The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-01-17

stretched out to a triplet, as
"Young Obadias,
David, Josias,
All were pous.''
"The "Shorter Catechism" was. and is. of
such length that the late Horace Greeley has
recorded his infantile wonder of what the
Longer Catechism" could be, and it is doubt
full whether any child, even in Puritan New
England ever learned it with pleasure. But
the page was well thumbed which showed Mr.
John Rodgers being burned at The stake. at
tended by his wife and nine children, with
one at the breast, and no child could ever fail
to remember DIR. Watts'S immmortal "Cradle
Hymn, commencing
"Hush my dear, lie still and slumber.
Holy angels guard thy bed;
Heavenly blessings without number
Gently fail upon thy head"
No one of the ''Divina and Moral Songs" of
later times has ever equalled that.
Most of the children's books in the eight
eenth century were fearfully and wonderful
ly made. There was one printed in England
with this terrific ttle-''The Afflicted Parents
or the Undutiful Child Punished" showing
how gentleman living in the city of Chester
had two children, a son and daughter who
was about two years younger than the son;
how the girl gave good advice to her brother;
how he rejected it and knocked her down, left
her for dead, and then ran away; how an an
gel appeared to him and how he discovered
the murder-was taken up, tried, cast and
condemned to die. Showing how he was ex-
ecuted with two highwaymen, being cut down,
put into his coffin, carried home to his fathers
house, and preparing for his funeral How he
came to life again, how he sent for a minister
and discovered to him several strange things
which, after he had related, he was executed q
second time as a warning to all disobedent
children. Another book was ga Timely
Warning to Rash and Disobedient Children,
being strange and wonderful history of a
young gentleman who sold himself to the Evil
One. There was curious little book printed
in this country called the "Mothers Gift,''
containing seven or eight separate stories with
such titles as "The exultation of Humanity,
and the Abasement of PRIDE" showing how
"Master William Smith" was proud,
obstinate, passionate, ill-natured. fretful and
whimsical boy, and consequently chad
very lew acquaintance or playfellows;"
and the Necessity of Correction for
Idleness and Pervorsity," telling how
Master Newsted could not read one of Dods-
ley's fables, which Mr.. Teachum gave him,
and how ga few minutes afterward Mr. Teach
um, hndlng no amendment in Master Newsted
sent one of his pupils for the rod, and ordered
him to be taken up" An accompanying wood.
cut shows precisely the ordeal that Master
Newsted went through when he was "taken
up" He was placed on the back of big boy
who held the young chap in place by pulling
his arms down close about his neck, while
Master NeWsted's feet were dangling helpless
in the air. Having him at this disadvantage
GUS position, Mr. Teachum let down the young
gentleman's neither integuments, and held uD
his coat tails with his left hand while he
brought the switch down with his right It
was no wonder that Master Newsted cried very
heartily, and felt much shocked, though the
book says it was because she considered that
it was his own bad behavior which had brought
upon him this punishment"
There were, however, books of another kind
for children, further back than any that have
been mentioned. 1.-The Seven Champions of
Christendom, "Tom Thumb" '"The Babes
in the Wood" valentine and Orson," are
found as early as 1898, and "The Frolics of
Robin GOodfellow" is among the ancient ry
books. Robinson Crusoe' dates back two
hundred years or so, though children were not
greatly encouraged to read it; but they read
the Pilgrims Progress" aud enjoyed it
nightly, without knowing much about its
meaning. The children too young to read al
ways Jared better than their elders for the
nursery tales that went down from mother to
daughter through all generations never failed
to find their way to the ears of every child.
There is nothing more hopeful liz the recent
literature for children than tho multitude of
books which preserve the traditional fairy lore,
with the stories of giants and goblins and all
sorts of supernatural exploits. They tend to
10 Ike all books attractive and to form habits
OF reading. Books for the young should not
be made repulsive, either in what they contain
or in the way in which they are required to be
read Wise old Roger Ascham, tutor to Queen
Elizabeth, expressed the whole thing in quaint
words, but truly, in his book which he called
'"The Schoolmaster." "Beat a child if he
dance not we'll, and cherish him though he
learn not well-ye shall have him unwilling to
go TO dance, and glad TO go to his book. Knock
hlm always when he draweth the shaft ILL., and
favor him again though he fault at his book
ye shall have him very 10th to be in the field,
ana very willing to go to school,"