Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-01-06

sands of years ego. Dolls were
quite as much in demand in Cleo
patra's time. and the dolls of that
day were just as deserving of ad-
miration, too. That is, they were
Just as beautiful and accomplished.
Who played with the first doll and
when, remains a baffling mystery,
but it Is definitely suspected that the
species began to appear soon after
the cave man settled down to per-
manent domestic life. Dolls of a
crude sort are found among the be-
iongings OF the most primitive tribes,
where they usually possess some re-
ligious significance having to do with
the sun or snakes, or whatever 1t is
that the tribe worships.
Although there is no trace OF
them, the first civilized dolls are
supposed to have occurred In the
Orient at the time when the Orient
was almost all of the known world.
for the early mythology of the coun-
| try abounds with stories concerning
them. They were made, 1t is be-
lievsd. in the images of gods, but in
every other way they were quite,
modern. They walked and moved
| their hands and closed their eyes
and talked. even as they do today,
only the talking was accomplished
by the insertion of talking starting
into their hollow anatomies.
| Dolls of Long Ago
| With the rise of the early Egyp-
tian empire. we find the doll fully
established as an important acces-
sorry to child life. 1t was probably
more varied and amusing in 1000
B. c., than 1t has ever been since.
in spite of the many generations OF
doll specialists that have followed.
In some cases 1t had a paddle shaped
body. painted with black and white
squares-a pattern which often led
the adults Of the household to bor-
row 1t for a game of checkers or
chess. In others, it's wooden body
was brightly painted like a mummy
case and often bore a lucky sign,
such as the picture of pig. Some,
times 1t also had flowing locks con-
sisting of mud beacs made from the
mud of the sacred River Nile. Like
the cat, the doll was greatly es-
teemed as a household pet in these
days and was frequently mumified
along with its mistress.
In China and Japan the doll long
ago reached high state OF devel-
opment. II was there that the pup
pet and shadow dolls originated, ana
cannot be made to lie down, was
first produced. The first dolls of
the Mongolian Empire were made to
represent gods and later to repre-
sent prominent priests or members
of the Emperor's family. Doll gods
are still used in the Chinese joss
houses. which in Japan they are
still patterned after prominent citi-
zens. such as the minister of war
and the honorable superintendent of
education.
In China. one of the most popu-
lar doll versions is that made of
donkey skin, with the head of
human being and the body of fish,
bird or some other animal. This
doll is fat, and, with the aid of
sheet, and dark lantern, lends itself
admirably to shadow pictures. 1t is
believed that the first puppet play.
which Is being revived TO such
large, extent today. originated in
China.
japanese Dolls
Dolls have always been highly re-
garded in Japan, where many curl
Gus customs have grown UP around
them. According to one Of these.
every Japanese baby girl whose
family could afford it, was present
ed with what is known as a "hina"
"a set of dolls, representing the
Mix ado and his wife and their faW
orite musicians and courtiers. The
"hina" was not played with daily,
like other common dolls, but was
kept in a large vault. known as the
"gowdown'' and brought forth only
on holidays. Upon the marriage of
the Japanese maiden, the "hina"
became the property of her hus-
band who guarded it securely un-
til the marriage of his eldest son,
when 1t would be turned over TO
him. In this way doll collections
grew in Japan with every passing
generation, so that when promi-
nent citizen died his property in
cluded an enormous and valuable
doll collection.
Japan still celebrates Doll Day,
when every shop is filed with dolls.
More dolls are sold on this day in
Japan than are sold in this country
during Christmas. 1t is a day OF
great festivity. But not so Doll Day
| in India, which rs a time OF great
| lamentation and sadness. For then
the little girls of India bring their
dolls to the banks of the River Gan
ges and, weeping. throw them into
| its current, custom having decreed
tnat the river must receive TINS Sac
| rifice. Furthermore. for three
months after this dramatic ceremo-
NAL. play with dolls is prohibited,
and even doll-making is regarded
with stern disfavor.
The materials OF which dolls are
made have varied but little in all
the thousands of years of their his
tory, according to the owner of
remarkable doll collection in a New
York art gallery. The Greek dolls
were of wax and the Egyptian dolls
of wood, and there is still a little
stuffed doll in existence, which sci
entists aver is 1900 years old. Dur
ing all this time, moreover. doll
makers have shown the same char
acteristics. That is, the ancient
Greeks as well as modern Americans
have tired-at intervals-of produc-
ing ideally beautiful dolls and have
deliberately strivens to produce sem
sational results in the comic or ugly
mannikin. Thus. we have the kew
pie and the golliwog and homely
realistic doll babies.
Dolls for Grown-ups
/ 'In the fourteenth century," says
this authority. dolls had a tremen-
dous vogue among adults. They
were made in replica of the human
| form, upon which could be displayed
the latest fashions from Paris. Roy
alties used to send these~elaborately
dressed mannikins to each other,
and they managed to. keep a dull
German court entertained for days.
Expensive and eiab0rateIV dressed