Oldest Doll In The World

Francella A. Hitchcock, in the "Doll's Dressmaker," tells an interesting story of the famous Bambino di Ara Coeli. It is the oldest doll in the world, and if tradition is true, almost as old as the Christian relig-ion, for it is claimed to have been carved out of a tree froin the Mount of Olives in the time of the apostles, and to have been painted by St. Luke. Be this true or not, it has been in the Eternal city many hundreds of years, and is called the "Ara Coeli Bambino" (baby), beeause the church of that name, one of the oldest and most interestintf in Rome, is its home. This church is built on the site of a. very aneient pagan temple, and its nave is formed of twenty two columns, the spoils of the ancient buildings, the inscriptlon on the third on the left pro it to have been brought over from the palace of the Csesars. I shall never forget the first day we visited this vast and solemnly picturesque ediflce. It was just at sunset, and golden shafts of light illuminated the mosaic floor, lighted up the richly gilded ceiling above, and flashed in wondrous brilliancy over the Presepio, or manger, where lay the miraoulous Bambino in swaddling clothes, literally erusted over with diamonds, emeralds, rubíes, sapphires and other precious stones, while its neck and wrists were entirely covered with strings of the purest oriental pearls.