his property included an enormous
and valuable doll collection
Japan still celebrates Doll Day when
every shop is filled with dolls Mors
dolls arc sold on this day in Japan
than arc sold in this country during
Christmas 1t is a day of great festi-
witty. But not so Doll Day in India.
which is a. time of great lamontaton
and sadness For then, the little girls
OF Indian bring their dolls 10 tho
banks of the River Ganges and. weep
ing. throw them into its current. GUS
| tons dccrecd that the river must re-
ceivc this sacrifice Furthermore. for
three months after this dramatic
ceremonial, play with dolls is prohi-
bitcd. and even doll-nnklng Is regard
cd with stern disfavor.
The materials OF which dolls arc
mHdo have varied but little in all tho
thousands of years OF their history.
according to the owner Of a remark
abIo doll collection in New York
art gallery. Tho Greek dolls were OF
wax ond tho Egyptian dolls of wood.
and thero is still a little stuffed doll in
existence. which scientists aver is 1900
years old. During all this time more
over. doil-makcrs have shown tho
ancient Greeks AZ well as modern
Americans have tircd-at intervals
of producing Ideally beautiful dolls.
and have deliberately strivcn to pro-
ducc sensational results in tho comic
or ugly mannisin. Thus. we have tho
kewpie and tho solliwoc and homcly
realistic doll babies.
Dolls For Growp-Ups
In tho fourteenth century" says
this authority. dolls had a tremen-
dous vogue among adults. They wcro
made In replica of tho human form.
upon which could be displayed the
latest fashions from Paris. Royalties
used to send olaborately dressed man
nikins to each other. and they man
aged TO keep a dull German court en-
tcrtainod for days. Expensive and
elaborately dressed dolls also played
n conspicuous role in the extrayagsnt
court life OF the French Louies
In a way continued our doll man
reflectively. the doll. like higher
forms of art. is indicative of the ma
ture OF nations civilization. The
Greek doll was simple and artistic: the
Egyptian mysteriously fashioned and
marked with curious hieroglyphics;
there was practically no doll at all
during tho Puritan regime. while IL
flourishcd in oNerD conceivable ella
ps1dlpn uurinS inc Italian ksnsiHa-
ancc; in India it is the victim OF u
morbid custom. and in Japan 1t Is \
token of rank.
To-day. the most popular doll In tho
European world. despite the war. Is
the German image, with its fiawlesl
countenlnco and blue eyes and flaNen
hair-an object OF great mechanical
perfection without a touch of art In
1t not" he added gloomily. Indicative
of our ase2"
But as we loked at the photograph,
Of the German doll and tho supposed
Greek doll which the doll man showed
us. We could not agree that one was
any worse than the other. What wo
did feel was a great disappointment
in man. For in tho thousands of
years that tho race has been rolling
cv"r tho globe. It seems to have ac-
quirc so little polish. The doll that
wc esteem so highly today is virtually
the same doll they esteemed in tho
days when tho pyramids were new.