Evening star., 1937-12-19


Lenci dolls again this year. Dreams of
dolldom with fascination for grown
ups, for the saleswomen say more are
sold to the latter than to children.
They are studies in ethnology and they
represent the features of the different
races and are dressed in their native
costumes with every detail complete.
Dear little slant-eyed Chinese dolls
which tug at the heartstrings when
one thinks of the originals at this
time. Lenci madonnas-and thereby
hangs a tale: Signora Lenci of Ia
ranto, Italy, who designs all those
lovely things, first made exquisite little
nude statuettes, but the Pope did not
look with favor upon them, so after the
great sorrow of losing her baby she
began to model dolls and the loveliest
madonnas with human, yet sanity
faces, and draperies patterned after
ancient fabrics.
Apparently Christmas Savings
Are Enormous.
One reads daily in the papers that
there is no appreciable recession of
the depression and scarey headlines
almost tempt one to keep those Christ
mas savings, which it is reported in
the United States amount 10
millions of dollars. But with the in
trlguing way in which merchants dis
play their wares all good resolutions
are naught and one knows that if one
wishes to sell they must also be able
to buy, So the doll sales this Christ
mas amount to s24,ooo.ooo instead of
the s22,o0Oo0o sold last year. Other
toys are being sold in proportion. Table
delicacies from the remote parts of the
earth find ready buyers. Sweets from
Turkey, caviar from Russia, trufies
from France, curry from India, rare
cheeses, such as real stilton ripened
In Lelcestershlre, Huntingdonshire or
Rutlandshire-the famous fox-hunt-
ing part of England-all for the price :;
and domestic fruitcake at So the
pound and smoked turkey at $3.50
pound. Buyers in plenty and cash
sales. Even Uncle Sam has given
the members of the Congress a fine
Christmas gift which they can use as
mileage to return to their constituents
or they may remain here and buy
Christmas presents. The old gentle
man felt a bit gay when Secretary
Hull told him about that s9.828 he
received from Hungary as a payment
on the flour purchases made in 1920.
What Washington Needs
Is an Old Time Tavern,
A few weeks ago visit to Gadsby's
Tavern, over in Alexandria. con-
Vlnced us that what Washington
needs, and America as well. is a. good
old-fashioned tavern with a taproom
such as Gadsbys has. OF course.
that taproom is simply shown as an
antique, but so wonderfully has it
been restored as to the most minute
detail that even ye merry gentlemen
would feel at ease there The restora-
ton OF several of the old historic
taverns in the last 20 wears has
brought vividly to mind the large part
they played in the making of the early
history Of the American Colonies,
when they were used as club and
hostelry combined. Some of the old
taverns have been restored and others
have been rebuilt from the original
plans; in some instances the original
foundations have been excavated and
used, and wherever possible old bricks.
flooring, paneling and hardware have
gone into the reconstruction of the
buildings.
This has been the case in the
Raleigh Tavern at Williamsburg, Va,
while in Gadsby's in Alexandria some
OF the original buildings. have been
restored, although some years ago the
interior decorations and copinrs of the
beautifully paneled ballroom were
purchased by the Metropolitan Mu-
scum of Art and reconstructed in the
WHY, @f