The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-03-19
Origin Of Familiar Things.

Few persons are aware that many OF the
most popular nursery rhymes and stories
have an origin quite different from what IS
usually supposed. Thus, it is generally
thought that the story of Cinderella was
invented by some one in a happy tit OF I'M
aginatiOn but it is said TO be founded on
facts. The Greek historian and geogra-
pher Strabo says that one day as a lady,
named RhOdOpis, was bathing in the Nile,
! the wind carried away one of her sandals
and laid it at the feet of the King of Egypt,
who was then holding court Ofjustiee in
| the open air, not far off. His curiosity was
excited bv the singularity of the event,
and by the elegance of the sandal, and he
offered a reward for the discovery OF the
owner oft The lady claimed il, and it
was found to fit her exactly. She was very
/ beautiful, and the King married her. She
] is remembered in history as the rosy
| checked queen . of Egypt, and she lived
| 1000 wears before the Christian era.
! The story of Blue Beard has also been
| traced to a historical basis. Giles de Laval,
| Marshal of France, in 1929. was diStln-
| gushed for his military abilities, but he
| rendered himself infamous by his eXtraOr-
| dinarv impiety and debaucheries, and by
numbering his wives. He had 4 long beard
/ of a blue-blacl color, whence he was called
| Blue Beard. He employed those who pre-
| tended to be sOrcerers to discover hidden
! treasures, and he corrupted young persons
| of both sexes to attach them to him, after
which he killed them for the sake of their
| blood. which he used for his incantationS.
| By order of the Duke of Brittany he was
! burned alive in a field near Nantes, in the
year l410.
| Jack the Giant Killer has been supposed
! TO be derived from the wars OF King Ar
| thur with his rebeliOus Cornish vassals,
| who figure as Ogres and giants, while the
King appears as Jack. Many more cases
| may be cited.
siThe House that Jack Built had inter
! esting anteeedents. This famous jingling
| legend. believed TO be an imitation of a
medieval Hebrew parable in the form of a
| hymn, was commemorative of the princi-
pal events in the history of the Jewish peO-
| ple. The original is to be found in the
! Jewish collection called the Sepher Aag-
| oahah. volume %. and an Interpretation of
| it was given to the world so far back as
| 1871. by u. y. Lebrecht, of Leipsic. There
| are ten verses. The first consists Of two
| lines and short refrain, thus 4: ~ kid,
| kid my father bought for two pieces OF
| money" (Refrain), "A kid, kid" This
| refrain is repeated at the end of each verse.
| The second verse commences with the
kid that my father bought for two pieces
| of money!" The third verse runs "Then
came the dog, and bit the cat, that ate the
kid" etc. The fourth is: Then came
| the staff, ard beat the dog, that bit the
cat" etc. The fifth is: ''Then came the
| fire. and burned the stick, that beat the
dog" etc. The sixth is '"Then came the
water, and quenched the fire, that burned
the staff,'' etc. The seventh is: "Then
came the OK, and drank the water, that
quenched the fire. etc. The eighth is:
EThen came the butcher, and slew the OK,
that drank the water" etc. The ninth is:
'sThen came the angel of death, and killed
the butcher, that slew the OK" etc. The
tenth and last runs ''Then came the Holy
One. blessed be He, and killed the angel
of death. that killed the butcher, that slew
the OK, that drank the water, that quench-
ed 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; kid, a kid"
1t is evident that this is the model of
s9The House that Jack Built. ."-PhitadeL-
| Dhia LedqeF.