Children's Literature
by Charles Madison Curry · English · Gutenberg #25545 · 2,226,473 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: Children's Literature
Author: Charles Madison Curry
Erle Elsworth Clippinger
Release date: May 20, 2008 [eBook #25545]
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25545
Credits: Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Emmy and the Online
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHILDREN'S LITERATURE ***
Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Emmy and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
When all the novelists and spinners of
elaborate fictions have been read and judged,
we shall find that the peasant and the nurse
are still unsurpassed as mere narrators. They
are the guardians of that treasury of legend
which comes to us from the very childhood of
nations; they and their tales are the abstract
and brief chronicles, not of an age merely, but
of the whole race of man. It is theirs to keep
alive the great art of telling stories as a
thing wholly apart from and independent of the
art of writing stories, and to pass on their
art to children and to children's children.
They abide in a realm of their own, in blessed
isolation from that world of professional
authors and their milk-and-water books "for
children."
--C. B. TINKER, "In Praise of Nursery
Lore," _The Unpopular Review_,
October-December, 1916.
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
A TEXTBOOK OF SOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND TEACHER-TRAINING CLASSES
EDITED, WITH INTRODUCTIONS, NOTES, AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES
_BY_
CHARLES MADISON CURRY
_AND_
ERLE ELSWORTH CLIPPINGER
_Professors of Literature in the Indiana State Normal School_
[Illustration]
RAND McNALLY & COMPANY
CHICAGO NEW YORK
_Copyright, 1920, by_
RAND MCNALLY & COMPANY
_Copyright, 1921, by_
RAND MCNALLY & COMPANY
All rights reserved
Edition of 1926
[Illustration]
Made in U. S. A.
THE CONTENTS
SECTION I
PREFACE AND GENERAL INTRODUCTION
_General Bibliography_ 2
_The Preface_ 5
_General Introduction_ 7
1. Literature for Children 7
2. Literature in the Grades 8
3. Story-Telling and Dramatization 10
4. Courses of Study 13
SECTION II
MOTHER GOOSE JINGLES AND NURSERY RHYMES
_Bibliography_ 18
_Introductory_ 19
MOTHER GOOSE (Shorter rhymes):
1. A cat came fiddling out of a barn 23
2. A diller, a dollar 23
3. As I was going to St. Ives 23
4. As I was going up Pippen Hill 23
5. As I went to Bonner 23
6. As Tommy Snooks and Bessie Brooks 23
7. A swarm of bees in May 23
8. Baa, baa, black sheep 23
9. Barber, barber, shave a pig 23
10. Birds of a feather flock together 23
11. Bless you, bless you, burnie bee 23
12. Bobby Shafto's gone to sea 24
13. Bow, wow, wow 24
14. Bye, baby bunting 24
15. Come when you're called 24
16. Cross patch 24
17. Curly locks, curly locks 24
18. Dance, little baby 24
19. Diddle, diddle, dumpling 24
20. Ding, dong, bell 24
21. Doctor Foster 24
22. Eggs, butter, cheese, bread 24
23. For every evil under the sun 24
24. Four-and-twenty tailors 25
25. Great A, little a 25
26. Hark, hark 25
27. Here sits the Lord Mayor 25
28. Here we go up, up, up 25
29. Hey! diddle, diddle 25
30. Hickery, dickery, 6 and 7 25
31. Higgledy, Piggledy 25
32. Hickory, dickory, dock 25
33. Hogs in the garden 25
34. Hot-cross buns 26
35. Hub a dub dub 26
36. Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall 26
37. If all the sea were one sea 26
38. If all the world was apple-pie 26
39. If I'd as much money as I could spend 26
40. If "ifs" and "ands" 26
41. If wishes were horses 26
42. I had a little pony 26
43. I had a little hobby horse 26
44. I have a little sister 27
45. I'll tell you a story 27
46. In marble walls as white as milk 27
47. I went up one pair of stairs 27
48. Jack and Jill went up the hill 27
49. Jack be nimble 27
50. Jack Sprat could eat no fat 27
51. Knock at the door 27
52. Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home 27
53. Little boy blue, come blow your horn 27
54. Little girl, little girl, where have you been 27
55. Little Jack Horner 28
56. Little Jack Jingle 28
57. Little Johnny Pringle 28
58. Little Miss Muffet 28
59. Little Nancy Etticoat 28
60. Little Robin Redbreast 28
61. Little Tommy Tucker 28
62. Long legs, crooked thighs 28
63. Lucy Locket lost her pocket 28
64. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 28
65. Mistress Mary, quite contrary 28
66. Multiplication is vexation 28
67. Needles and pins 29
68. Old King Cole 29
69. Once I saw a little bird 29
70. One for the money 29
71. One misty, moisty morning 29
72. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 29
73. One, two 29
74. Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man 29
75. Pease-porridge hot 29
76. Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater 30
77. Peter Piper picked a peck 30
78. Poor old Robinson Crusoe 30
79. Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been 30
80. Pussy sits beside the fire 30
81. Ride a cock-horse to Banbury-cross 30
82. Ride, baby, ride 30
83. Rock-a-bye, baby 30
84. Rock-a-bye, baby, thy cradle is green 30
85. See a pin and pick it up 30
86. See, saw, sacradown 31
87. Shoe the little horse 31
88. Sing a song of sixpence 31
89. Star light, star bright 31
90. The King of France went up the hill 31
91. The lion and the unicorn 31
92. The man in the moon 31
93. The north wind doth blow 31
94. The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts 31
95. There was a crooked man 31
96. There was a little boy went into a barn 32
97. There was a man and he had naught 32
98. There was a man in our town 32
99. There was an old man 32
100. There was an old woman, and what do you think 32
101. There was an old woman lived under a hill 32
102. There was an old woman of Leeds 32
103. There was an old woman of Norwich 32
104. There was an old woman tossed up in a basket 32
105. There was an old woman who lived in a shoe 33
106. There was an owl lived in an oak 33
107. This is the way the ladies ride 33
108. This little pig went to market 33
109. Three blind mice 33
110. Three wise men of Gotham 33
111. To market, to market, to buy a fat pig 33
112. Tom, Tom, the piper's son 33
113. Two-legs sat upon three-legs 33
114. When a twister a-twisting 34
115. "Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going?" 34
WILHELMINA SEEGMILLER
116. Milkweed Seeds 34
117. An Anniversary 34
118. Twink! twink! 34
MOTHER GOOSE (Longer rhymes)
119. A Was an Apple-Pie 34
120. Tom Thumb's Alphabet 35
121. Where Are You Going 35
122. Molly and I 35
123. London Bridge 36
124. I Saw a Ship 36
125. There Was an Old Woman 36
126. Little Bo-Peep 37
127. Cock a Doodle Doo 37
128. Three Jovial Huntsmen 37
129. There Was a Little Man 37
130. Taffy 38
131. Simple Simon 38
132. A Farmer Went Trotting 38
133. Tom the Piper's Son 38
134. When I Was a Little Boy 39
135. The Babes in the Wood 39
136. The Fox and His Wife 40
137. For Want of a Nail 40
138. A Man of Words 40
139. Jemima 41
140. Mother Hubbard and Her Dog 41
141. The Courtship, Merry Marriage, and Picnic Dinner of Cock
Robin and Jenny Wren 42
142. The Burial of Poor Cock Robin 44
143. Dame Wiggins of Lee, and Her Seven Wonderful Cats 45
144. This Is the House That Jack Built 47
145. The Egg in the Nest 49
146. Change About 49
SECTION III
FAIRY STORIES--TRADITIONAL TALES
_Bibliography_ 52
_Introductory_ 53
ENGLISH:
147. The Old Woman and Her Pig 56
148. Henny-Penny 58
149. Teeny-Tiny 59
150. The Cat and the Mouse 60
151. The Story of the Three Little Pigs 61
152. Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse 63
153. The Story of the Three Bears 64
154. The Three Sillies 67
155. Lazy Jack 69
156. The Story of Mr. Vinegar 71
157. Jack and the Beanstalk 73
158. Tom Thumb 79
159. Whittington and His Cat 84
160. Tom Tit Tot 89
FRENCH:
161. Little Red Riding Hood 92
162. True History of Little Golden Hood 94
163. Puss in Boots 97
164. Toads and Diamonds 100
165. Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper 102
166. Drakestail 106
167. Beauty and the Beast 110
NORWEGIAN:
168. Why the Bear Is Stumpy-Tailed 122
169. The Three Billy-Goats Gruff 123
170. The Husband Who Was to Mind the House 124
171. Boots and His Brothers 125
172. The Quern at the Bottom of the Sea 128
GERMAN:
173. The Traveling Musicians 131
174. The Blue Light 134
175. The Elves and the Shoemaker 136
176. The Fisherman and His Wife 138
177. Rose-Bud 142
178. Rumpelstiltskin 144
179. Snow-White and Rose-Red 146
INDIAN:
180. The Lambikin 150
181. Tit for Tat 151
182. The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal 152
183. Pride Goeth before a Fall 154
JAPANESE:
184. The Mirror of Matsuyama 156
185. The Tongue-Cut Sparrow 158
SLAVIC:
186. The Straw Ox 160
IRISH:
187. Connla and the Fairy Maiden 162
188. The Horned Women 164
189. King O'Toole and His Goose 165
SECTION IV
FAIRY STORIES--MODERN FANTASTIC TALES
_Bibliography_ 170
_Introductory_ 171
ABRAM S. ISAACS
190. A Four-Leaved Clover 174
I. The Rabbi and the Diadem 174
II. Friendship 175
III. True Charity 175
IV. An Eastern Garden 176
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
191. The Lord Helpeth Man and Beast 177
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
192. The Real Princess 179
193. The Emperor's New Clothes 180
194. The Nightingale 183
195. The Fir Tree 190
196. The Tinder Box 195
197. The Hardy Tin Soldier 200
198. The Ugly Duckling 203
FRANCES BROWNE
199. The Story of Fairyfoot 209
OSCAR WILDE
200. The Happy Prince 217
RAYMOND MACDONALD ALDEN
201. The Knights of the Silver Shield 223
JEAN INGELOW
202. The Prince's Dream 227
FRANK R. STOCKTON
203. Old Pipes and the Dryad 233
JOHN RUSKIN
204. The King of the Golden River 245
SECTION V
FABLES AND SYMBOLIC STORIES
_Bibliography_ 262
_Introductory_ 263
AESOP
205. The Shepherd's Boy 266
206. The Lion and the Mouse 266
207. The Crow and the Pitcher 266
208. The Frog and the Ox 267
209. The Frogs Desiring a King 267
210. The Field Mouse and the Town Mouse 268
CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI
211. The City Mouse and the Garden Mouse 268
HORACE
212. The Country Mouse and the Town Mouse 268
AESOP
213. Androcles 269
THOMAS DAY
214. Androcles and the Lion 270
AESOP
215. The Wind and the Sun 272
216. The Goose with the Golden Eggs 272
LA FONTAINE
217. The Hen with the Golden Eggs 272
AESOP
218. The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing 273
219. The Hare and the Tortoise 273
220. The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass 274
221. The Travelers and the Bear 274
222. The Lark and Her Young Ones 275
223. The Old Man and His Sons 275
224. The Fox and the Grapes 276
225. The Widow and the Hen 276
226. The Kid and the Wolf 276
227. The Man and the Satyr 276
228. The Dog and the Shadow 276
229. The Swallow and the Raven 276
230. Mercury and the Woodman 276
231. The Mice in Council 277
232. The Mountebank and Countryman 277
233. The Milkmaid and Her Pail 278
LA FONTAINE
234. The Dairywoman and the Pot of Milk 278
From "THE ARABIAN NIGHTS"
235. The Story of Alnaschar 279
BIDPAI (Indian Fables)
236. The Camel and the Pig 280
237. The Ass in the Lion's Skin 281
238. The Talkative Tortoise 282
239. A Lion Tricked by a Rabbit 283
MARIE DE FRANCE
240. The Cock and the Fox 284
LA FONTAINE
241. The Grasshopper and the Ant 284
242. The Cock, the Cat, and the Young Mouse 285
JOHN GAY
243. The Hare with Many Friends 286
TOMAS YRIARTE
244. The Musical Ass 287
IVAN KRYLOV
245. The Swan, the Pike, and the Crab 287
From the BIBLE
246. The Bramble Is Made King 288
247. The Good Samaritan 289
248. The Prodigal Son 289
HENRY WARD BEECHER
249. The Anxious Leaf 290
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
250. The Whistle 291
251. The Ephemera 292
JOSEPH ADDISON
252. The Vision of Mirzah 294
JANE TAYLOR
253. The Discontented Pendulum 297
LEO TOLSTOI
254. Croesus and Solon 299
SECTION VI
MYTHS
_Bibliography_ 302
_Introductory_ 303
GREEK AND ROMAN:
GRACE H. KUPFER
255. A Story of the Springtime 306
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
256. The Paradise of Children 309
257. The Miraculous Pitcher 319
R. E. FRANCILLON
258. The Narcissus 330
259. The Apple of Discord 332
JOSEPHINE P. PEABODY
260. Icarus and Daedalus 335
261. Admetus and the Shepherd 337
THOMAS BULFINCH
262. Midas 338
CHARLES MILLS GAYLEY
263. Phaethon 340
NORSE:
THOMAS BULFINCH
264. Thor's Visit to Joetunheim 343
HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE
265. Odin's Search for Wisdom 348
ETHEL M. WILMOT-BUXTON
266. How the Fenris Wolf was Chained 351
ANNA AND ELIZA KEARY
267. Frey 354
HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE
268. The Death of Balder 360
SECTION VII
POETRY
_Bibliography_ 368
_Introductory_ 369
ELIZA LEE FOLLEN
269. The Three Little Kittens 371
270. The Moon 371
271. Runaway Brook 372
272. Ding Dong! Ding Dong! 372
ELIZABETH PRENTISS
273. The Little Kitty 372
SARA J. HALE
274. Mary Had a Little Lamb 372
THEODORE TILTON
275. Baby Bye 373
LUCY LARCOM
276. The Brown Thrush 374
LYDIA MARIA CHILD
277. Thanksgiving Day 375
278. Who Stole the Bird's Nest 375
"SUSAN COOLIDGE"
279. How the Leaves Came Down 377
PHOEBE CARY
280. They Didn't Think 377
281. The Leak in the Dike 378
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
282. Whole Duty of Children 381
283. The Cow 381
284. Time to Rise 381
285. Rain 381
286. A Good Play 382
287. The Lamplighter 382
288. The Land of Nod 382
289. The Land of Story-Books 382
290. My Bed Is a Boat 383
291. My Shadow 383
292. The Swing 383
293. Where Go the Boats 384
294. The Wind 384
295. Windy Nights 384
FRANK DEMPSTER SHERMAN
296. Spinning Top 384
297. Flying Kite 385
298. King Bell 385
299. Daisies 385
EUGENE FIELD
300. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod 385
301. The Sugar-Plum Tree 386
302. The Duel 387
JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY
303. The Treasures of the Wise Man 387
304. The Circus-Day Parade 388
305. The Raggedy Man 389
JAMES HOGG
306. A Boy's Song 389
MARY HOWITT
307. The Spider and the Fly 390
WILLIAM HOWITT
308. The Wind in a Frolic 391
ANN TAYLOR
309. The Cow 392
310. Meddlesome Matty 392
JANE TAYLOR
311. "I Like Little Pussy" 393
312. The Star 394
CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI
313. Seldom or Never 394
314. An Emerald Is as Green as Grass 394
315. Boats Sail on the Rivers 394
316. A Diamond or a Coal? 395
317. The Swallow 395
318. Who Has Seen the Wind? 395
319. Milking Time 395
WILLIAM BRIGHTY RANDS
320. The Peddler's Caravan 395
321. The Wonderful World 396
RICHARD MONCKTON MILNES
322. Good-Night and Good-Morning 396
WILLIAM ROSCOE
323. The Butterfly's Ball 397
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
324. Can You? 398
ROBERT BROWNING
325. Pippa's Song 399
CHARLES MACKAY
326. Little and Great 399
FELICIA DOROTHEA HEMANS
327. Casabianca 399
WILLIAM BLAKE
328. Three Things to Remember 400
329. The Lamb 401
330. The Shepherd 401
331. The Tiger 401
332. The Piper 401
ELIZA COOK
333. Try Again 402
EDWARD LEAR
334. The Owl and the Pussy-Cat 403
335. The Table and the Chair 404
336. The Pobble Who Has No Toes 404
"LEWIS CARROLL"
337. The Walrus and the Carpenter 405
338. A Strange Wild Song 406
ISAAC WATTS
339. Against Idleness and Mischief 407
340. Famous Passages from Dr. Watts 408
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
341. The Skeleton in Armor 408
342. The Day Is Done 410
343. A Psalm of Life 411
CHARLES KINGSLEY
344. The Three Fishers 412
345. The Sands of Dee 412
ALFRED TENNYSON
346. "What Does Little Birdie Say?" 413
347. Sweet and Low 413
348. The Poet's Song 413
349. Crossing the Bar 414
LEIGH HUNT
350. Abou Ben Adhem 414
JOAQUIN MILLER
351. For Those Who Fail 415
EDGAR ALLAN POE
352. Eldorado 415
GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON
353. The Destruction of Sennacherib 416
WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT
354. To a Waterfowl 416
355. The Planting of the Apple-Tree 417
THOMAS EDWARD BROWN
356. My Garden 418
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
357. Daffodils 419
358. The Solitary Reaper 419
CAROLINE ELIZABETH NORTON
359. The Arab to His Favorite Steed 420
ROBERT SOUTHEY
360. The Inchcape Rock 421
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
361. Over Hill, Over Dale 423
362. A Fairy Scene in a Wood 423
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
363. Fable 424
364. Concord Hymn 424
SIR WALTER SCOTT
365. Breathes There the Man 424
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
366. Old Ironsides 425
WILLIAM COLLINS
367. How Sleep the Brave 425
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
368. The Ballad of Nathan Hale 425
SIR FRANCIS HASTINGS DOYLE
369. The Red Thread of Honor 427
RUDYARD KIPLING
370. Recessional 428
WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY
371. Invictus 429
JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
372. The Falcon 429
373. The Shepherd of King Admetus 430
SIR WILLIAM SCHENCK GILBERT
374. The Yarn of the Nancy Bell 430
JOHN TOWNSEND TROWBRIDGE
375. Darius Green and His Flying Machine 432
WILLIAM ROBERT SPENCER
376. Beth Gelert 436
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
377. King John and the Abbot of Canterbury 437
SECTION VIII
REALISTIC STORIES
_Bibliography_ 442
_Introductory_ 443
OLIVER GOLDSMITH
378. The Renowned History of Little Goody Two-Shoes 445
DR. JOHN AIKIN AND MRS. LETITIA BARBAULD
379. Eyes, and No Eyes 451
THOMAS DAY
380. The Good-Natured Little Boy 456
MARIA EDGEWORTH
381. Waste Not, Want Not 458
JULIANA HORATIA EWING
382. Jackanapes 478
HENRY SEIDEL CANBY
383. Betty's Ride 496
CHARLES MAJOR
384. The Big Bear 500
"O. HENRY"
385. The Gift of the Magi 505
SECTION IX
NATURE LITERATURE
_Bibliography_ 510
_Introductory_ 511
BEATRIX POTTER
386. The Tale of Peter Rabbit 513
THORNTON WALDO BURGESS
387. Johnny Chuck Finds the Best Thing in the World 514
ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE
388. Mr. 'Possum's Sick Spell 516
DALLAS LORE SHARP
389. Wild Life in the Farm-Yard 520
VERNON L. KELLOGG
390. The Vendetta 524
SEWELL FORD
391. Pasha, the Son of Selim 527
"OUIDA" (LOUISA DE LA RAMEE)
392. Moufflou 534
OLIVE THORNE MILLER
393. Bird Habits: I. Where He Sleeps II. His Travels 548
ERNEST THOMPSON SETON
394. The Poacher and the Silver Fox 551
DAVID STARR JORDAN
395. The Story of a Salmon 556
RUDYARD KIPLING
396. Moti Guj--Mutineer 562
CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS
397. Last Bull 566
SECTION X
ROMANCE CYCLES AND LEGEND
_Bibliography_ 576
_Introductory_ 577
From ARABIAN NIGHTS
398. Ali Baba, and the Forty Thieves 579
"FELIX SUMMERLEY"
Reynard the Fox
399. How Bruin the Bear Sped with Reynard the Fox 586
400. The Battle Between the Fox and the Wolf 591
SIR THOMAS MALORY
King Arthur and His Round Table
401. How Arthur Became King 594
402. A Tourney with the French 597
403. Adventures of Arthur 598
MAUDE RADFORD WARREN
404. Arthur and Sir Accalon 603
CERVANTES-SAAVEDRA, MIGUEL DE
405-411. Stories from _Don Quixote_
I. Dreams and Shadows 606
II. Preparing for the Quest 608
III. The Quest Begins 610
IV. The Knightly Vigil 613
V. On Honor's Field 615
VI. The Return Home 617
VII. The Battle with the Windmills 618
HORACE E. SCUDDER
412. The Proud King 620
EVA MARCH TAPPAN
413. Robin and the Merry Little Old Woman 623
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
414. Allen-a-Dale 628
SECTION XI
BIOGRAPHY AND HERO STORIES
_Bibliography_ 632
_Introductory_ 633
ELBRIDGE S. BROOKS
415. How Columbus Got His Ships 635
HORACE E. SCUDDER
416. The Boyhood of Washington 642
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
417. The Autobiography 645
HELEN NICOLAY
418. Lincoln's Early Days 655
ANNA HOWARD SHAW
419. In the Western Wilderness 662
CHARLOTTE M. YONGE
420. The Pass of Thermopylae 671
SECTION XII
HOME READING LIST AND GENERAL INDEX
Home Reading Lists by Grades 679
General Index 687
SECTION I
PREFACE AND GENERAL INTRODUCTION
SELECTED GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
I. GENERAL COLLECTIONS OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
Tappan, Eva March, _The Children's Hour_. 10 vols.
Neilson, William Patten, and others, _The Junior Classics_.
10 vols.
Sylvester, Charles H., _Journeys through Bookland_. 10 vols.
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey, and others, _The Young Folks' Library_.
30 vols.
Mabie, Hamilton Wright, _After School Library_. 12 vols.
Scudder, Horace E., _The Children's Book_. [Best single-volume
collection for early grades.]
Barnes, Walter, _Types of Children's Literature_.
II. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
Darton, F. J. Harvey, "Children's Books," in _Cambridge History
of English Literature_, Vol. XI, chap. xvi. [Best brief account
of development in England. Elaborate bibliography.]
Tassin, Algernon, "Books for Children," in _Cambridge History of
American Literature_, Vol. II, chap. vii. [Best account of
American development. Extended bibliography.]
Field, Mrs. E. M., _The Child and His Book_. The history and
progress of children's literature in England. [Stops with
1826.]
Moses, Montrose J., _Children's Books and Reading_. [Deals
with both English and American side. Book-lists and
bibliographies.]
Ashton, John, _Chapbooks of the Eighteenth Century_.
Halsey, Rosalie V., _Forgotten Books of the American Nursery_.
Welsh, Charles, _A Bookseller of the Last Century_. [John
Newbery.]
"Godfrey, Elizabeth," _English Children in the Olden Time_.
Earle, Florence Morse, _Child Life in Colonial Days_.
III. GUIDES IN TEACHING
1. SPECIFIC PEDAGOGY
Barnes, Walter, _English in the Country School_.
Carpenter, G. R., Baker, F. T., and Scott, F. N., _The Teaching
of English_. [Pp. 155-187, "Literature in the Elementary
Schools," by Professor Baker.]
Chubb, Percival, _The Teaching of English_.
Cox, John Harrington, _Literature in the Common School_.
Barron, Julia S., Bacon, Corinne, and Dana, J. C., _Course of
Study for Normal School Pupils on Literature for Children_.
[A syllabus.]
Hosic, James Fleming, _The Elementary Course in English_.
MacClintock, Porter Lander, _Literature in the Elementary
School_.
McMurry, Charles A., _Special Method in Reading in the Grades_.
Welch, John S., _Literature in the School: Aims, Methods, and
Interpretations_.
2. MORE GENERAL AND INSPIRATIONAL
Bates, Arlo, _Talks on the Teaching of Literature_.
Bennett, Arnold, _Literary Taste and How to Form It_.
Colby, J. Rose, _Literature and Life in School_.
Kerfoot, J. B., _How to Read_.
Lee, Gerald Stanley, _The Child and the Book_.
Quiller-Couch, Sir Arthur, _On the Art of Reading_. [Children's
Literature.]
Scudder, Horace E., _Literature in the Schools_.
Smith, C. Alphonso, _What Can Literature Do for Me?_
Woodberry, George E., _The Appreciation of Literature_. _The
Heart of Man._
3. GUIDES TO BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
Arnold, Gertrude W., _A Mother's List of Books for Children_.
Field, Walter Taylor, _Fingerposts to Children's Reading_.
Hunt, Clara W., _What Shall We Read to the Children?_
Lowe, Orton, _Literature for Children_.
Macy, John, _A Child's Guide to Reading_.
Moore, Annie Carroll, _Roads to Childhood_.
Olcott, Frances Jenkins, _The Children's Reading_.
_One Thousand Good Books for Children._ [Classified and graded
list prepared by National Congress of Mothers' Literature
Committee, Alice M. Jordan, Chairman. Issued by U. S. Bureau
of Education, Washington, D. C., as Home Education Circular
No. 1.]
Stevens, David Harrison, _The Home Guide to Good Reading_.
IV. BOOKS ON STORY-TELLING
Allison, S. B., and Perdue, H. A., _The Story in Primary
Education_.
Bailey, Carolyn Sherman, _For the Story-Teller_.
Bryant, Sarah Cone, _How to Tell Stories to Children_. _Stories
to Tell to Children._ [Introduction.]
Cather, Katherine D., _Educating by Story-Telling_.
Cowles, Julia D., _The Art of Story-Telling_.
Cross, Allen, and Statler, Nellie M., _Story-Telling for Upper
Grades_.
Forbush, William B., _Manual of Stories_.
Horne, H. H., _Story-Telling, Questioning, and Studying_.
Keyes, Angela M., _Stories and Story-Telling_.
Kready, Laura F., _A Study of Fairy Tales_. [Chap. iii, "The
Telling of Fairy Tales."]
Lindsay, Maud, _The Story-Teller for Little Children_.
Lyman, Edna, _Story Telling: What to Tell and How to Tell It_.
McMurry, Charles A., _Special Method in Reading in the Grades_.
Moore, Annie C., Article "Story-Telling," _Cyclopedia of
Education_. [Ed. Monroe.]
Partridge, Emelyn N., and George E., _Story-Telling in the School
and Home_.
Shedlock, Marie L., _The Art of the Story-Teller_.
St. John, Edward Porter, _Stories and Story-Telling in Moral and
Religious Education_.
Wiltse, Sara E., _The Place of the Story in Early Education_.
Wyche, Richard Thomas, _Some Great Stories and How to Tell Them_.
V. ON DRAMATIZATION
Briggs, T. H., and Coffman, L. D., _Reading in Public Schools_.
[Chap. x, "Dramatic Reading," and chap. xxiii, "Dramatics."]
Curtis, Elnora W., _The Dramatic Instinct in Education_.
Finlay-Johnson, Harriet, _The Dramatic Method of Teaching_.
Gesell, Arnold L., and Beatrice C., _The Normal Child and Primary
Education_. [Chapter on "Dramatic Expression."]
Herts, Alice M., _The Children's Educational Theatre_.
Nixon, Lillian E., _Fairy Tales a Child Can Read and Act_.
VI. THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN
Moulton, Richard Green, _A Short Introduction to the Literature
of the Bible_.
The simplest and best discussion for teachers
of the Bible as literature. The books that
follow are good sources for story material from
the Bible.
Baldwin, James, _Old Stories from the East_.
Hodges, George, _The Garden of Eden_. _The Castle of Zion._ _When
the King Came._
Houghton, Louise Seymour, _Telling Bible Stories_.
Moulton, Richard Green, _Bible Stories: Old Testament_. _Bible
Stories: New Testament._ [Two volumes of _The Modern Reader's
Bible for Children_. The only variations from the text are by
omissions.]
Olcott, Frances Jenkins, _Bible Stories to Read and Tell_.
Smith, Nora Archibald, _Old, Old Tales from the Old, Old Book_.
Stewart, Mary, "_Tell Me a True Story_."
VII. SOME INTERPRETATIONS OF CHILDHOOD
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey, _The Story of a Bad Boy_.
Du Bois, Patterson, _Beckonings from Little Hands_.
Gilson, Roy Rolfe, _In the Morning Glow_.
Grahame, Kenneth, _Dream Days_. _The Golden Age_.
Howells, William Dean, _A Boy's Town_.
Kelly, Myra, _Little Citizens_.
Larcom, Lucy, _A New England Girlhood_.
Loti, Pierre, _The Story of a Child_.
Martin, George Madden, _Emmy Lou, Her Book and Heart_.
Masters, Edgar Lee, _Mitch Miller_.
Pater, Walter, _The Child in the House_.
Shute, Henry A., _The Real Diary of a Real Boy_.
Smith, William Hawley, _The Evolution of Dodd_.
Stuart, Ruth McEnery, _Sonny_.
Walpole, Hugh, _Jeremy_.
Warner, Charles Dudley, _On Being a Boy_.
White, William Allen, _The Court of Boyville_.
VIII. SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
Addams, Jane, _Youth and Our City Streets_.
Adler, Felix, _The Moral Instruction of Children_.
Antin, Mary, _The Promised Land_.
Cabot, Ella Lyman, _The Seven Ages of Childhood_.
Dawson, George E., _The Child and His Religion_.
Engleman, J. O., _Moral Education_.
Griggs, Edward Howard, _Moral Education_.
Hall, G. Stanley, _Youth_.
Henderson, C. Hanford, _Education and the Larger Life_.
Hoyt, Franklin Chase, _Quicksands of Youth_.
Oppenheim, Nathan, _The Development of the Child_.
Puffer, J. Adams, _The Boy and His Gang_.
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
SECTION I. PREFACE AND GENERAL INTRODUCTION
THE PREFACE
This book is primarily a handbook for teachers in the grades and for
students preparing to teach in the grades. Although it does not ignore
problems of grading and presentation, the chief purpose is to acquaint
teachers and prospective teachers with standard literature of the
various kinds suitable for use in the classroom and to give them
information regarding books and authors to aid them in directing the
selection of books by and for children.
In discussing the early training of children in literature with large
classes of young people preparing for teaching in the grades, the
compilers found themselves face to face with two difficulties. In the
first place, only a limited number of these prospective teachers were in
any real sense acquainted with what may be called the basic traditional
material. Rhymes, fables, myths, stories were so vaguely and
indistinctly held in mind that they were practically of no great value.
It was therefore not possible to assume much real acquaintance with the
material needed for use with children, and the securing of such an
acquaintance seemed the first essential. After all is said, a discussion
of ways and means must follow such a mastery of basic material.
In the second place, there was the difficulty of finding in any compact
form a body of material sufficient in extent and wide enough in its
range to serve as a satisfactory basis for such a course. No doubt the
ideal way would be to send the student to the many authoritative volumes
covering the various fields dealt with in this collection. But with
large classes and a limited amount of time such a plan was hardly
practicable. The young teacher cannot be much of a specialist in any of
the various fields of knowledge with the elements of which he is
expected to acquaint children. The principles of economy demand that the
brief courses which specifically prepare for teaching should be such as
will make the work in the schoolroom most helpful and least wasteful
from the very beginning. Hence this attempt to collect in one volume
what may somewhat roughly be spoken of as material for a minimum basic
course in Children's Literature.
The important thing about this book, then, is the actual literary
material included in it. The notes and suggestions scattered throughout
are aimed to direct attention to this material either in the way of
pointing out the sources of it, or helping in the understanding and
appreciation of it, or suggesting some ways of presenting it most
effectively to children.
In the case of folk material, an effort has been made to present
reliable versions of the stories used. Many of the folk stories, for
instance, appear in dozens of collections and in dozens of forms,
according to the artistic or pedagogic biases of the various compilers.
As a rule the most accessible stories are found in versions written
down to the supposed needs of children, and intended to be read by the
children themselves. Even if we grant the teacher the right to make
extensive modifications, it is still reasonable to insist that some
correct traditional form be used as the starting point. Such a plan
insures a mastery of one's material. The sources of the versions used in
this text are pointed out in order that teachers who wish to do so may
extend their acquaintance to other folk material by referring to the
various collections mentioned.
Such a book as this must necessarily be selective. No doubt omissions
will be noted of poems or stories that many teachers deem indispensable.
Others will find selections included that to their minds are
questionable. The editors can only plead in extenuation that they have
included what they have found by experience to offer a sound basis for
discussing with training classes the nature of this basic material and
the form in which it should be presented to children. To accomplish
these ends it has sometimes seemed well to give parallel versions, and
occasionally to give a version that will necessitate the discussion of
such subjects as the use of dialect, the inclusion of items of terror or
horror, and the soundness of the ethical appeal. These various problems
are indicated in the notes accompanying individual selections.
The editorial apparatus does not constitute a treatise on literary
criticism, or a manual of mythology or folklore, or a "pedagogy" of
children's literature as such, or anything like an exhaustive
bibliography of the fields of study touched upon. It aims at the very
modest purpose of immediate and practical utility. It hopes to fill a
place as a sort of first aid for the inexperienced teacher, and as soon
as the teacher gets some real grasp of the elements of the problem this
book must yield to the more elaborate and well-knit discussions of
specialists in the various subjects treated. The bibliographical
references throughout are intended to offer help in this forward step.
These bibliographies are, in all cases, frankly selective. As a rule
most of the books mentioned are books now in print. In the
bibliographies connected with the sections of traditional material some
of the more important works in the field of scholarship are named in
each case for the benefit of those who may be working where such books
are available in institutional or public libraries. Titles of books are
printed in italics, while titles of poems, separate stories, and
selections are printed in roman type inclosed in quotation marks.
The grouping of material is in no sense a hard and fast one. Those who
work in literary fields understand the pitfalls that beset one who
attempts such a classification. Only a general grouping under headings
used in the ordinary popular sense has been made. Fine distinctions are
beside the mark in such a book as this. Popular literature was not made
for classification, but for higher purposes, and anything that draws
attention from the pleasure-giving and spirit-invigorating qualities of
the literature itself should be avoided. Hence, the classifications
adopted are as simple and unobtrusive as possible.
Finally, the editors make no pretense to original scholarship. They have
not attempted to extend the limits of human knowledge, but to point out
pleasant paths leading to the limitless domains of literature. They have
tried to reflect accurately the best practices and theories, or to point
out how teachers may get at the best. Their obligations to others are
too extended to be noted in a preface, but will be apparent on every
page of the text. Their most important lessons have come from the
reactions secured from hundreds of teachers who have been under their
tuition.
Copyright obligations are indicated in connection with the selections
used.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1. LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN
_The beginnings._ During the eighteenth century the peoples of Europe
and America turned their attention in a remarkable way to a
consideration of the worth and rights of the individual. In America this
so-called democratic movement culminated in the Declaration of
Independence in 1776. The most dramatic manifestation of the movement in
Europe was the French Revolution of 1789, but every country of Europe
was thrilled and changed by the new thought. Every important democratic
movement leads to an awakened interest in the welfare of children, for
they are among the weak and helpless. This great movement of the
eighteenth century brought such a remarkable change of thought regarding
children as to mark the beginning of a new kind of literature, known as
literature for children.
Today we think of Andersen, Stevenson, Mrs. Ewing, and scores of others
as writers of literature for children. Such writers did not exist before
the democratic movement of the eighteenth century. It is true that a few
short books and articles had been written for children as early as the
fifteenth century, but they were written to teach children to be
obedient and respectful to parents and masters or to instruct them in
the customs of the church--they were not written primarily to entertain
children and give them pleasure. Within the last century and a half,
too, many authors have collected and retold for children innumerable
traditional stories from all parts of the earth--traditional fairy
stories, romantic stories of the Middle Ages, legends, and myths.
_The child's inheritance._ As has been indicated, children's literature
is of two kinds: first, the traditional kind that grew up among the folk
of long ago in the forms of rhyme, myth, fairy tale, fable, legend, and
romantic hero story; and, second, the kind that has been produced in
modern times by individual authors. The first, the traditional kind, was
produced by early civilization and by the childlike peasantry of long
ago. The best of the stories produced by the childhood of the race have
been bequeathed to the children of today, and to deprive children of the
pleasure they would get from this inheritance of folklore seems as
unjust as to deprive them of traditional games, which also help to make
the first years of a person's life, the period of childhood, the period
of imaginative play. The second kind of children's literature, that
produced in modern times by individual authors, has likewise been
bequeathed to children. Some of it is so new that its worth has not been
determined, but some of it has passed the test of the classics. The best
of both kinds is as priceless as is the classical literature for adults.
The world would not sell Shakespeare; yet one may well doubt that
Shakespeare is worth as much to humanity as is Mother Goose. To evaluate
truly the worth of such classics is impossible; but we may be assured
that the child who has learned to appreciate the pleasures and the
beauties of Mother Goose is the one most likely to appreciate the
pleasures and the beauties of Shakespeare when the proper time comes.
The true purpose of education is to bring the child into his
inheritance. For many years educators have talked about the use of
literature _in_ the grades as one means of accomplishing this purpose.
The results of attempts to teach literature in the grades have sometimes
been disappointing because often the literature used has not been _for_
the grades; that is, it has not been children's literature. In other
cases the attempts have failed because the literature has not been
presented as literature--it has, for example, been presented as reading
lessons or composition assignments. Students preparing to teach in the
grades have been studying textbooks from which literature for children
has been excluded, regardless of its artistic worth. Consequently many
teachers have not been prepared to teach literature in the grades. Often
they have assumed that the reading lesson would develop in the pupil an
appreciation of good literature, not realizing that the reading lesson
may cause pupils to dislike literature, especially poetry, unless it is
supplemented by appropriate work in children's literature. If the
student reads thoughtfully the literary selections in the following
sections of this book, he probably will realize that children's
literature is also literature for adults, and that it is not only the
child's inheritance, but also the inheritance of humanity.
The fact that literature for children is likely to have a strong
interest for adults is strikingly suggested in a few sentences in John
Macy's _A Child's Guide to Reading_:
When "juveniles" are really good, parents read
them after children have gone to bed. I do not
know whether _Tom Brown at Rugby_ is catalogued
by the careful librarian as a book for boys,
but I am sure it is a book for men. I dare say
that a good many pairs of eyes that have passed
over the pages of Mr. John T. Trowbridge and
Elijah Kellogg and Louisa M. Alcott have been
old enough to wear spectacles. And if Mrs. Kate
Douglas Wiggin ever thought that in _Timothy's
Quest_ and _Rebecca_ she was writing books
especially for the young, adult readers have
long since claimed her for their own. I have
enjoyed Mr. A. S. Pier's tales of the boys at
St. Timothy's, though he planned them for
younger readers. We are told on good authority
that _St. Nicholas_ and _The Youth's Companion_
appear in households where there are no
children, and they give a considerable portion
of their space to serial stories written for
young people. Between good "juveniles" and good
books for grown persons there is not much
essential difference.
2. LITERATURE IN THE GRADES
_Reading and literature distinguished._ A country school-teacher once
abruptly stopped the routine of daily work and, standing beside her
desk, told the story of the maid who counted her chickens before they
were hatched. One of her pupils, who is now a man, remembers vividly how
the incident impressed him. Although he was in the second grade, that
was the first time he had known a teacher to stop regular school work to
tell a story. Immediately the teacher was transformed. She had been
merely a teacher, one of those respected, awe-inspiring creatures whose
business it is to make the school mill go; but the magic of her story
established the relation of friendship between teacher and pupil. She
was no longer merely a teacher. If the story had been read as a part of
the reading lesson, it would not have impressed the pupil greatly. It
was impressive because it was presented as literature.
A clear distinction should be made between reading and literature,
especially in the primary grades. In the work of the reading course the
pupil should take the lead, being guided by the teacher. If the pupil is
to progress, he must master the mechanics of reading--he must learn to
pronounce printed words and to get the meaning of printed sentences and
paragraphs. The course in reading requires patient work on the part of
the pupil, just as the course in arithmetic does, and the chief pleasure
that the primary pupil can derive from the work is a consciousness of
enlarged power and of success in accomplishing what is undertaken.
In the work with literature, however, the teacher should take the lead.
She should open to the pupils the magic treasure house of the world's
best story and song. The literature period of the day should be the
pupil's imaginative play period, bringing relief from the tension of
tired nerves. The teacher who makes the study of literature a mechanical
grind instead of a joyous exercise of imagination misses at least two of
her greatest opportunities as a teacher. First, by failing to cultivate
in her pupils an appreciation of good literature, she misses an
opportunity to make the lives of her pupils brighter and happier.
Second, by failing to realize that the person with a story and a song is
everybody's friend, she misses an opportunity to win the friendship,
admiration, and love of her pupils. The inexperienced teacher who is
well-nigh distracted in her efforts to guide forty restless, disorderly
pupils through the program of a day's work might charm half her troubles
away by the magic of a simple story or by the music and imagery of a
juvenile poem. Her story or poem would do more than remove the cause of
disorder by giving the pupils relaxation from nerve-straining work: it
would help to establish that first essential to all true success in
teaching--a relation of friendship between pupils and teacher.
_Culture through literature._ He was a wise educator who said, "The boy
who has access to good books and who has learned to make them his close
friends is beyond the power of evil." Literature in the grades, in
addition to furnishing intellectual recreation, should so cultivate in
the pupil the power of literary appreciation that he will make good
books his close friends. The child who has heard good music from infancy
is not likely to be attracted by popular ragtime. The boy who has been
trained in habits of courtesy, industry, and pure thinking in his home
life, and school life is not likely to find pleasure in the rudeness,
idleness, and vulgarity of the village poolroom. The pupil who is taught
to appreciate the beautiful, the true, and the good in standard
literature is not likely to find pleasure in reading the melodramatic
and sentimental trash that now has prominence of place and space in many
book stores and in some public libraries. It is the duty of the teacher,
and it should be her pleasure, to cultivate in her pupils such a taste
for good literature as will lead them to choose the good and reject the
bad, a taste that will insure for them the culture that good literature
gives.
_Selection of material._ In choosing selections of literary worth to
present to her pupils, the teacher should keep in mind the pupil's stage
of mental development and she should not forget that the study of
literature should give pleasure. Often pupils do not like what moral
writers think they should like, and usually the pupils are right. Good
literature is sincere and is true in its appeal to the fundamental
emotions of humanity, and an obvious attempt to teach a moral theory at
the expense of truth is no more to be tolerated in literature for
children than in literature for adults. The childhood of the race has
produced much literature with a true appeal to the human heart, in the
form of fable, fairy story, myth, and hero story. Most of this
literature appeals strongly to the child of today. For several hundred
years the nursery rhymes of "Mother Goose" have delighted children with
their melody, humor, and imagery. As literature for the kindergarten and
first grade, they have not often been excelled by modern writers. The
task of selecting suitable material from the many poems, stories, and
books written for children in recent years is difficult, but if the
teacher has a keen appreciation of good literature and is guided by the
likes and dislikes of her pupils, she probably will not go far astray.
_Supplemental reading._ If the teacher examines the juvenile books
offered for sale by the book dealers of her town or city, she probably
will discover that most of them are trash not fit to be read by anyone,
and she will realize the importance of directing parents in the
selection of gift books for children. A good way to get better books
into the book stores and into the hands of children is to give the
pupils a list of good books, with the suggestion that they ask their
parents to buy one of them the next time a book is to be bought as a
present. Such lists of books also will improve the standard of books in
the town library, for librarians will be quick to realize the importance
of supplying standard literature if there is a demand for it.
3. STORY-TELLING AND DRAMATIZATION
_Story-telling._ Most stories are much more effective when well told
than they are when read, just as most lectures and sermons are most
effective when delivered without manuscript. To explain just why the
story well told is superior to the story read might not be easy, but
much of the superiority probably comes from the freedom of the "talk
style" and the more appropriate use of inflection and emphasis. Then,
too, the story-teller can look at her audience and is free to add a
descriptive word or phrase occasionally to produce vividness of
impression. Some stories, of course, are so constructed that they must
follow closely the diction of the original form. "Henny-Penny" and
Kipling's _Just-So Stories_ are of this type. Such stories should be
read. Most stories, however, are most effective when well told. The
teacher, especially the teacher of one of the primary grades, should not
consider herself prepared to teach literature until she has gained
something of the art of story-telling.
_Selection of stories._ Never attempt to tell a story that you do not
like. You are not prepared to interest pupils in a story, however
appropriate it otherwise may be, if you are not interested in it
yourself. Try to choose stories adapted in structure and content to the
age and experience of the children of your grade. For the first or
second grade, choose a few simple fables, a few short, simple fairy
tales, and a few short, simple nature stories, such as "Peter Rabbit,"
"How Johnny Chuck Finds the Best Thing in the World," and "Mr. 'Possum's
Sick Spell." Remember that a story for the first or second grade should
be short.
_Two principles._ Learn to apply readily the following principles of
method: First, use the past tense in telling a story except in direct
quotation. The rules of grammar require this, and it is an aid to
clearness and effectiveness. For example, do not say, "So he goes" or
"Then he says"; but say, "So he went" or "Then he said" (or, for
variety, _replied_, _growled_, _mumbled_, etc.). Second, use direct
discourse (the exact words of the characters) rather than indirect
discourse. For example, do not say, "The Troll asked who was tripping
over his bridge"; but say, "'WHO'S THAT tripping over my bridge?' roared
the Troll." Direct discourse always gives life and vividness to a story.
_Preparation and presentation._ When you have selected a suitable story,
read it carefully several times to learn the essential details and the
order in which they should come. Keep in mind the fact that you are to
use the past tense and direct discourse. If the story is a fable, you
probably will see that you should add much conversation and description
not in the text. A little description of the witch, giant, fairy, or
castle may give vividness to your story. If the story is a long fairy
tale, you may see that many details may be omitted. If the story is as
concise and dramatic as is the version of "The Three Billy-Goats Gruff"
in this book, it may be suitable for presentation without any changes.
When you have the story clearly in mind as you wish to present it, tell
it to the pupils several times, and then have some of them tell it.
Your story, of course, should not be told in a lifeless monotone. Some
parts should be told slowly, and others rapidly. In some parts the voice
should be low and soft, while in other parts it should be loud and gruff
or harsh. The words of the princess should not sound like those of the
old witch or the soldier. The daintiness and grace of elves and fairies
should be indicated in the delivery.
_Corroborative opinion._ The many books on the art of story-telling by
skilled practitioners and the emphasis placed upon the great practical
value of story-telling by all those charged with the oversight of the
education of children show conclusively that the story method in
teaching is having its grand renascence. The English education minister,
Mr. H. A. L. Fisher, speaking recently on the subject of "History
Teaching," set forth admirably the general principles back of this
revival:
There is no difficulty about interesting
children. The real difficulty is to bore them.
Almost any tale will interest a child. It need
not be well constructed or thrilling; it may be
filled with the most unexciting and trivial
incidents, but so long as it carries the mind
along at all, it will interest a child. The
hunger which intelligent children have for
stories is almost inexhaustible. They like to
have their stories repeated, and insist that
the characters should reappear over and over
again, for they have an appetite for reality
and a desire to fix these passing figments into
the landscape of the real life with which they
are surrounded.
One of the great qualities in childhood which
makes it apt for receiving historical
impressions is just this capacity for giving
body to the phantoms of the mind. The limits
between the real and the legendary or
miraculous which are drawn by the critical
intelligence do not exist for the childish
mind. . . . It would then be a great educational
disaster if this valuable faculty in childhood
were allowed to run to waste. There are certain
years in the development of every normal
intelligent child when the mind is full of
image-making power and eager to make a friend
or enemy of any god, hero, nymph, fairy, or
servant maid who may come along. Then is the
time when it is right and fitting to affect
some introductions to the great characters of
mythology and history; that is the age at which
children will eagerly absorb what they can
learn of Achilles and Orpheus, of King Arthur
and his Knights, of Alexander and Christopher
Columbus and the Duke of Wellington. I do not
think it is necessary to obtrude any moralizing
commentary when these great and vague images
are first brought into the landscape of the
child's intellectual experience. A little
description, a few stories, a picture or two,
will be enough to fix them in the memory and to
give them body and shape together with the
fairies and witches and pirate kings and
buccaneering captains with whom we have all at
one time been on such familiar terms. Let us
then begin by teaching the past to small
children by way of stories and pictures.
_Dramatization._ The play spirit that leads children to play lady,
doctor, church, and school will also lead them to enjoy dramatizing
stories, or "playing the stories," as they call it. Some stories, of
course, are so lacking in action as to be not well suited for
dramatization, and others have details of action, character, or
situation that may not well be represented in the schoolroom. The
teacher may be surprised, however, to see how ingenious her pupils are
in overcoming difficulties after they have had a little assistance in
playing two or three stories. Unconsciously the pupil will get from the
dramatization a training in oral English, reading, and literary
appreciation that can hardly be gained in any other way.
When the pupils have learned a story thoroughly, they are ready to make
plans for playing it. The stage setting may be considered first, and
here the child's imagination can work wonders in arranging details. The
opening under the teacher's desk may become a dungeon, a cave, a cellar,
or a well. If a two-story house is needed, it may be outlined on the
floor in the front part of the schoolroom, with a chalk-mark stairway,
up which Goldilocks can walk to lie down on three coats--the three beds
in the bed-chamber of the three bears.
The pupils can probably soon decide what characters are necessary, but
more time may be required to assign the parts. To play the part of a
spider, bear, wolf, fairy, sheep, or butterfly does not seem difficult
to a child who has entered into the spirit of the play.
The most difficult part of dramatization may be the plan for
conversation, especially if the text version of the story contains
little or no direct discourse. The pupils should know the general nature
of the conversation and action before they begin to play the story,
although they need not memorize the parts. Suppose that the fable "The
Shepherd's Boy" is to be dramatized. The first part of the dramatization
might be described about as follows:
The shepherd boy, tending his flock of
pupil-sheep in the pasture land at one side of
the teacher's-desk-mountain, looked toward the
pupil-desk-village at one side of the room and
said quietly, "It certainly is lonely here. I
believe I'll make those villagers think a wolf
has come to eat the sheep. Then perhaps they'll
come down here, and I'll have a little company
and some excitement." Then he jumped around
frantically, waving his yardstick-shepherd's
crook, and shouted to the villagers, "Wolf!
Wolf!"
The villagers came rushing down to the pasture
land, asking excitedly, "Where's the wolf? Has
he killed many of the sheep?"
"Oh, oh, oh," laughed the boy, "there wasn't
any wolf. I certainly did fool you that time."
"I don't think that's very funny," said one of
the villagers.
"Well, we might as well go back to our work,"
said another. Then they went back to the
village.
After they had gone, the boy said, "I guess
I'll try that joke again."
If the teacher puts much direct discourse in a story of this kind when
she tells it to the pupils, the task of dramatizing will naturally be
made easier.
Some stories lend themselves in the most natural manner to
dramatization. An interesting example of such a story may be found among
the tales dealing with the Wise Men of Gotham. These Wise Men are
referred to in one of the best known of the Mother Goose rhymes. It
would seem that the inhabitants of Gotham, in the reign of King John,
had some reason of their own for pretending to be mad, and out of this
event the legends took their rise. The number of fishermen may be
changed to seven or some other number to suit the number in the acting
group. Here is the story:
On a certain time there were twelve men of
Gotham that went to fish, and some stood on dry
land. And in going home, one said to the other
"We have ventured wonderfully in wading. I pray
God that none of us come home to be drowned."
"Nay, marry," said the other, "let us see that,
for there did twelve of us come out." Then they
counted themselves, and every one counted
eleven. Said the one to the other, "There is
one of us drowned." They went back to the brook
where they had been fishing and sought up and
down for him that was drowned, making great
lamentation.
A stranger coming by asked what it was they
sought for, and why they were sorrowful. "Oh!"
said they, "this day we went to fish in the
brook; twelve of us came together, and one is
drowned." Said the stranger, "Tell how many
there be of you." One of them, counting, said,
"Eleven," and again he did not count himself.
"Well," said the stranger, "what will you give
me if I find the twelfth man?" "Sir," said
they, "all the money we have got." "Give me the
money," said the stranger, and began with the
first, and gave him a stroke over the shoulders
with his whip, which made him groan, saying,
"Here is one," and so he served them all, and
they all groaned at the matter. When he came to
the last he paid him well, saying, "Here is the
twelfth man." "God's blessing on thy heart,"
said they, "for thus finding our dear brother."
4. COURSES OF STUDY
As an aid to inexperienced teachers, it seems well to suggest in a
summary how a selection of material suitable for each grade might be
made from the material of this book. The summary, however, should be
regarded as suggestive in a general way only. No detailed outline of a
course of study in literature for the grades can be ideal for all
schools because the pupils of a given grade in one school may be much
more advanced in the knowledge of literature and the ability to
understand and appreciate it than are the pupils of the same grade in
another school. Many literary selections, too, might appropriately be
taught in almost any grade if the method of presentation in each case
were suited to the understanding of the pupils. _Robinson Crusoe_, for
example, may appropriately be told to second-grade pupils, or it may be
read by fourth- or fifth-grade pupils, or it may be studied as fiction
by eighth-grade pupils or university students. All poems of remarkable
excellence that are suitable for primary pupils are also suitable for
pupils in the higher grades and for adults, and the same is true of many
prose selections.
The summary that follows, then, is to be regarded as "first aid" to the
untrained, inexperienced teacher. The teacher's own personal likes and
dislikes and her success in presenting various literary selections
should eventually lead her to modify any prescribed course of study. If
a teacher of the sixth grade discovers that her pupils should rank only
second grade in knowledge and appreciation of literature, she may very
properly begin with traditional fairy tales. Another outlined course of
study is given in Section XII of this book.
_First, second, and third grades._ Since pupils in the primary grades
read with difficulty if at all, the teacher should tell or read all
selections presented as literature in these grades.
No kind of prose is better suited for use in the primary grades than
traditional fairy tales. About half a dozen might well be presented in
each of the three grades. For the first grade, the simplest should be
chosen, such as "The Old Woman and Her Pig," "Teeny-Tiny," "The Cat and
the Mouse," "The Three Pigs," "The Three Bears," and "The Elves and the
Shoemaker." As suitable stories for the second grade, we might choose
"The Three Sillies," "Little Red Riding-Hood," "Cinderella," "The Three
Billy-Goats Gruff," "The Straw Ox," and "The Horned Women." For the
third grade, somewhat longer and more complex stories might be chosen.
About half a dozen fables might also be used appropriately in each of
the primary grades. Simple Aesopic fables in prose seem best for the
first two grades. More complex forms might be chosen for the third
grade, for example, "The Story of Alnaschar," "The Good Samaritan," "The
Discontented Pendulum," "The Musical Ass," "The Swan, the Pike, and the
Crab," and "The Hen with the Golden Eggs."
Much of the nature literature of the primary grades may be in the form
of verse, but some simple nature prose may be used successfully. From
the selections in this book, "Peter Rabbit" should be chosen for the
first grade, while "Johnny Chuck," and "Mr. 'Possum's Sick Spell" are
appropriate for the second and third grades.
The simplest of Andersen's _Fairy Tales_ may be used in the third grade,
and perhaps in the second. Some suitable stories are "The Real
Princess," "The Fir Tree," "The Tinder Box," "The Hardy Tin Soldier,"
and "The Ugly Duckling."
The ideal verse for the first grade is nursery rhymes, which may be
chosen from the first 135 selections of this book. These may be
supplemented by such simple verse as "The Three Kittens," "The Moon,"
"Ding Dong," "The Little Kitty," "Baby Bye," "Time to Rise," "Rain," "I
Like Little Pussy," and "The Star." In the second and third grades,
traditional verses from those following Number 135 in Section II may be
used. The poems by Stevenson are ideal for these grades, and those by
Field, Sherman, and Christina Rossetti are good. In addition the teacher
might select such poems as "The Brown Thrush," and "Who Stole the Bird's
Nest."
_Fourth, fifth, and sixth grades._ Although pupils in these intermediate
grades may be expected to read some library books, the teacher should
read and tell stories frequently, for this is the surest way to develop
in the pupil a taste for good literature. The teacher should remember,
too, that the story she recommends to the pupils as suitable reading
should be about two grades easier than those told or read by the
teacher. Probably every poem presented as literature in these grades
should be read or recited by the teacher because pupils are not likely
to get the charm of rhythm, melody, and rhyme if they do the reading.
Pupils who dislike poetry are pupils who have not heard good poetry well
read.
Myths are appropriate for each of the intermediate grades. Most teachers
prefer for the fourth grade the simpler classical myths, such as "A
Story of Springtime," "The Miraculous Pitcher," "The Narcissus," and
"The Apple of Discord." In the fifth grade, the teacher may use the more
difficult classical myths, reserving the Norse myths for the sixth
grade.
Modern fairy and fantastic stories are also appropriate for each of
these grades. Suitable stories for the fourth grade are "The Four-Leaved
Clover," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Nightingale," and "The Story
of Fairyfoot." Stories appropriate for the fifth grade are "The Happy
Prince," "The Knights of the Silver Shield," and "The Prince's Dream."
In the sixth grade, the teacher might use "Old Pipes and the Dryad" and
"The King of the Golden River."
Two or three symbolic stories or fables in verse from the last part of
Section V should be used in each of these grades.
Nature prose should appeal more and more to children as they advance
from the fourth to the eighth grade. Many pupils in the fourth grade
will enjoy reading for themselves books by Burgess and Paine, while
fifth- and sixth-grade pupils will get much pleasure from the simpler
books by Sharp, Seton, Long, Miller, and Roberts. In the intermediate
grades, the teacher may read such stories as "Wild Life in the Farm
Yard," "The Vendetta," "Pasha," "Moufflou," and "Bird Habits."
Stories of various other kinds may be read by the teacher in the
intermediate grades. "Goody Two-Shoes" and "Waste Not, Want Not," are
suitable for the fourth grade. The biographies "How Columbus Got His
Ships" and "Boyhood of Washington" are excellent in the fifth or sixth
grade as an introduction to history study, and the romance "Robin Hood
and the Merry Little Old Woman" may be used appropriately in any of
these grades, especially if it is made to supplement a discussion of the
Norman conquest.
Most of the poems up to about No. 342, and a few beyond that, are within
the range of the work for these grades.
_Seventh and eighth grades._ Although pupils in the seventh and eighth
grades may be expected to read simple narrative readily, the teacher
should read to the pupils frequently. It cannot be too much emphasized
that reading aloud to children is the surest way of developing an
appreciation of the best in literature. In poetry especially this is a
somewhat critical time, as the pupil is passing from the simpler and
more concrete verse to that which has a more prominent thought content.
The persuasion of the reading voice smooths over many obstacles here.
Outside the field of poetry, the teacher's work in these grades is
mainly one of guidance and direction in getting the children and the
right books in contact. Children at this period are likely to be
omnivorous readers, ready for any book that comes their way, and the job
of keeping them supplied with titles of enough available good books for
their needs is indeed one to tax all a teacher's knowledge and
experience.
The demand for highly sensational stories on the part of pupils in the
upper grades is so insistent that it constitutes a special problem for
the teacher. It is a perfectly natural demand, and no wise teacher will
attempt to stifle it. Such an attempt would almost certainly result in a
more or less surreptitious reading of a mass of unwholesome books which
have come to be known as "dime novels." Instead of trying to thwart this
desire for the thrilling story the teacher should be ready to recommend
books which have all the attractive adventure features of the "dime
novel," and which have in addition sound artistic and ethical qualities.
While many such books are mentioned in the bibliographies in the latter
part of this text, it has seemed well to bring together here a short
list of those which librarians over the country have found particularly
fitted to serve as substitutes for the dime novel.
Alden, W. L., _The Moral Pirate_.
Altsheler, Joseph A., _The Young Trailers_. _Horsemen of the
Plains._
Barbour, Ralph H., _The Crimson Sweater_.
Bennett, John, _The Treasure of Peyre Gaillard_.
Burton, Charles P., _The Boys of Bob's Hill_.
Carruth, Hayden, _Track's End_.
Cody, William F., _Adventures of Buffalo Bill_.
Drysdale, William, _The Fast Mail_.
Grinnell, George Bird, _Jack among the Indians_. _Jack, the
Young Ranchman._
Hunting, Henry G., _The Cave of the Bottomless Pool_.
Janvier, Thomas A., _The Aztec Treasure House_.
Kaler, James Otis, _Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus_.
London, Jack, _The Call of the Wild_.
Malone, Captain P. B., _Winning His Way to West Point_.
Masefield, John, _Jim Davis_.
Mason, Alfred B., _Tom Strong, Washington's Scout_.
Matthews, Brander, _Tom Paulding_.
Moffett, Cleveland, _Careers of Danger and Daring_.
Munroe, Kirk, _Cab and Caboose_. _Derrick Sterling._
O'Higgins, Harvey J., _The Smoke Eaters_.
Quirk, Leslie W., _The Boy Scouts of the Black Eagle Patrol_.
Sabin, Edwin L., _Bar B Boys_.
Schultz, James Willard, _With the Indians in the Rockies_.
Stevenson, Burton E., _The Young Train Despatcher_.
Stevenson, Robert Louis, _Treasure Island_.
Stoddard, William O., _Two Arrows_. _Talking Leaves._
Trowbridge, John T., _Cudjo's Cave_. _The Young Surveyor._
Verne, Jules, _20,000 Leagues under the Sea_.
Wallace, Dillon, _Wilderness Castaways_.
White, Stewart Edward, _The Magic Forest_.
SECTION II
MOTHER GOOSE JINGLES AND NURSERY RHYMES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I. IMPORTANT IN TRACING THE MOTHER GOOSE CANON
c. 1760. _Mother Goose's Melody._ [Published by
John Newbery, London.]
No copy of this issue known to be in existence.
c. 1783. Ritson, Joseph, _Gammer Gurton's Garland, or the Nursery
Parnassus_. [1810, enlarged.]
c. 1785. _Mother Goose's Melody._ [Reprint of Newbery, by Isaiah Thomas,
Worcester, Mass.]
[1889. Whitmore, W. H., _The Original Mother
Goose's Melody_, as first issued by John
Newbery, of London, about A.D. 1760. Reproduced
in _facsimile_ from the edition as reprinted by
Isaiah Thomas, of Worcester, Mass., about A.D.
1785. With introduction and notes.]
1824 ff. _Mother Goose's Quarto, or Melodies Complete._ [Various issues
by Munroe and Francis, Boston.]
[Hale, Edward Everett, _The Only True Mother
Goose Melodies_. Exact reproduction of the text
and illustrations of the original edition
(_Mother Goose's Melodies: The Only Pure
Edition_) printed in Boston in 1834 by Monroe
and Francis. With an introduction.]
1826. Chambers, Robert, _Popular Rhymes of Scotland_. [1870, enlarged.]
1834. Ker, John Bellenden, _An Essay on the Archaeology of Popular
English Phrases and Nursery Rhymes_. [Supplemented 1840 and 1842.]
1842. Halliwell (Phillips), J. O., _The Nursery Rhymes of England_.
1849. Halliwell (Phillips), J. O., _Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales_.
1864. Rimbault, Edward F., _Old Nursery Rhymes with Tunes_.
II. IMPORTANT MODERN COLLECTIONS
Baring-Gould, Sabine, _A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes_.
Headland, I. T., _Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes_.
Jerrold, Walter, _The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes_.
Lang, Andrew, _The Nursery Rhyme Book_.
Newell, W. W., _Games and Songs of American Children_.
Saintsbury, G. E. B., _National Rhymes of the Nursery_.
Welsh, Charles, _A Book of Nursery Rhymes_.
Wheeler, William A., _Mother Goose's Melodies_.
III. NURSERY RHYMES WITH MUSIC
Crane, Walter, _The Baby's Bouquet, a Fresh Bunch of Old Rhymes
and Tunes_.
Homer, Sidney, _Songs from Mother Goose_.
Le Mair, H. Willebeck, _Our Old Nursery Rhymes_.
Le Mair, H. Willebeck, _Little Songs of Long Ago_.
Perkins, Raymond, _Thirty Old-Time Nursery Songs_.
IV. STUDIES
Bolton, H. C., _Counting-out Rhymes of Children, Their Antiquity,
Origin, and Wide Distribution_.
Earle, Alice Morse, _Child Life in Colonial Days_. [Especially
chap. xiv.]
Eckenstein, Lina, _Comparative Studies in Nursery Rhymes_.
Godfrey, Elizabeth, _English Children in the Olden Time_.
[Especially chap. ii.]
Gomme, A. B., _The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and
Ireland_. 2 vols.
Green, P. B., _The History of Nursery Rhymes_.
Halsey, Rosalie V., _Forgotten Books of the American Nursery_.
Field, W. T., _Fingerposts to Children's Reading_, pp. 193 ff.
Moses, M. J., _Children's Books and Reading_, pp. 40 ff.
SECTION II. MOTHER GOOSE JINGLES AND NURSERY RHYMES
INTRODUCTORY
_A flawless literature._ The one literature that is supremely adapted to
its purpose is the collection of rhymes associated with Mother Goose. To
every child it comes with an irresistible appeal. It has a power so
natural and fundamental that it defies explanation. The child takes it
for granted just as he does his parents. It has a perfection of rhythm
and structure not attainable by modern imitators. It has been perfected
through the generations by the surest of all tests, that of constant
popular use. Much of it is common to many different nations. It is an
international literature of childhood. While much of it is known to
children long before they enter school, these jingles, like all folk
literature, never lose their charm through repetition. The schools have
long since learned the value of the familiar in teaching. The process of
learning to read is usually based on some of the better known rhymes.
Teachers of literature in more advanced classes think they can generally
detect the students who have been especially "learned" in "Mother Goose
her ways" by their quick responsiveness to the facts of verbal rhythm
and rhythmical structure in more sophisticated products. "If we have no
love for poetry to-day, it may not impossibly be due to the fact that we
have ceased to prize the old, old tales which have been the delight of
the child and the child-man since the foundations of the world. If you
want your child to love Homer, do not withhold Mother Goose."
_Who was Mother Goose?_ The answer to this, as to other questions
suggested below, may be of no direct or special interest to the children
themselves. But teachers should know some of the main conclusions
arrived at by folklorists and others in their investigations of the
traditional materials used for basic work in literature. All the
evidence shows that Mother Goose as the name of the familiar old lady of
the nursery came to us from France. Andrew Lang discovered a reference
to her in a French poem of 1650, where she figures as a teller of
stories. In 1697 Perrault's famous fairy tales were published with a
frontispiece representing an old woman spinning, and telling tales to a
man, a girl, a little boy, and a cat. On this frontispiece was the
legend, _Tales of Our Mother Goose_. (See note to No. 161.)
As a teller of prose tales, Mother Goose came to England with the
translation of Perrault about 1730. We do not find her name connected
with verse until after the middle of the eighteenth century. About the
year 1760 a little book called _Mother Goose's Melody_ was issued by
John Newbery, a London publisher and a most important figure in the
history of the production of books for children. It is a pleasant and
not improbable theory that this first collection of nursery rhymes, upon
which later ones were built, was the work of Oliver Goldsmith, who was
for some years in Newbery's employ. However that may be, it is certain
that from this date the name of Mother Goose has been almost exclusively
associated with nursery rhymes.
Newbery's _Mother Goose's Melody_ was soon reprinted by Isaiah Thomas,
of Worcester, Massachusetts, and thus came into the hands of American
children early in our national life. A long-since exploded theory was
advanced about 1870 that Mother Goose was a real woman of Boston in the
early eighteenth century, whose rhymes were published by her son-in-law,
Thomas Fleet, in 1719. But no one has identified any such publication
and there is no evidence whatever that this old lady in cap and
spectacles is other than purely mythical.
_Whence came the jingles themselves?_ It is certain that many nursery
rhymes are both widespread geographically in distribution and of great
antiquity. Halliwell and others have found references to some of them in
old books which prove that many of the English rhymes go back several
centuries. They are of popular origin; that is, they took root
anonymously among the folk and were passed on by word of mouth. When a
rhyme can be traced to any known authority we generally find that the
folk have extracted what pleased, have forgotten or modified any
original historical or other application the rhymes may have possessed,
and in general have shaped the rhyme to popular taste. "Thus our old
nursery rhymes," says Andrew Lang, "are smooth stones from the book of
time, worn round by constant friction of tongues long silent. We cannot
hope to make new nursery rhymes, any more than we can write new fairy
tales."
Here are a few illustrations of what scholars have been able to tell us
of the sources of the rhymes: "Jack and Jill" preserves the Icelandic
myth of two children caught up into the moon, where they can still be
seen carrying a bucket on a pole between them. "Three Blind Mice" is
traced to an old book called _Deuteromalia_ (1609). "Little Jack Horner"
is all that is left of an extended chapbook story, _The Pleasant History
of Jack Horner, Containing His Witty Tricks_, etc. "Poor Old Robinson
Crusoe" is a fragment from a song by the character Jerry Sneak in
Foote's _Mayor of Garratt_ (1763). "Simple Simon" gives all that the
nursery has preserved of a long chapbook verse story. "A Swarm of Bees
in May" was found by Halliwell quoted in Miege's _Great French
Dictionary_ (1687). These and numerous like facts serve only to impress
us with the long and honorable history of the nursery rhyme.
_Can nursery rhymes be helpfully classified?_ This question seems of
more consequence to the teacher than the previous ones because it deals
with the practical organization of his material. The most superficial
observer can see that Nos. 3, 36, 46, 59, 62, and 113, on the following
pages, are riddles; that Nos. 22 and 30 are counting-out rhymes; that
Nos. 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 are replies that might be made to one who
indulged unduly in suppositions; that No. 27 is a face game, No. 75 a
hand game, and No. 108 a toe game; that Nos. 42, 81, 82, 107, and 111
are riding songs; that Nos. 7, 10, 23, 67, and 137 are proverbial
sayings; that Nos. 64 and 89 are charms; and so one might continue with
groupings based on the immediate use made of the rhyme, not forgetting
the great number that lend themselves to the purposes of the crooned
lullaby or soothing song.
Halliwell made the first attempt at any complete classification in his
_Nursery Rhymes of England_ (1842), using eighteen headings: (1)
Historical, (2) Literal, (3) Tales, (4) Proverbs, (5) Scholastic, (6)
Songs, (7) Riddles, (8) Charms, (9) Gaffers and Gammers, (10) Games,
(11) Paradoxes, (12) Lullabies, (13) Jingles, (14) Love and Matrimony,
(15) Natural History, (16) Accumulative Stories, (17) Local, (18)
Relics. Andrew Lang follows Halliwell, but reduces the classes to
fourteen by combining (2) and (5), (7) and (11), (8) and (12), and by
omitting (17). These classifications are made from the standpoint of the
folklore scholar, and are based on the sources from which the rhymes
originally sprang. Professor Saintsbury scouts the value of any such
arrangement, since all belong equally in the one class, "jingles," and
he also rightly points out that "all genuine nursery rhymes . . . have
never become nursery rhymes until the historical fact has been
practically forgotten by those who used them, and nothing but the
metrical and musical attraction remains."
Without denying the great significance of popular rhymes to the student
of folklore, we must look elsewhere for any practical suggestion for the
teacher in the matter of arrangement. Such a suggestion will be found in
the late Charles Welsh's _Book of Nursery Rhymes_, a little volume that
every teacher interested in children's literature must make use of. The
rhymes are grouped into three main divisions: (1) Mother Play, (2)
Mother Stories, and (3) Child Play, with subordinate groupings under
each. About 250 rhymes are included in Welsh's collection, and the
arrangement suggests the best order for using them practically, without
dropping into any ironclad system.
It may be argued that any attempt at classification of material so
freely and variously used as the Mother Goose rhymes is sure to stiffen
the work of the class and render it less enjoyable. Spontaneity is more
vital here than at any other stage of one's literary education.
_What is the secret of the nursery rhyme's appeal to children?_ Here at
least we are face to face with what may be called a final fact, that
these jingles do make an appeal so universal and remarkable that any
attempt to explain it seems always to fall far short of completeness.
Perhaps the best start may be made with Mr. Welsh's suggestion that this
appeal is threefold: first, that which comes from the rhyming jingle, as
in "Higgledy, piggledy, my fat hen"; second, that which comes from the
nonsense surprises, as in "Hey diddle diddle," "Three wise men of
Gotham," and "I'll tell you a story"; third, that which comes from the
dramatic action, as in "Little Miss Muffet," and "Little Jack Horner."
This summary does not differ much from Mr. Walter Taylor Field's
conclusions: "The child takes little thought as to what _any_ of these
verses mean. There are perhaps four elements in them that appeal to
him,--first, the jingle, and with it that peculiar cadence which modern
writers of children's poetry strive in vain to imitate; second, the
nonsense,--with just enough of sense in it to connect the nonsense with
the child's thinkable world; third, the action,--for the stories are
quite dramatic in their way; and fourth, the quaintness." Mr. Field also
emphasizes the probable charm of mystery in the face of the unknown
facts beyond the child's horizon, which appear in many of the rhymes.
Other commentators do little beyond expanding some of these suggestions.
All of them agree in stressing the appeal made by rhythm, the jingle,
the emphatic meter. This seems a fundamental thing in all literature,
though readers are mainly conscious of it in poetry. Just how
fundamental it is in human life has not been better hinted than in a
sentence by Mrs. MacClintock: "One who is trying to write a sober
treatise in a matter-of-fact way dares not, lest he be set down as the
veriest mystic, say all the things that might be said about the
function of rhythm, especially in its more pronounced form of meter,
among a community of children, no matter what the size of the group--how
rhythmic motion, or the flow of measured and beautiful sounds,
harmonizes their differences, tunes them up to their tasks, disciplines
their conduct, comforts their hurts, quiets their nerves; all this apart
from the facts more or less important from the point of view of
literature, that it cultivates their ear, improves their taste, and
provides them a genuinely artistic pleasure."
Professor Saintsbury, as usual, adds a fascinating turn to the
discussion when, after agreeing that we may see in the rhymes, "to a
great extent, the poetical appeal of sound as opposed to that of meaning
in its simplest and most unmistakable terms," he continues: "And we
shall find something else, which I venture to call the attraction of the
inarticulate. . . . In moments of more intense and genuine feeling . . .
[man] does not as a rule use or at least confine himself to articulate
speech. . . . All children . . . fall naturally, long after they are able
to express themselves as it is called rationally, into a sort of pleasant
gibberish when they are alone and pleased or even displeased. . . . It must
be a not infrequent experience of most people that one frequently falls
into pure jingle and nonsense verse of the nursery kind. . . . I should
myself, though I may not carry many people with me, go farther than this
and say that this 'attraction of the inarticulate,' this allurement of
mere sound and sequence, has a great deal more to do than is generally
thought with the charm of the very highest poetry. . . . In the best
nursery rhymes, as in the simpler and more genuine ballads which have so
close a connection with them, we find this attraction of the
inarticulate--this charm of pure sound, this utilizing of alliteration
and rhyme and assonance." Those who have noticed the tendency of
children to find vocal pleasure even of a physical or muscular sort in
nonsense combinations of sounds, and who also realize their own tendency
in this direction, will feel that Professor Saintsbury has hit upon a
suggestive term in his claim for "the attraction of the inarticulate" as
a partial explanation of the Mother Goose appeal.
Through song, game, memorization, and dramatization, traditional or
original, the rhymes may be made to contribute to the child's
satisfaction in all of the directions pointed out.
SUGGESTIONS FOR READING
(Books referred to by authors' names are listed
in preceding bibliography.)
For orientation read Chauncey B. Tinker, "In
Praise of Nursery Lore," _Unpopular Review_,
Vol. VI, p. 338 (Oct.-Dec., 1916). For a most
satisfactory presentation of the whole subject
read chap. x, "Mother Goose," in Field. For the
origin of Mother Goose as a character consult
Lang's introduction to his edition of
_Perrault's Popular Tales_. For the theory of
her American nativity see Wheeler and Whitmore.
For the origins of the rhymes themselves the
authorities are Halliwell and Eckenstein. For
pedagogical suggestions see Welsh, also his
article "Nursery Rhymes," _Cyclopedia of
Education_ (ed. Monroe). For many interesting
facts and suggestions on rhythm in nursery
rhymes consult Charles H. Sears, "Studies in
Rhythm," _Pedagogical Seminary_, Vol. VIII, p.
3. For the whole subject of folk songs look
into Martinengo-Cesaresco, _The Study of Folk
Songs_. Books and periodicals dealing with
primary education often contain brief
discussions of value on the use of rhymes. Many
Mother Goose records have been prepared by the
educational departments of the various
talking-machine companies, and may be used to
advantage in the work in rhythm.
The shorter rhymes (Nos. 1-115) are arranged in alphabetical order.
There are many slight variations in the form of the text as found in
printed versions and in the oral versions used by children in different
communities. While Halliwell has been used as the basis for rhymes given
in his collection, the following versions try to reproduce the forms of
expression that seem generally most pleasing to children.
1
A cat came fiddling out of a barn,
With a pair of bagpipes under her arm;
She could sing nothing but fiddle-de-dee,
The mouse has married the bumble-bee;
Pipe, cat--dance, mouse--
We'll have a wedding at our good house.
2
A diller, a dollar,
A ten o'clock scholar,
What makes you come so soon?
You used to come at ten o'clock,
And now you come at noon.
3
As I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with seven wives;
Every wife had seven sacks,
Every sack had seven cats,
Every cat had seven kits:
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
How many were there going to St. Ives?
(_One._)
4
As I was going up Pippen Hill,--
Pippen Hill was dirty,--
There I met a pretty miss,
And she dropped me a curtsy.
Little miss, pretty miss,
Blessings light upon you;
If I had half-a-crown a day,
I'd spend it all upon you.
5
As I went to Bonner,
I met a pig
Without a wig,
Upon my word of honor.
6
As Tommy Snooks and Bessie Brooks
Were walking out one Sunday,
Says Tommy Snooks to Bessie Brooks,
"To-morrow will be Monday."
7
A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.
8
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, marry, have I,
Three bags full;
One for my master,
And one for my dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives in the lane.
9
Barber, barber, shave a pig,
How many hairs will make a wig?
"Four and twenty, that's enough."
Give the barber a pinch of snuff.
10
Birds of a feather flock together,
And so will pigs and swine;
Rats and mice will have their choice,
And so will I have mine.
11
Bless you, bless you, burnie bee;
Say, when will your wedding be?
If it be to-morrow day,
Take your wings and fly away.
12
Bobby Shafto's gone to sea,
With silver buckles at his knee;
He'll come back and marry me,--
Pretty Bobby Shafto!
Bobby Shafto's fat and fair,
Combing out his yellow hair,
He's my love for evermore,--
Pretty Bobby Shafto!
13
Bow, wow, wow,
Whose dog art thou?
Little Tom Tinker's dog,
Bow, wow, wow.
14
Bye, baby bunting,
Daddy's gone a-hunting,
To get a little rabbit skin
To wrap the baby bunting in.
15
Come when you're called,
Do what you're bid,
Shut the door after you,
Never be chid.
16
Cross patch,
Draw the latch,
And sit by the fire and spin;
Take a cup,
And drink it up,
Then call your neighbors in.
17
Curly locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine?
Thou shalt not wash the dishes, nor yet feed the swine.
But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam,
And feed upon strawberries, sugar, and cream!
18
Dance, little baby, dance up high,
Never mind, baby, mother is by;
Crow and caper, caper and crow,
There, little baby, there you go;
Up to the ceiling, down to the ground,
Backward and forward, round and round;
Dance, little baby, and mother will sing,
With the merry coral, ding, ding, ding!
19
Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John,
He went to bed with his stockings on;
One shoe off, the other shoe on,
Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John.
20
Ding, dong, bell!
Pussy's in the well.
Who put her in?
Little Tommy Green.
Who pulled her out?
Little Johnny Stout.
What a naughty boy was that,
To drown the poor, poor pussy-cat,
Who never did him any harm,
But killed the mice in his father's barn.
21
Doctor Foster
Went to Glo'ster,
In a shower of rain;
He stepped in a puddle,
Up to his middle,
And never went there again.
22
Eggs, butter, cheese, bread,
Stick, stock, stone dead,
Stick him up, stick him down,
Stick him in the old man's crown.
23
For every evil under the sun,
There is a remedy, or there is none.
If there be one, try to find it,
If there be none, never mind it.
24
Four-and-twenty tailors went to kill a snail,
The bravest man among them dursn't touch her tail;
The snail put out her horns, like a little Kyloe cow,
Run, tailors, run, or she'll kill you all e'en now.
25
Great A, little a,
Bouncing B!
The cat's in the cupboard,
And she can't see.
26
Hark, hark,
The dogs do bark,
The beggars are coming to town:
Some in tags,
Some in rags,
And some in velvet gowns.
27
Here sits the Lord Mayor, (_touching forehead_)
Here sit his two men, (_eyes_)
Here sits the cock, (_right cheek_)
Here sits the hen, (_left cheek_)
Here sit the little chickens, (_tip of nose_)
Here they all run in; (_mouth_)
Chinchopper, chinchopper,
Chinchopper chin! (_chuck the chin_)
28
Here we go up, up, up,
And here we go down, down, down;
And here we go backwards and forwards,
And here we go round, round, round.
29
Given as usually known to children. In some
older versions the word "craft" was used
instead of "sport," thus making a rhyme. There
is an old story of an overly serious parent who
was greatly disturbed by the evident
exaggerations in this jingle. After calling the
attention of his children to the offensive
improbabilities, the good man suggested the
following "revised version."
Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped _under_ the moon;
The little dog _barked_,
To see the sport,
And the _cat_ ran after the spoon!
Hey! diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
30
Hickery, dickery, 6 and 7,
Alabone Crackabone, 10 and 11,
Spin, span, muskidan;
Twiddle 'um, twaddle 'um, 21.
31
Higgledy, Piggledy,
My black hen,
She lays eggs
For gentlemen;
Sometimes nine,
And sometimes ten,
Higgledy, Piggledy,
My black hen!
32
Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock,
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down;
Hickory, dickory, dock.
33
Hogs in the garden, catch 'em, Towser.
Cows in the cornfield, run, boys, run;
Cats in the cream-pot, run, girls, run, girls;
Fire on the mountains, run, boys, run.
34
Hot-cross buns!
Hot-cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!
Hot-cross buns!
Hot-cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons.
35
Hub a dub dub,
Three men in a tub;
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker,
They all fell out of a rotten potato.
36
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
Threescore men and threescore more
Cannot place Humpty Dumpty as he was before.
(_An egg._)
37
If all the sea were one sea,
What a _great_ sea that would be!
And if all the trees were one tree,
What a _great_ tree that would be!
And if all the axes were one axe,
What a _great_ axe that would be!
And if all the men were one man,
What a _great_ man he would be!
And if the _great_ man took the _great_ axe,
And cut down the _great_ tree,
And let it fall into the _great_ sea,
What a splish splash _that_ would be!
38
If all the world was apple-pie,
And all the sea was ink,
And all the trees were bread and cheese,
What should we have for drink?
39
If I'd as much money as I could spend,
I never would cry, "Old chairs to mend!
Old chairs to mend! Old chairs to mend!"
I never would cry, "Old chairs to mend!"
If I'd as much money as I could tell,
I never would cry, "Old clothes to sell!
Old clothes to sell! Old clothes to sell!"
I never would cry, "Old clothes to sell!"
40
If "ifs" and "ands"
Were pots and pans,
There would be no need for tinkers!
41
If wishes were horses,
Beggars might ride;
If turnips were watches,
I'd wear one by my side.
42
I had a little pony,
His name was Dapple-gray,
I lent him to a lady,
To ride a mile away;
She whipped him, she slashed him,
She rode him through the mire;
I would not lend my pony now
For all that lady's hire.
43
I had a little hobby horse,
His name was Tommy Gray,
His head was made of pease straw,
His body made of hay;
I saddled him and bridled him,
And rode him up to town,
There came a little puff of wind
And blew him up and down.
44
I have a little sister, they call her peep, peep;
She wades the waters deep, deep, deep;
She climbs the mountains high, high, high;
Poor little creature, she has but one eye.
(_A star._)
45
I'll tell you a story
Of Jack-a-Nory,
And now my story's begun.
I'll tell you another
About Jack's brother,
And now my story is done.
46
In marble walls as white as milk,
Lined with a skin as soft as silk;
Within a fountain crystal clear,
A golden apple doth appear.
No doors there are to this stronghold,
Yet thieves break in and steal the gold.
(_An egg._)
47
1. I went up one pair of stairs.
2. Just like me.
1. I went up two pair of stairs.
2. Just like me.
1. I went into a room.
2. Just like me.
1. I looked out of a window.
2. Just like me.
1. And there I saw a monkey.
2. Just like me.
48
Jack and Jill went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down, and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
49
Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick,
Jack jump over the candlestick.
50
Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean;
And so between them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean.
51
Knock at the door, (_forehead_)
And peep in, (_lift eyelids_)
Open the door, (_mouth_)
And walk in.
Chinchopper, chinchopper,
Chinchopper chin!
52
These lines, common in similar form to many
countries, are said by children when they throw
the beautiful little insect into the air to
make it take flight.
Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home,
Your house is on fire, your children all gone;
All but one, and her name is Ann,
And she crept under the pudding-pan.
53
Little boy blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn;
Where is the boy that looks after the sheep?
He's under the haycock fast asleep.
Will you wake him? No, not I;
For if I do, he'll be sure to cry.
54
Little girl, little girl, where have you been?
Gathering roses to give to the queen.
Little girl, little girl, what gave she you?
She gave me a diamond as big as my shoe.
55
Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner,
Eating his Christmas pie.
He put in his thumb,
And he pulled out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I!"
56
Little Jack Jingle,
He used to live single,
But when he got tired of this kind of life,
He left off being single and lived with his wife.
57
Little Johnny Pringle had a little pig;
It was very little, so was not very big.
As it was playing beneath the shed,
In half a minute poor Piggie was dead.
So Johnny Pringle he sat down and cried,
And Betty Pringle she lay down and died.
This is the history of one, two, and three,
Johnny Pringle he,
Betty Pringle she,
And the Piggie-Wiggie.
58
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating of curds and whey;
There came a great spider,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
59
Little Nancy Etticoat,
In a white petticoat,
And a red nose;
The longer she stands,
The shorter she grows.
(_A candle._)
60
Little Robin Redbreast
Sat upon a rail;
Niddle naddle went his head,
Wiggle waggle went his tail.
61
Little Tommy Tucker
Sings for his supper;
What shall he eat?
White bread and butter.
How shall he cut it
Without e'er a knife?
How will he be married
Without e'er a wife?
62
Long legs, crooked thighs,
Little head and no eyes.
(_The tongs._)
63
Lucy Locket lost her pocket,
Kitty Fisher found it:
Nothing in it, nothing in it,
But the binding round it.
64
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Guard the bed that I lie on!
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
One to watch, one to pray,
And two to bear my soul away.
65
Mistress Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With cockle-shells, and silver bells,
And pretty maids all in a row.
66
Multiplication is vexation,
Division is as bad;
The Rule of Three perplexes me,
And Practice drives me mad.
67
Needles and pins, needles and pins,
When a man marries his trouble begins.
68
Old King Cole
Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Every fiddler, he had a fine fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.
Oh, there's one so rare,
As can compare
With old King Cole and his fiddlers three!
69
Once I saw a little bird
Come hop, hop, hop;
So I cried, "Little bird,
Will you stop, stop, stop?"
And was going to the window
To say, "How do you do?"
But he shook his little tail,
And far away he flew.
70
One for the money,
And two for the show;
Three to make ready,
And four to go.
71
One misty, moisty morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
I chanced to meet an old man
Clothed all in leather,
He began to compliment,
And I began to grin,--
"How do you do," and "How do you do,"
And "How do you do" again!
72
1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
I caught a hare alive;
6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
I let her go again.
73
One, two,
Buckle my shoe;
Three, four,
Shut the door;
Five, six,
Pick up sticks;
Seven, eight,
Lay them straight;
Nine, ten,
A good fat hen;
Eleven, twelve,
Who will delve?
Thirteen, fourteen,
Maids a-courting;
Fifteen, sixteen,
Maids a-kissing;
Seventeen, eighteen,
Maids a-waiting;
Nineteen, twenty,
My stomach's empty.
74
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man!
So I will, master, as fast as I can:
Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with T,
Put it in the oven for Tommy and me.
75
Pease-porridge hot,
Pease-porridge cold,
Pease-porridge in the pot,
Nine days old;
Some like it hot,
Some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot,
Nine days old.
76
Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater,
Had a wife and couldn't keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin-shell,
And there he kept her very well.
77
Halliwell suggests that "off a pewter plate" is
sometimes added at the end of each line. This
rhyme is famous as a "tongue twister," or
enunciation exercise.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
78
Poor old Robinson Crusoe!
Poor old Robinson Crusoe!
They made him a coat,
Of an old nanny goat,
I wonder how they could do so!
With a ring a ting tang,
And a ring a ting tang,
Poor old Robinson Crusoe!
79
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been?
I've been to London to see the Queen.
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under the chair.
80
Pussy sits beside the fire;
How can she be fair?
In comes the little dog,
"Pussy, are you there?
So, so, dear Mistress Pussy,
Pray tell me how do you do?"
"Thank you, thank you, little dog,
I'm very well just now."
81
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury-cross,
To see an old lady upon a white horse,
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
And so she makes music wherever she goes.
82
Ride, baby, ride!
Pretty baby shall ride,
And have a little puppy-dog tied to her side;
And one little pussy-cat tied to the other,
And away she shall ride to see her grandmother,
To see her grandmother,
To see her grandmother.
83
Rock-a-bye, baby,
On the tree top,
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall,
Down will come baby,
Bough, cradle, and all.
84
Rock-a-bye, baby, thy cradle is green;
Father's a nobleman, mother's a queen;
And Betty's a lady, and wears a gold ring;
And Johnny's a drummer, and drums for the king.
85
See a pin and pick it up,
All the day you'll have good luck;
See a pin and let it lay,
Bad luck you'll have all the day!
86
See, saw, sacradown,
Which is the way to London town?
One foot up, the other foot down,
And that is the way to London town.
87
Shoe the little horse,
And shoe the little mare,
And let the little colt
Run bare, bare, bare.
88
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie;
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing;
Was not that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
The king was in his counting-house
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlor
Eating bread and honey;
The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes,
When along came a blackbird,
And pecked off her nose.
Jenny was so mad,
She didn't know what to do;
She put her finger in her ear,
And cracked it right in two.
89
Star light, star bright,
First star I see to-night;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish to-night.
90
The King of France went up the hill,
With twenty thousand men;
The King of France came down the hill,
And ne'er went up again.
91
The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown;
The lion beat the unicorn
All round about the town.
Some gave them white bread,
And some gave them brown,
Some gave them plumcake,
And sent them out of town.
92
The man in the moon
Came tumbling down,
And asked the way to Norwich;
He went by the south
And burned his mouth
With supping cold pease porridge.
93
The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the robin do then?
Poor thing!
He will sit in a barn,
And to keep himself warm,
Will hide his head under his wing,
Poor thing!
94
The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts,
All on a summer's day.
The Knave of Hearts he stole those tarts,
And hid them clean away.
The King of Hearts he missed those tarts,
And beat the Knave right sore,
The Knave of Hearts brought back the tarts,
And vowed he'd steal no more.
95
There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile,
And found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile:
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
96
There was a little boy went into a barn,
And lay down on some hay;
An owl came out and flew about,
And the little boy ran away.
97
There was a man and he had naught,
And robbers came to rob him;
He crept up to the chimney top,
And then they thought they had him;
But he got down on t'other side,
And then they could not find him:
He ran fourteen miles in fifteen days,
And never looked behind him.
98
There was a man in our town,
And he was wondrous wise;
He jumped into a briar bush,
And scratched out both his eyes:
And when he saw his eyes were out,
With all his might and main
He jumped into another bush,
And scratched 'em in again.
99
There was an old man,
And he had a calf,
And that's half;
He took him out of the stall,
And put him on the wall;
And that's all.
100
There was an old woman, and what do you think?
She lived upon nothing but victuals and drink:
Victuals and drink were the chief of her diet;
Yet this little old woman could never keep quiet.
She went to the baker, to buy her some bread,
And when she came home, her old husband was dead;
She went to the clerk to toll the bell,
And when she came back her old husband was well.
101
There was an old woman lived under a hill,
And if she's not gone, she lives there still.
She put a mouse in a bag and sent it to mill;
The miller he swore by the point of his knife,
He never took toll of a mouse in his life.
102
There was an old woman of Leeds,
Who spent all her time in good deeds;
She worked for the poor,
Till her fingers were sore,
This pious old woman of Leeds!
103
There was an old woman of Norwich,
Who lived upon nothing but porridge!
Parading the town,
She turned cloak into gown!
This thrifty old woman of Norwich.
104
There was an old woman tossed up in a basket
Nineteen times as high as the moon;
Where she was going I couldn't but ask it,
For in her hand she carried a broom.
"Old woman, old woman, old woman," quoth I,
"O whither, O whither, O whither, so high?"
"To brush the cobwebs off the sky!"
"Shall I go with thee?" "Aye, by and by."
105
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without any bread,
Then whipped them all soundly, and put them to bed.
106
There was an owl lived in an oak,
Wisky, wasky, weedle;
And every word he ever spoke,
Was fiddle, faddle, feedle.
A gunner chanced to come that way,
Wisky, wasky, weedle;
Says he, "I'll shoot you, silly bird,"
Fiddle, faddle, feedle.
107
This is the way the ladies ride;
Tri, tre, tre, tree, tri, tre, tre, tree!
This is the way the ladies ride,
Tri, tre, tre, tree, tri, tre, tre, tree!
This is the way the gentlemen ride;
Gallop-a-trot, gallop-a-trot!
This is the way the gentlemen ride,
Gallop-a-trot-a-trot!
This is the way the farmers ride;
Hobbledy-hoy, hobbledy-hoy!
This is the way the farmers ride,
Hobbledy-hobbledy-hoy!
108
1. This little pig went to market;
2. This little pig stayed at home;
3. This little pig had roast beef;
4. And this little pig had none;
5. This little pig said, "Wee, wee, wee!
I can't find my way home."
109
Three blind mice! see, how they run!
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with the carving knife!
Did you ever see such a thing in your life?
Three blind mice!
110
Three wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl;
If the bowl had been stronger,
My song would have been longer.
111
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, dancing a jig;
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog;
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun.
Home again, home again, market is done.
112
Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
Stole a pig and away he run!
The pig was eat, and Tom was beat,
And Tom went roaring down the street!
113
Two-legs sat upon three-legs,
With one-leg in his lap;
In comes four-legs
And runs away with one-leg;
Up jumps two-legs,
Catches up three-legs,
Throws it after four-legs,
And makes him bring one-leg back.
(_One-leg is a leg of mutton;
two-legs, a man; three-legs,
a stool; four-legs, a dog._)
114
The following is another good "tongue twister"
(see No. 77). It is recommended for the little
lisper, and in former days it was recommended
as a sure cure for the hiccoughs.
When a twister a-twisting would twist him a twist,
For twisting a twist three twists he will twist;
But if one of the twists untwists from the twist,
The twist untwisting untwists the twist.
115
"Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going?
I will go with you, if I may."
"I am going to the meadow to see them a-mowing,
I am going to see them make the hay."
116
No. 116 and the two rhymes following are by
Miss Wilhelmina Seegmiller. (By permission of
the publishers, Rand McNally & Co., Chicago.)
Their presence will allow teachers to compare
some widely and successfully used modern
efforts with the traditional jingles in the
midst of which they are placed.
MILKWEED SEEDS
As white as milk,
As soft as silk,
And hundreds close together:
They sail away,
On an autumn day,
When windy is the weather.
117
AN ANNIVERSARY
Pop! fizz! bang! whizz!
Don't you know what day this is?
Fizz! bang! whizz! pop!
Hurrah for the Fourth! and hippity-hop!
118
TWINK! TWINK!
Twink, twink, twink, twink,
Twinkety, twinkety, twink!
The fireflies light their lanterns,
Then put them out in a wink.
Twink, twink, twink, twink,
They light their light once more,
Then twinkety, twinkety, twink, twink,
They put them out as before.
Nos. 119-146 are in the main the longer nursery
favorites and may somewhat loosely be called
the novels and epics of the nursery as the
former group may be called the lyrics and short
stories. All of them are marked by dramatic
power, a necessary element in all true classics
for children whether in verse or prose. Nos.
119 and 120 are two of the favorite jingles
used in teaching the alphabet. Each letter
suggests a distinct image. In No. 119 the
images are all of actions, and connected by the
direction of these actions upon a single
object. In No. 120 the images are each complete
and independent. Here it may be noticed that
some of the elements of the pictures are
determined by the exigencies of rhyme, as, for
instance, what the archer shot at, and what the
lady had. The originator doubtless expected the
child to see the relation of cause and
consequence between Y and Z.
119
A WAS AN APPLE-PIE
A was an apple-pie;
B bit it;
C cut it;
D dealt it;
E eat it;
F fought for it;
G got it;
H had it;
J joined it:
K kept it;
L longed for it;
M mourned for it;
N nodded at it;
O opened it;
P peeped in it;
Q quartered it;
R ran for it;
S stole it;
T took it;
V viewed it;
W wanted it;
X, Y, Z, and Ampersand (&)
All wished for a piece in hand.
120
TOM THUMB'S ALPHABET
A was an archer, and shot at a frog;
B was a butcher, and kept a bull-dog.
C was a captain, all covered with lace;
D was a drunkard, and had a red face.
E was an esquire, with insolent brow;
F was a farmer, and followed the plough.
G was a gamester, who had but ill luck;
H was a hunter, and hunted a buck.
I was an innkeeper, who loved to carouse;
J was a joiner, and built up a house.
K was a king, so mighty and grand;
L was a lady, who had a white hand.
M was a miser, and hoarded up gold;
N was a nobleman, gallant and bold.
O was an oyster girl, and went about town;
P was a parson, and wore a black gown.
Q was a queen, who sailed in a ship;
R was a robber, and wanted a whip.
S was a sailor, and spent all he got;
T was a tinker, and mended a pot.
U was an usurer, a miserable elf;
V was a vintner, who drank all himself.
W was a watchman, and guarded the door;
X was expensive, and so became poor.
Y was a youth, that did not love school;
Z was a zany, a poor harmless fool.
121
WHERE ARE YOU GOING
Where are you going, my pretty maid?
"I'm going a-milking, sir," she said.
May I go with you, my pretty maid?
"You're kindly welcome, sir," she said.
What is your father, my pretty maid?
"My father's a farmer, sir," she said.
What is your fortune, my pretty maid?
"My face is my fortune, sir," she said.
Then I can't marry you, my pretty maid.
"Nobody asked you, sir," she said.
122
MOLLY AND I
Molly, my sister, and I fell out,
And what do you think it was about?
She loved coffee, and I loved tea,
And that was the reason we couldn't agree.
But Molly, my sister, and I made up,
And now together we can sup,
For Molly drinks coffee, and I drink tea,
And we both are happy as happy can be.
123
LONDON BRIDGE
London bridge is broken down,
Dance o'er my lady Lee;
London bridge is broken down,
With a gay lady.
How shall we build it up again?
Dance o'er my lady Lee;
How shall we build it up again?
With a gay lady.
Build it up with silver and gold,
Dance o'er my lady Lee;
Build it up with silver and gold,
With a gay lady.
Silver and gold will be stole away,
Dance o'er my lady Lee;
Silver and gold will be stole away,
With a gay lady.
Build it again with iron and steel,
Dance o'er my lady Lee;
Build it up with iron and steel,
With a gay lady.
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Dance o'er my lady Lee;
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with wood and clay,
Dance o'er my lady Lee;
Build it up with wood and clay,
With a gay lady.
Wood and clay will wash away,
Dance o'er my lady Lee;
Wood and clay will wash away,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with stone so strong,
Dance o'er my lady Lee;
Huzza! 'twill last for ages long,
With a gay lady.
124
I SAW A SHIP
I saw a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea;
And oh, it was all laden
With pretty things for thee!
There were comfits in the cabin,
And apples in the hold;
The sails were made of silk,
And the masts were made of gold!
The four and twenty sailors,
That stood between the decks,
Were four and twenty white mice,
With chains about their necks.
The captain was a duck,
With a packet on his back;
And when the ship began to move,
The captain said, "Quack! Quack!"
125
THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN
There was an old woman, as I've heard tell,
She went to market her eggs for to sell;
She went to market all on a market-day,
And she fell asleep on the king's highway.
By came a pedlar whose name was Stout,
He cut her petticoats all round about;
He cut her petticoats up to her knees,
Which made the old woman to shiver and freeze.
When this little woman first did wake,
She began to shiver and she began to shake,
She began to wonder, and she began to cry,
"Lauk a mercy on me, this is none of I!
"But if it be I, as I do hope it be,
I've a little dog at home, and he'll know me;
If it be I, he'll wag his little tail,
And if it be not I, he'll loudly bark and wail."
Home went the little woman all in the dark,
Up got the little dog, and he began to bark;
He began to bark, so she began to cry,
"Lauk a mercy on me, this is none of I!"
126
LITTLE BO-PEEP
Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep,
And can't tell where to find them;
Leave them alone, and they'll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.
Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were still all fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook,
Determined for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they'd left their tails behind them.
It happened one day, as Bo-peep did stray,
Unto a meadow hard by:
There she espied their tails side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.
127
COCK A DOODLE DOO
Cock a doodle doo!
My dame has lost her shoe;
My master's lost his fiddling stick,
And don't know what to do.
Cock a doodle doo!
What is my dame to do?
Till master finds his fiddling stick,
She'll dance without her shoe.
Cock a doodle doo!
My dame has found her shoe,
And master's found his fiddling stick,
Sing doodle doodle doo!
Cock a doodle doo!
My dame will dance with you,
While master fiddles his fiddling stick,
For dame and doodle doo.
128
THREE JOVIAL HUNTSMEN
There were three jovial huntsmen,
As I have heard them say,
And they would go a-hunting
All on a summer's day.
All the day they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing with the wind.
One said it was a ship,
The other he said nay;
The third said it was a house
With the chimney blown away.
And all the night they hunted,
And nothing could they find,
But the moon a-gliding,
A-gliding with the wind.
One said it was the moon,
The other he said nay;
The third said it was a cheese,
And half o't cut away.
129
THERE WAS A LITTLE MAN
There was a little man,
And he had a little gun,
And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead;
He went to a brook,
And fired at a duck,
And shot it through the head, head, head.
He carried it home
To his old wife Joan,
And bade her a fire to make, make, make,
To roast the little duck,
He had shot in the brook,
And he'd go and fetch her the drake, drake, drake.
The drake was a-swimming,
With his curly tail;
The little man made it his mark, mark, mark!
He let off his gun,
But he fired too soon,
And the drake flew away with a quack, quack, quack.
130
TAFFY
Taffy was a Welshman;
Taffy was a thief;
Taffy came to my house,
And stole a piece of beef.
I went to Taffy's house;
Taffy wasn't home;
Taffy came to my house,
And stole a marrow-bone.
I went to Taffy's house;
Taffy was in bed;
I took up the marrow-bone
And flung it at his head!
131
SIMPLE SIMON
Simple Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair:
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Let me taste your ware."
Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
"Show me first your penny."
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Indeed I haven't any."
Simple Simon went a fishing
Just to catch a whale:
All the water he had got
Was in his mother's pail.
Simple Simon went to look
If plums grew on a thistle;
He pricked his fingers very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle.
132
A FARMER WENT TROTTING
A farmer went trotting upon his gray mare,
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!
With his daughter behind him so rosy and fair,
Lumpety, lumpety, lump!
A raven cried "Croak!" and they all tumbled down,
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!
The mare broke her knees, and the farmer his crown,
Lumpety, lumpety, lump!
The mischievous raven flew laughing away,
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!
And vowed he would serve them the same the next day,
Lumpety, lumpety, lump!
133
TOM THE PIPER'S SON
Tom he was a piper's son,
He learned to play when he was young,
But all the tunes that he could play,
Was "Over the hills and far away";
_Over the hills, and a great way off,_
_And the wind will blow my top-knot off._
Now Tom with his pipe made such a noise,
That he pleased both the girls and boys,
And they stopped to hear him play,
"Over the hills and far away."
Tom with his pipe did play with such skill,
That those who heard him could never keep still;
Whenever they heard him they began to dance,
Even pigs on their hind legs would after him prance.
As Dolly was milking her cow one day,
Tom took out his pipe and began to play;
So Doll and the cow danced "the Cheshire round,"
Till the pail was broke and the milk ran on the ground.
He met old dame Trot with a basket of eggs,
He used his pipes and she used her legs;
She danced about till the eggs were all broke,
She began for to fret, but he laughed at the joke.
He saw a cross fellow was beating an ass,
Heavy laden with pots, pans, dishes, and glass;
He took out his pipe and played them a tune,
And the jackass's load was lightened full soon.
134
WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY
When I was a little boy,
I lived by myself,
And all the bread and cheese I got,
I put upon my shelf.
The rats and the mice,
They made such a strife,
I had to go to London
To buy me a wife.
The streets were so broad,
And the lanes were so narrow,
I had to bring my wife home
On a wheelbarrow.
The wheelbarrow broke,
And my wife had a fall;
Down tumbled wheelbarrow,
Little wife and all.
135
THE BABES IN THE WOOD
My dear, you must know that a long time ago,
Two poor little children whose names I don't know,
Were stolen away on a fine summer's day,
And left in a wood, as I've heard people say.
_Poor babes in the wood, poor babes in the wood!_
_So hard was the fate of the babes in the wood._
And when it was night, so sad was their plight,
The sun it went down, and the stars gave no light.
They sobbed and they sighed, and they bitterly cried,
And the poor little things they lay down and died.
And when they were dead, the robins so red,
Brought strawberry leaves, and over them spread.
And all the day long, the branches among,
They sang to them softly, and this was their song:
_Poor babes in the wood, poor babes in the wood!_
_So hard was the fate of the babes in the wood._
136
THE FOX AND HIS WIFE
The fox and his wife they had a great strife,
They never ate mustard in all their whole life;
They ate their meat without fork or knife,
And loved to be picking a bone, e-oh!
The fox jumped up on a moonlight night;
The stars they were shining, and all things bright;
Oh, ho! said the fox, it's a very fine night
For me to go through the town, e-oh!
The fox when he came to yonder stile,
He lifted his ears and he listened awhile!
Oh, ho! said the fox, it's but a short mile
From this unto yonder wee town, e-oh!
The fox when he came to the farmer's gate,
Who should he see but the farmer's drake;
I love you well for your master's sake,
And long to be picking your bone, e-oh!
The gray goose she ran round the haystack,
Oh, ho! said the fox, you are very fat;
You'll grease my beard and ride on my back
From this into yonder wee town, e-oh!
The farmer's wife she jumped out of bed,
And out of the window she popped her head:
Oh, husband! oh, husband! the geese are all dead,
For the fox has been through the town, e-oh!
The farmer he loaded his pistol with lead,
And shot the old rogue of a fox through the head;
Ah, ha! said the farmer, I think you're quite dead;
And no more you'll trouble the town, e-oh!
137
FOR WANT OF A NAIL
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
For want of the shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of the horse, the rider was lost;
For want of the rider, the battle was lost;
For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost;
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail!
138
A MAN OF WORDS
A man of words and not of deeds
Is like a garden full of weeds;
And when the weeds begin to grow,
It's like a garden full of snow;
And when the snow begins to fall,
It's like a bird upon the wall;
And when the bird away does fly,
It's like an eagle in the sky;
And when the sky begins to roar,
It's like a lion at the door;
And when the door begins to crack,
It's like a stick across your back;
And when your back begins to smart,
It's like a penknife in your heart;
And when your heart begins to bleed,
You're dead, and dead, and dead, indeed.
139
The first stanza of this jingle was long
attributed to Longfellow as an impromptu made
on one of his children. He took occasion to
deny this, as well as the authorship of the
almost equally famous "Mr. Finney had a
turnip." The last two stanzas bear evidence of
a more sophisticated origin than that of real
nursery rhymes. Mr. Lucas, in his _Book of
Verses for Children_, gives two different
versions of these stanzas.
JEMIMA
There was a little girl, and she had a little curl,
Right down the middle of her forehead,
When she was good, she was very, very good,
But when she was bad, she was horrid.
One day she went upstairs, while her parents, unawares,
In the kitchen down below were occupied with meals,
And she stood upon her head, on her little truckle-bed,
And she then began hurraying with her heels.
Her mother heard the noise, and thought it was the boys,
A playing at a combat in the attic,
But when she climbed the stair and saw Jemima there,
She took and she did whip her most emphatic!
140
The following was one of the favorite
"toy-book" texts of the eighteenth century.
These little books generally had a crude
woodcut and one stanza of text on a page. It
can be seen how easily this story lends itself
to illustration. Each stanza is a chapter, and
the story-teller could continue as long as his
inventiveness held out. In one edition there
are these additional lines:
"Old Mother Hubbard sat down in a chair,
And danced her dog to a delicate air;
She went to the garden to buy him a pippin,
When she came back the dog was a-skipping."
MOTHER HUBBARD AND HER DOG
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To get her poor dog a bone;
But when she came there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.
She went to the baker's
To buy him some bread;
But when she came back,
The poor dog was dead.
She went to the joiner's
To buy him a coffin;
But when she came back,
The poor dog was laughing.
She took a clean dish,
To get him some tripe;
But when she came back
He was smoking his pipe.
She went to the fishmonger's
To buy him some fish;
And when she came back
He was licking the dish.
She went to the ale-house
To get him some beer;
But when she came back
The dog sat in a chair.
She went to the tavern
For white wine and red;
But when she came back
The dog stood on his head.
She went to the hatter's
To buy him a hat;
But when she came back
He was feeding the cat.
She went to the barber's
To buy him a wig;
But when she came back
He was dancing a jig.
She went to the fruiterer's
To buy him some fruit;
But when she came back,
He was playing the flute.
She went to the tailor's
To buy him a coat;
But when she came back,
He was riding a goat.
She went to the cobbler's
To buy him some shoes;
But when she came back,
He was reading the news.
She went to the seamstress
To buy him some linen;
But when she came back,
The dog was spinning.
She went to the hosier's
To buy him some hose;
But when she came back,
He was dressed in his clothes.
The dame made a curtsy,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said, "Your servant,"
The dog said, "Bow, wow."
141
This story of a bird courtship and marriage
with its attendant feast and tragedy, all
followed by the long dirge of No. 142,
constitutes one of the longest nursery novels.
Its opportunities for the illustrator are very
marked, and a copy illustrated by the children
themselves would be an addition to the joy of
any schoolroom.
THE COURTSHIP, MERRY MARRIAGE, AND PICNIC DINNER OF COCK ROBIN AND JENNY
WREN;
TO WHICH IS ADDED
THE DOLEFUL DEATH OF COCK ROBIN
It was a merry time
When Jenny Wren was young,
So neatly as she danced,
And so sweetly as she sung,
Robin Redbreast lost his heart:
He was a gallant bird;
He doft his hat to Jenny,
And thus to her he said:--
"My dearest Jenny Wren,
If you will but be mine,
You shall dine on cherry pie,
And drink nice currant wine.
I'll dress you like a Goldfinch,
Or like a Peacock gay;
So if you'll have me, Jenny,
Let us appoint the day."
Jenny blushed behind her fan,
And thus declared her mind:
"Then let it be to-morrow, Bob,
I take your offer kind--
Cherry pie is very good!
So is currant wine!
But I will wear my brown gown,
And never dress too fine."
Robin rose up early
At the break of day;
He flew to Jenny Wren's house,
To sing a roundelay.
He met the Cock and Hen,
And bid the Cock declare,
This was his wedding-day
With Jenny Wren, the fair.
The Cock then blew his horn,
To let the neighbors know,
This was Robin's wedding-day,
And they might see the show.
And first came parson Rook,
With his spectacles and band,
And one of _Mother Hubbard's_ books
He held within his hand.
Then followed him the Lark,
For he could sweetly sing,
And he was to be clerk
At Cock Robin's wedding.
He sang of Robin's love
For little Jenny Wren;
And when he came unto the end,
Then he began again.
Then came the bride and bridegroom;
Quite plainly was she dressed,
And blushed so much, her cheeks were
As red as Robin's breast.
But Robin cheered her up:
"My pretty Jen," said he,
"We're going to be married
And happy we shall be."
The Goldfinch came on next,
To give away the bride;
The Linnet, being bride's maid,
Walked by Jenny's side;
And, as she was a-walking,
She said, "Upon my word,
I think that your Cock Robin
Is a very pretty bird."
The Bullfinch walked by Robin,
And thus to him did say,
"Pray, mark, friend Robin Redbreast,
That Goldfinch, dressed so gay;
What though her gay apparel
Becomes her very well,
Yet Jenny's modest dress and look
Must bear away the bell."
The Blackbird and the Thrush,
And charming Nightingale,
Whose sweet jug sweetly echoes
Through every grove and dale;
The Sparrow and Tom Tit,
And many more, were there:
All came to see the wedding
Of Jenny Wren, the fair.
"O then," says parson Rook,
"Who gives this maid away?"
"I do," says the Goldfinch,
"And her fortune I will pay:
Here's a bag of grain of many sorts,
And other things beside;
Now happy be the bridegroom,
And happy be the bride!"
"And will you have her, Robin,
To be your wedded wife?"
"Yes, I will," says Robin,
"And love her all my life."
"And will you have him, Jenny,
Your husband now to be?"
"Yes, I will," says Jenny,
"And love him heartily."
Then on her finger fair
Cock Robin put the ring;
"You're married now," says parson Rook,
While the Lark aloud did sing:
"Happy be the bridegroom,
And happy be the bride!
And may not man, nor bird, nor beast,
This happy pair divide."
The birds were asked to dine;
Not Jenny's friends alone,
But every pretty songster
That had Cock Robin known.
They had a cherry pie,
Besides some currant wine,
And every guest brought something,
That sumptuous they might dine.
Now they all sat or stood
To eat and to drink;
And every one said what
He happened to think;
They each took a bumper,
And drank to the pair:
Cock Robin, the bridegroom,
And Jenny Wren, the fair.
The dinner-things removed,
They all began to sing;
And soon they made the place
Near a mile round to ring.
The concert it was fine;
And every bird tried
Who best could sing for Robin
And Jenny Wren, the bride.
Then in came the Cuckoo,
And he made a great rout:
He caught hold of Jenny,
And pulled her about.
Cock Robin was angry,
And so was the Sparrow,
Who fetched in a hurry
His bow and his arrow.
His aim then he took,
But he took it not right;
His skill was not good,
Or he shot in a fright;
For the Cuckoo he missed,
But Cock Robin killed!--
And all the birds mourned
That his blood was so spilled.
142
THE BURIAL OF POOR COCK ROBIN
Who killed Cock Robin?
"I," said the Sparrow,
"With my bow and arrow;
And I killed Cock Robin."
Who saw him die?
"I," said the Fly,
"With my little eye;
And I saw him die."
Who caught his blood?
"I," said the Fish,
"With my little dish;
And I caught his blood."
Who made his shroud?
"I," said the Beetle,
"With my little needle;
And I made his shroud."
Who will be the parson?
"I," said the Rook;
"With my little book;
And I will be the parson."
Who will dig his grave?
"I," said the Owl,
"With my spade and shovel;
And I'll dig his grave."
Who will be the clerk?
"I," said the Lark,
"If 'tis not in the dark;
And I will be the clerk."
Who'll carry him to the grave?
"I," said the Kite,
"If 'tis not in the night;
And I'll carry him to the grave."
Who will be the chief mourner?
"I," said the Dove,
"Because of my love;
And I will be chief mourner."
Who will sing a psalm?
"I," said the Thrush,
As she sat in a bush;
"And I will sing a psalm."
Who will bear the pall?
"We," said the Wren,
Both the Cock and the Hen;
"And we will bear the pall."
Who will toll the bell?
"I," said the Bull,
"Because I can pull."
And so, Cock Robin, farewell.
All the birds of the air
Fell to sighing and sobbing
When they heard the bell toll
For poor Cock Robin.
143
The following tale was edited (1885) for
children by John Ruskin from a version "written
principally by a lady of ninety (Mrs. Sharp.)"
Ruskin himself added the third, fourth, eighth,
and ninth stanzas, because "in the old books no
account is given of what the cats learned when
they went to school, and I thought my younger
readers might be glad of some notice of such
particulars." But he thought his rhymes did not
ring like the real ones, of which he said: "I
aver these rhymes to possess the primary value
of rhyme--that is, to be rhythmical in a
pleasant and exemplary degree." The book was
illustrated with quaint woodcuts for each
stanza after the edition of 1823, with
additional drawings for the four new stanzas by
Kate Greenaway, one of the most famous
illustrators of children's books. Ruskin
commends the result "to the indulgence of the
Christmas fireside, because it relates nothing
that is sad, and portrays nothing that is
ugly."
DAME WIGGINS OF LEE, AND HER SEVEN WONDERFUL CATS
Dame Wiggins of Lee
Was a worthy old soul,
As e'er threaded a nee-
dle, or wash'd in a bowl;
She held mice and rats
In such antipa-thy,
That seven fine cats
Kept Dame Wiggins of Lee.
The rats and mice scared
By this fierce whisker'd crew,
The poor seven cats
Soon had nothing to do;
So, as any one idle
She ne'er loved to see,
She sent them to school,
Did Dame Wiggins of Lee.
The Master soon wrote
That they all of them knew
How to read the word "milk"
And to spell the word "mew."
And they all washed their faces
Before they took tea:
"Were there ever such dears!"
Said Dame Wiggins of Lee.
He had also thought well
To comply with their wish
To spend all their play-time
In learning to fish
For stitlings; they sent her
A present of three,
Which, fried, were a feast
For Dame Wiggins of Lee.
But soon she grew tired
Of living alone;
So she sent for her cats
From school to come home.
Each rowing a wherry,
Returning you see:
The frolic made merry
Dame Wiggins of Lee.
The Dame was quite pleas'd
And ran out to market;
When she came back
They were mending the carpet.
The needle each handled
As brisk as a bee;
"Well done, my good cats,"
Said Dame Wiggins of Lee.
To give them a treat,
She ran out for some rice;
When she came back,
They were skating on ice.
"I shall soon see one down,
Aye, perhaps, two or three,
I'll bet half-a-crown,"
Said Dame Wiggins of Lee.
When spring-time came back
They had breakfast of curds;
And were greatly afraid
Of disturbing the birds.
"If you sit, like good cats,
All the seven in a tree,
They will teach you to sing!"
Said Dame Wiggins of Lee.
So they sat in a tree,
And said "Beautiful! Hark!"
And they listened and looked
In the clouds for the lark.
Then sang, by the fireside,
Symphonious-ly
A song without words
To Dame Wiggins of Lee.
They called the next day
On the tomtit and sparrow,
And wheeled a poor sick lamb
Home in a barrow.
"You shall all have some sprats
For your humani-ty,
My seven good cats,"
Said Dame Wiggins of Lee.
While she ran to the field,
To look for its dam,
They were warming the bed
For the poor sick lamb:
They turn'd up the clothes
All as neat as could be;
"I shall ne'er want a nurse,"
Said Dame Wiggins of Lee.
She wished them good night,
And went up to bed:
When, lo! in the morning,
The cats were all fled.
But soon--what a fuss!
"Where can they all be?
Here, pussy, puss, puss!"
Cried Dame Wiggins of Lee.
The Dame's heart was nigh broke,
So she sat down to weep,
When she saw them come back
Each riding a sheep:
She fondled and patted
Each purring tom-my:
"Ah! welcome, my dears,"
Said Dame Wiggins of Lee.
The Dame was unable
Her pleasure to smother,
To see the sick lamb
Jump up to its mother.
In spite of the gout,
And a pain in her knee,
She went dancing about:
Did Dame Wiggins of Lee.
The Farmer soon heard
Where his sheep went astray,
And arrived at Dame's door
With his faithful dog Tray.
He knocked with his crook,
And the stranger to see,
Out the window did look
Dame Wiggins of Lee.
For their kindness he had them
All drawn by his team;
And gave them some field-mice,
And raspberry-cream.
Said he, "All my stock
You shall presently see;
For I honor the cats
Of Dame Wiggins of Lee."
He sent his maid out
For some muffins and crumpets;
And when he turn'd round
They were blowing of trumpets.
Said he, "I suppose
She's as deaf as can be,
Or this ne'er could be borne
By Dame Wiggins of Lee."
To show them his poultry,
He turn'd them all loose,
When each nimbly leap'd
On the back of a goose,
Which frighten'd them so
That they ran to the sea,
And half-drown'd the poor cats
Of Dame Wiggins of Lee.
For the care of his lamb,
And their comical pranks,
He gave them a ham
And abundance of thanks.
"I wish you good-day,
My fine fellows," said he;
"My compliments, pray,
To Dame Wiggins of Lee."
You see them arrived
At their Dame's welcome door;
They show her their presents,
And all their good store.
"Now come in to supper,
And sit down with me;
All welcome once more,"
Cried Dame Wiggins of Lee.
144
This is the perfect pattern of all the
accumulative stories, perhaps the best known
and most loved of children among all nursery
jingles. Halliwell thought it descended from
the mystical Hebrew hymn, "A kid, a kid," found
in the Talmud. Most commentators since have
followed his example in calling attention to
the parallel, though scholars have insisted
that the hymn referred to is a late
interpolation. The hymn opens:
"A kid, a kid, my father bought,
For two pieces of money:
A kid, a kid.
"Then came the cat, and ate the kid,
That my father bought," etc.
Then came the dog and bit the cat, then the
staff and beat the dog, then the fire and
burned the staff, then water and quenched the
fire, then the ox and drank the water, then the
butcher and slew the ox, then the angel of
death and killed the butcher, and the hymn
concludes:
"Then came the Holy One, blessed be He!
And killed the angel of death,
That killed the butcher,
That slew the ox,
That drank the water,
That quenched the fire,
That burned the staff,
That beat the dog,
That bit the cat,
That ate the kid,
That my father bought
For two pieces of money:
A kid, a kid."
There is an elaborate interpretation of the
symbolism of this hymn, going back at least as
far as 1731, in which the kid denotes the
Hebrews, the father is Jehovah, the cat is the
Assyrians, the dog is the Babylonians, the
staff is the Persians, the fire is Greece under
Alexander, the water is the Roman Empire, the
ox is the Saracens, the butcher is the
crusaders, the angel of death is the Turkish
power, while the concluding accumulation shows
that God will take vengeance on the enemies of
the chosen people. This is the interpretation
in barest outline only. Without the key no one
would ever guess its hidden meaning.
Fortunately, "The House That Jack Built" has no
such hidden meaning. But the important point
is that such accumulative stories are almost as
old as human records, and, like so many other
possessions of the race, seem to have come to
us from the Far East.
THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT
This is the house that Jack built.
This is the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cock that crowed in the morn,
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the farmer sowing his corn,
That kept the cock that crowed in the morn,
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
145
THE EGG IN THE NEST
There was a tree stood in the ground,
The prettiest tree you ever did see;
The tree in the wood, and the wood in the ground,
And the green grass growing all around.
And on this tree there was a limb,
The prettiest limb you ever did see;
The limb on the tree, and the tree in the wood,
The tree in the wood, and the wood in the ground,
And the green grass growing all around.
And on this limb there was a bough,
The prettiest bough you ever did see;
The bough on the limb, and the limb on the tree,
The limb on the tree, and the tree in the wood,
The tree in the wood, and the wood in the ground,
And the green grass growing all around.
Now on this bough there was a nest,
The prettiest nest you ever did see;
The nest on the bough, and the bough on the limb,
The limb on the tree, and the tree in the wood,
The tree in the wood, and the wood in the ground,
And the green grass growing all around.
And in the nest there were some eggs,
The prettiest eggs you ever did see;
Eggs in the nest, and the nest on the bough,
The bough on the limb, and the limb on the tree,
The limb on the tree, and the tree in the wood,
The tree in the wood, and the wood in the ground,
And the green grass growing all around,
_And the green grass growing all around_.
146
The following story is the same as that of the
Norwegian tale "The Husband Who Was to Mind the
House" (No. 170). In the Halliwell version the
final lines read,
"If his wife didn't do a day's work in her life,
She should ne'er be ruled by he."
A later reading, now generally accepted, avoids
the bad grammar by changing to direct
discourse.
CHANGE ABOUT
There was an old man, who lived in a wood,
As you may plainly see;
He said he could do as much work in a day,
As his wife could do in three.
With all my heart, the old woman said,
If that you will allow,
To-morrow you'll stay at home in my stead,
And I'll go drive the plough:
But you must milk the Tidy cow,
For fear that she go dry;
And you must feed the little pigs
That are within the sty;
And you must mind the speckled hen,
For fear she lay away;
And you must reel the spool of yarn,
That I spun yesterday.
The old woman took a staff in her hand,
And went to drive the plough:
The old man took a pail in his hand,
And went to milk the cow;
But Tidy hinched, and Tidy flinched,
And Tidy broke his nose,
And Tidy gave him such a blow,
That the blood ran down to his toes.
High! Tidy! ho! Tidy! high!
Tidy! do stand still;
If ever I milk you, Tidy, again,
'Twill be sore against my will!
He went to feed the little pigs
That were within the sty;
He hit his head against the beam,
And he made the blood to fly.
He went to mind the speckled hen,
For fear she'd lay astray,
And he forgot the spool of yarn
His wife spun yesterday.
So he swore by the sun, the moon, and the stars,
And the green leaves on the tree,
"If my wife doesn't do a day's work in her life,
She shall ne'er be ruled by me."
SECTION III
FAIRY STORIES--TRADITIONAL TALES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I. STANDARD GENERAL COLLECTIONS
Jacobs, Joseph, _English Fairy Tales_, _More English Fairy Tales_,
_Celtic Fairy Tales_, _More Celtic Fairy Tales_, _Indian Fairy
Tales_, _Europa's Fairy Tales_.
Lang, Andrew, _The Blue Fairy Book_, _The Red Fairy Book_, _The
Green Fairy Book_, _The Yellow Fairy Book_.
The Perrault stories are included in the first.
Many other volumes named by colors (_Violet_,
_Orange_, etc.) were made under Mr. Lang's
direction, but these four include the cream.
II. NATIONAL COLLECTIONS
ENGLISH: Campbell, J. F., _Popular Tales of the West Highlands_.
4 vols.
Halliwell, J. O., _Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales_.
Hartland, E. S., _English Fairy and Folk Tales_.
GERMAN: Grimm, J. and W., _Kinder und Hausmaerchen_ (_Household
Tales_).
Translated by Edgar Taylor as _Grimm's Popular
Stories_ (55 stories, 1823-1827), and
illustrated by George Cruikshank. Best reprint
is in one volume with introduction by John
Ruskin.
Translated complete by Margaret Hunt (2 vols.,
1884), Introduction by Andrew Lang.
Other excellent translations of selected
stories by Mrs. Lucas and by Lucy Crane.
INDIAN: Frere, Mary, _Old Deccan Days_.
Knowles, J. H., _Folk Tales of Kashmir_.
Steel, Flora Annie, _Tales of the Punjab_. (Notes by
Captain R. C. Temple.)
Stokes, Maive, _Indian Fairy Tales_.
IRISH: Curtin, J., _Hero Tales of Ireland_.
Graves, A. P., _The Irish Fairy Book_.
Hyde, Douglas, _Beside the Fire_.
Joyce, P. W., _Old Celtic Romances_.
Wilde, Lady Constance, _Ancient Irish Legends_.
Yeats, W. B., _Irish Fairy Tales_.
ITALIAN: Crane, T. F., _Italian Popular Tales_.
NORSE: Asbjoernsen, P. C., and Moe, J., _Norske Folke-eventyr_
(_Norwegian Folk Tales_, 1842-1844, with subsequent
additions).
Translated by Sir George Webbe Dasent in
_Popular Tales from the Norse_ and _Tales of
the Fjeld_; by H. L. Braekstad in _Round the
Yule Log_ and _Fairy Tales from the North_.
SLAVIC: Bain, R. Nesbit, _Cossack Fairy Tales_, _Russian Folk
Tales_.
III. THE SCIENCE OF FOLKLORE
Cox, Roalfe, _Cinderella_. (Introduction by Lang.)
Clouston, W. A., _Popular Tales and Fictions_. 2 vols.
Gomme, G. L., _Folklore as an Historical Science_.
Hartland, E. S., _The Science of Fairy Tales_.
Keightly, Thomas, _Fairy Mythology_.
Lang, Andrew, _Perrault's Popular Tales_. (Introduction.)
MacCulloch, J. A., _The Childhood of Fiction_.
IV. PEDAGOGY
Adler, Felix, _The Moral Instruction of Children_, pp. 63-79.
Kready, Laura F., _The Study of Fairy Tales_. (Indispensable.)
MacClintock, P. L., _Literature in the Elementary School_, pp.
92-112.
McMurry, Charles, _Special Method in Reading_, pp. 47-69.
SECTION III: FAIRY STORIES--TRADITIONAL TALES
INTRODUCTORY
The forty-three tales in this section have been chosen (1) in the light
of what experience shows children most enjoy, (2) to represent as fully
as possible the great variety of our traditional inheritance, (3) to
afford an opportunity of calling attention to additional riches in
various collections, and (4) to suggest a fair minimum of the amount of
such material to be used with children. As in all such questions of
judgment, there must inevitably be differences of opinion. Many will
doubtless find stories missing that seem necessary even to so small a
list, while others will find tales included that may seem questionable.
Such a selection can be, and is intended to be, only tentative, a
starting point from which there are many lines of departure.
_Folklore._ These tales are all from the traditional field. They are
mainly of anonymous and popular origin, handed down orally by peasants.
The investigation of their origin, distribution, and interrelations
belongs to the science of folklore. A good-sized library could be filled
entirely with the books concerned with the studies and disputations in
this interesting field. While the folklorists have very much of value to
tell the teacher, their questions may be largely ignored until the
latter is quite fully acquainted with a large body of the acknowledged
masterpieces among folk stories, especially those which the schools have
taken to themselves as useful in elementary work. Teachers interested in
pursuing the matter further--and it is to be hoped there are many
such--will find suggestions in the notes at the head of each tale and in
the preceding bibliography that may prove serviceable in directing them
some little way. Each book will point the student to many others; when
he is once started on the road of investigation, there will open up many
unexpected and fascinating vistas.
_Objections to fairy tales._ These objections seem to fall as a rule
under two main heads. First, there are those who object to any
stimulation of the fanciful in children, and who would have us confine
ourselves to what they call realities. They would eliminate as far as
possible all the imaginings of children. The make-believe world so dear
to infancy has no place in their creed. Second, there are those who
doubt the moral tendency of all fairy tales. They observe that many of
these tales come to us from a cruder and coarser social state than our
own, that they contain elements of a superstitious and animistic past,
that they often deal with cruelties and horrors, trickeries and
disloyalties, that they are full of romantic improbabilities and
impossibilities. It may as well be admitted at once that the folklore of
the world contains many stories to which these and other objections are
valid.
_Is there a proper line of defense for fairy tales?_ Dr. Felix Adler,
who certainly cannot be accused of being insensible to realities, puts
the case thus, as between defenders and objectors: "I venture to think
that, as in many other cases, the cause of the quarrel is what logicians
call an _undistributed middle_--in other words, that the parties to the
dispute have each a different kind of fairy tale in mind. This species
of literature can be divided broadly into two classes--one consisting of
tales which ought to be rejected because they are really harmful, and
children ought to be protected from their bad influence, the other of
tales which have a most beautiful and elevating effect, and which we
cannot possibly afford to leave unutilized." Dr. Adler proceeds to point
out that the chief pedagogic values of the latter class are (1) that
they exercise and cultivate the imagination, and (2) that they stimulate
the idealizing tendency.
John Ruskin, another teacher who constantly in his writings throws the
emphasis upon the necessity of a true ethical understanding, has this to
say about the mischievous habit of trying to remake the fairy story in
the service of morals: "And the effect of the endeavor to make stories
moral upon the literary merit of the work itself, is as harmful as the
motive of the effort is false. For every fairy tale worth recording at
all is the remnant of a tradition possessing true historical
value;--historical, at least in so far as it has naturally arisen out of
the mind of a people under special circumstances, and arisen not without
meaning, nor removed altogether from their sphere of religious faith. It
sustains afterwards natural changes from the sincere action of the fear
or fancy of successive generations; it takes new color from their manner
of life, and new form from their changing moral tempers. As long as
these changes are natural and effortless, accidental and inevitable, the
story remains essentially true, altering its form, indeed, like a flying
cloud, but remaining a sign of the sky; a shadowy image, as truly a part
of the great firmament of the human mind as the light of reason which it
seems to interrupt. But the fair deceit and innocent error of it cannot
be interpreted nor restrained by a wilful purpose, and all additions to
it by art do but defile, as the shepherd disturbs the flakes of morning
mist with smoke from his fire of dead leaves." Instead of retouching
stories "to suit particular tastes, or inculcate favorite doctrines,"
Ruskin would have the child "know his fairy tale accurately, and have
perfect joy or awe in the conception of it as if it were real; thus he
will always be exercising his power of grasping realities: but a
confused, careless, and discrediting tenure of the fiction will lead to
as confused and careless reading of fact." Still further, Ruskin defends
the vulgarity, or commonness of language, found in many of the tales as
"of a wholesome and harmless kind. It is not, for instance, graceful
English, to say that a thought 'popped into Catherine's head'; but it
nevertheless is far better, as an initiation into literary style, that a
child should be told this than that 'a subject attracted Catherine's
attention.'"
Finally, we cannot forbear adding one more quotation, from the most
delightful of attacks upon the attackers of fairy tales, by Miss
Repplier: "That which is vital in literature or tradition, which has
survived the obscurity and wreckage of the past, whether as legend, or
ballad, or mere nursery rhyme, has survived in right of some intrinsic
merit of its own, and will not be snuffed out of existence by any of our
precautionary or hygienic measures. . . . Puss in Boots is one long record
of triumphant effrontery and deception. An honest and self-respecting
lad would have explained to the king that he was not the Marquis of
Carabas at all; that he had no desire to profit by his cat's ingenious
falsehoods, and no weak ambition to connect himself with the
aristocracy. Such a hero would be a credit to our modern schoolrooms,
and lift a load of care from the shoulders of our modern critics. Only
the children would have none of him, but would turn wistfully back to
those brave old tales which are their inheritance from a splendid past,
and of which no hand shall rob them." And upon this ultimate fact that
in literature the final decision rests with the audience appealed to,
the discussion may end.
_How to use fairy stories._ Briefly, the whole matter may be summed up
thus: _Know your story perfectly. Don't read it (unless you can't do
better). Tell it--with all the graces of voice and action you can
command. Tell it naturally and simply, as the folk-tellers did, not with
studied and elaborate "elocutionary" effects. Tell it again and again.
If you do it well, the children will not soon tire of it--and they will
indicate what you should do next!_
SUGGESTIONS
(Books referred to by authors' name are listed
in bibliography.)
The one important full-length discussion for
teachers on the whole subject of the fairy tale
is Kready's _A Study of Fairy Tales_. It is
enthusiastic rather than severely critical, and
that adds to its helpfulness. It has exhaustive
bibliographies. The Ruskin quotations above are
from his introduction to Taylor's _Grimm_; it
may be found also in his collected works, in
_On the Old Road_. Miss Repplier's "Battle of
the Babies" in her _Essays in Miniature_ should
be read entire. A thoroughly stimulating
article is Brian Hooker's "Narrative and the
Fairy Tale," _Bookman_, Vol. XXXIII, pp. 389,
501; see also his "Types of Fairy Tales,"
_Forum_, Vol. XL, p. 375. For the scientific
phase start with Hartland's _Science of Fairy
Tales_. For pedagogy see Adler, MacClintock,
McMurry.
147
Many English folk tales have doubtless been
lost because no one made a serious attempt to
collect them until railroads, newspapers, and
popular education had greatly changed the life
of the English folk and destroyed many of the
traditions. For the preservation of many folk
tales that we have, English-speaking peoples
are indebted to the scholarly antiquarian James
Orchard Halliwell (afterwards
Halliwell-Phillips, 1820-1889), who in the year
1842 edited a collection of _The Nursery Rhymes
of England_ for the Percy Society. He followed
it a few years later with _Popular Rhymes and
Nursery Tales_. They have long been regarded as
the basic books in their field. These two
collections were reprinted as _Nursery Rhymes
and Tales_. This one-volume edition is the one
referred to in the following pages. Halliwell
should be remembered as the first person to
collect in a scientific way the folk literature
of England. He gathered these rhymes and tales
from the mouths of the folk, from chapbooks,
and from many other sources and endeavored to
tell them as they had been told by the folk.
"The Old Woman and Her Pig" is perhaps the most
familiar of all nursery stories. It belongs to
the type of story known as the "accumulative,"
of which "The House That Jack Built" is the
purest model. In such a story there is a
constant repetition of the plot, with an
addition or slight change at each repetition,
until at the end there is a quick unwinding
which carries us back to the initial situation
and solves the difficulty with which the story
started. Halliwell gives two versions of this
particular story. It is so widespread that many
slight variations would be expected in
successful retellings of it. The traditional
version which follows seems to be the favorite
with primary teachers. It introduces at the
sixth stage the attractive rhyme "I see by the
moonlight, etc.," which originally formed part
of another nursery tale.
THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG
Once upon a time, an old woman was sweeping her little house, when, to
her great joy, she found a silver sixpence.
"What," said she, "shall I do with this little sixpence? I think I will
go to market and buy a pig." So the next day, she went to market, and
bought a nice little white pig. She tied a string to one of the pig's
legs, and began to drive him home.
On the way, the old woman and her pig came to a stile, and she said,--
"Please, pig, get over the stile."
But the pig would not.
Just then a little dog came trotting up, and the old woman said to
him,--
"Dog, dog, bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile,
And I sha'n't get home to-night."
But the dog would not.
So the old woman held up her stick, and said,--
"Stick, stick, beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile,
And I sha'n't get home to-night."
But the stick would not.
So the old woman gathered some bits of wood together to make a fire, and
set them on fire, and then threw her stick into the fire, and said,--
"Fire, fire, burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile,
And I sha'n't get home to-night."
But the fire would not.
So the old woman fetched a pail of water that was standing near, and
said,--
"Water, water, quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile,
And I sha'n't get home to-night."
But the water would not.
Then the old woman saw an ox coming; so she said,--
"Ox, ox, drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't go.
I see by the moonlight,
It's long past midnight;
Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago."
But the ox would not.
So the old woman turned round, and saw a butcher, and she said,--
"Butcher, butcher, kill ox;
Ox won't drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't go.
I see by the moonlight,
It's long past midnight;
Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago."
But the butcher would not.
So the old woman took a rope out of her pocket, and said,--
"Rope, rope, hang butcher;
Butcher won't kill ox;
Ox won't drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't go.
I see by the moonlight,
It's long past midnight;
Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago."
But the rope would not.
Just then a large brown mouse ran across the meadow, and she said,--
"Mouse, mouse, gnaw rope;
Rope won't hang butcher;
Butcher won't kill ox;
Ox won't drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't go.
I see by the moonlight,
It's long past midnight;
Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago."
"Yes," said the mouse, "I will if you
will give me some cheese."
So the old woman put her hand in her pocket, and found a nice piece of
cheese; and when the mouse had eaten it,
The mouse began to gnaw the rope,
The rope began to hang the butcher,
The butcher began to kill the ox,
The ox began to drink the water,
The water began to quench the fire,
The fire began to burn the stick,
The stick began to beat the dog,
The dog began to bite the pig,
And the pig began to go.
But what time the old woman and her pig got home, you, nor I, nor nobody
knows.
148
Teachers and parents owe a greater debt of
gratitude to Joseph Jacobs than to any other
modern student of folklore. He was born in
Australia in 1854, spent most of his life in
scholarly pursuits in England, and died in
America in 1916. In his six volumes of English,
Celtic, Indian, and European fairy tales he
gave the world versions of its best known and
most representative folk stories in a form
suited to children while remaining true in all
essentials to the original oral versions of the
folk. This combination of scientific accuracy
and literary workmanship is very rare. In the
introductions and notes to these various
volumes may be found a wealth of information
which the general reader can understand without
the necessity of special training in the
science of folklore. And best of all, these
volumes can be had at prices that are
comparatively cheap.
The following story of "Henny-Penny" is given
in the fine version by Joseph Jacobs in his
_English Fairy Tales_. He heard it as a child
in Australia and he thinks "the fun consists in
the avoidance of all pronouns, which results in
jawbreaking sentences." This story is also very
familiar in the Halliwell version called
"Chicken-Licken," and there are numerous
European parallels.
HENNY-PENNY
One day Henny-penny was picking up corn in the cornyard
when--whack!--something hit her upon the head. "Goodness gracious me!"
said Henny-penny; "the sky's a-going to fall; I must go and tell the
king."
So she went along, and she went along, and she went along till she met
Cocky-locky. "Where are you going, Henny-penny?" says Cocky-locky. "Oh!
I'm going to tell the king the sky's a-falling," says Henny-penny. "May
I come with you?" says Cocky-locky. "Certainly," says Henny-penny. So
Henny-penny and Cocky-locky went to tell the king the sky was a-falling.
They went along, and they went along, and they went along, till they met
Ducky-daddles. "Where are you going to, Henny-penny and Cocky-locky?"
says Ducky-dad
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