Reprinted with permission from
Dolls of Friendship, 2nd Edition,
copyright 1997, Sidney L. Gulick, 3d

  
Dolls Aboard Ship to Japan

 
Captivating articles appeared in many journals, written in a style appealing to children. Here is an illustration taken from a church journal: 

The great hold of the ship was a dark place. Usually it was still also, except for the noises of the straining ship, the creaking of timbers, and the slap, slap of the water rushing past outside. But on this trip there was a queer, whispering, bustling sound to be heard all the time. For, contrary to the usual method, the hold of the ship was filled with passengers. If you listened you could hear them talking back and forth. "I come from Maine," whispered a little laughy voice. "Who else is here from Maine?" "I am," "And I," called thousands of bell-like voices.

"We are from Louisiana." "And we from Texas." "Ohio is here." "And here is Virginia." Voice after voice took up the message until every state had been claimed by a voice. It sounded as though all the bells of fairyland were ringing at once. For, do you know, every one of the hundreds and hundreds of big boxes which filled the hold of that ship was filled with the doll messengers of friendship on their way to Japan.

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