Evening star., 1923-09-16
Evolution of the Fan.

THE fan was born in China CEN
idea of a fan originated in the pal-
metto leaf borne to and fro by the
breeze, but the Chinese trace the fans
origin into the legendary past. 1t
appears that Lang-sin, the daughter
/ OF an all-powerful mandarin, was
present at feast of lanterns. Over
come with the heat, she removed her
mask-a daring thing to do She
still held IL near enough to screen her
features, while waving it to and fro
To this caprice of a princess is thus
assigned the origin of the fan.
Now. in the beginning the fan was
trifie, an airy object made of BAN
boo, a bit of apaper sor silk adorned
with lily bud or leaf Sometimes
a flight of swallows, a handful of
graceful grass or a dragon fly ap-
peared upon the paper surface. Later
the fan was made more eIaborately
from ivory, dragon skin or oiled silk
and finished with a silken cord and
tassel. Little figures were sometimes
wrought in silk embroidery, for silk
was an ancient and highly valued
material. In China the fan was a fiat,
stiff. hand screen, but finally the Jap
anese improved 1t by making 1t an
ogi or folding fan. The fan then ac-
quired a framework of sticks of the
same length~and thickness, with the
outer stick wider and heavier. For
the Japanese the fan soon, became an
emblem Of life. The rivet end was
the starting point, and as the rays
expand, so the road of life was
supposed to widen to a prosperous
future; therefore the fan was used as
gift on important occasions. In the
oriental lands the fan was always an
Indispensable weapon against the hot
climate and the swarms of insects,
and 1T was not long before il became
another kind of weapon, war
weapon. The Japanese sewed two
thicknesses of leather together and
attached an iron handle over a foot
long, very strong and heavy, thus
making weapon. Gold was used for
the rivets of war fans, also for orna-
mentation, while bronze embellished
the metal handle.
In Egypt the fan was royal en-
blem and signif1ed authority, happi-
company of fan-bearers were gen.
orally persons of royal birth. Imagine
with what elaborate ceremonies they
escorted the stately Cleopatra, wav-
ing the semi-circular screen fan at
tached to a long handle. In Greece
the fan was made of peacock feathers,
as the peacock was Juno's bird and
symbolized luxury and splendor. The
fan enhanced the great festivals of
the Romans, for slaves stood behind
the guests and waved fans made of
peacock feathers enriched with os-
trich plumes.
Early in the eighteenth century the
fan reached England, where IL became
a mere feminine accessory. but the
fan was held In high favor and car
ried at court. Then the fan crossed
the Atlantic and came to America.
Here it settled down and developed
from a mere caprice into a COM
mercial necessity. The bamboo, silken
paper and plumes disappeared en-
tirely. The fan was made with
motor body and base finished with
black enamel, with fan blades, guards
and trimming in dipped and lac
came an attaching cord and plug and
the fan was connected with an cleo
trio current. Then the fan became
professional breeze maker with
range of operation. 1t is useful in
the home In variety of ways. Fresh
air is one of the most important rae
tors of modern healthy living, and the
fan freshens the air and ventilates
the home In the library, dining
room and bedrooms 1t is indispensable.
1t never tires or falls asleep like the
punkah boys in India. The higher
the mercury climbs the buster It is.
4 for It can keep a. home comfortable
on days that would otherwise be un-
bearabIe. Fora small cost II pro-
vides hours of cooling breeze, 1t is
very popular in an eight-lnch size
where only a moderate breeze Is re-
quired, and 1t is made both with and
without an oscillating mechanism.
Recently some Of its relatives have
acquired two sets of blades revolving
in a circle and with three running
speeds. The baby sIx-inch fan 10
favorite in many homes.