The Press., 1888-03-08
MOTHER GOOSE MUST ao.

which the following Is copy:
 "DEAR SR,-What is your opinion of the wisdom of bringing up little children on a literary diet composed of Mother Goose's melodies2 f#.
 "If you regard any of the works of this autboress as pernicious, will you please quote the pernicinus portion, and accom- pany the same with diagram showing where the perniciousness comes in?" The replies received are appended. The first is from Rev. -, D.D., of New York:
 "DEAR SIR,-Most of the statements contained in Mother Goose's poetry are lies, and I do not think there is auy need for long statement as to the wisdom of teaching lies to little children. The danger is that when the little children find out the lies, as of course they dD In time, they will be tempted to cluss with them the re. ligious truths which they are taught. object especially to the lie about black birds
 | Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye , Four-and twenty blackbirds baked in pie. When the was opened, the birds began to Wasn't hat a dainty dish to set before the kingr
 ''To say nothing of the large size of a pie which could hold twenty-four black birds. merely declare that it. is totally impossible to bake those creatures without destroying life. It is we'll known that dead birds cannot sing. The statement in he verse is, then, clearly a lie. am afraid that when the children find this to be the case, they will disbeIeve the BlbH. al account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego iu the fiery furnace.
 Yours very truly, ."
 The next letter is from Professor -, of the - University. Mir. is one f the foremost astronomers in this coun- 'ry-indeed, I may say, in the world-and he therefore speaks with authority:
 "DEAR SIR,-I am not conversant with .ll of Mother Goose's poetical works, but here is one that conveys a very distorted view of astronomy which occurs to me at this moment. It runs something like this : There was an old woman went up in basket, Ninety times as high as the moon.'
 "Wheu we consider that the moon is 240, 900 miles distant from the earth, and hen multiply that by ninety the fal-e na- rure of the idea impartsd to the child will he app trent; !; for it is not possible to as- cend go high even in a balloon, not to peak of making the trip iu basket, with. ut prOpulsive force. A calculation as to the length of time such journey would consume, even if it were possible to make 1t ina railway train, will also show its ut. ter imposslbility. For these reasons I ioubt the wisdom of teaching this poem to children. Yours, sincerely, -"
 -, professor of philosophy in - University, holds views somewhat similar 10 Professor -s. He says:
 DEAR SIR,-Mother Goose's melodies were favorites with me when I was n child, but must say that have been compelled 10 unlearn several things which they taught me. There can be no harm in
 Mary had little lamb;
 Its fleece was white as snow.' Nor can any objection be found to
 Jack Sprat'could eat no fat, His wife could eat no lean,' etc. But when we come to
 Hey diddle diddlel
 The cat and the fiddle,
 The COW jumped over the moon; The little dog laughed to sec such sport
 And the dish ran after the spoon,' some objections can be noted When if is 0 Insidered that the utmost a COW can do in the jumping line is to get over the gar den fence 1t conveys to a child's mind a very inadequate idea of the distance of the moon from the earth, to teach it that the COW vaulted over that heavenly body. But the greatest objection is to the last line of the verse, where the dish is described as running after the spoon. Now dishes and spoons are not animate creatures, and are not provided with legs, and it is obviously wrong to create in the minds of children the false impression that such is the case.
 Your most obedient servant, -"
 -, author and lecturer, of Boston, al. so files some objections
 "DEAR SIR,-In- replying to your inter- rogntnri-s I wish to place myself upon record aR objecting most strenuouslv to the many fal-e conceptions of life present. cd in the works of the author under dis. cusrion. simple instance will suffice
 Peter, Peter, pumpkin enter,
 Had e wife, but couldn't kecp her;
 He put her in a pumpkin shell,
 And then he kept her very well-'
 "Ths stanza gIves to the unsuspecting child an exaggerated idea of the size of pumpkins, as well ns false view of do- nestle economy. Jt and all the other lu- cubrations of Mrs. Goose should be ex punged from contemporary literature.
 Faithfully yours, -"
 Of the dozen or so queries sent to the president aud cabinet, only one has SO far 'licitrd reply. The secretary of the na- " writrs:
 "MY DEARSI T think Mother Go0ee's rhymes very suitable for children, afford ing them the enjoyment of verge readily committed to memory. The only thing in them which object to is contain, d in
 Bobby Shafto's gone to sea,
 Silver buckles on his knee;
 But he'll come back to marry me-
 Dearest Bobb, Shafto.'
 GAS silver buckles are no longer sewed on to seamen, owing to the necessity of -conomiziug the appropriations. it might be we'll to change this reference in the next edition. -"
 The opposition to Mother Goose is not confined to this country, as w'll be seen from the following note from Queen Vic- toria:
 "SIR,-I can't say that admire Mother Goose's poetry very much. It is altngeth- CT too exciting, aud therefore hard on the nerves. What I object to mostly is the familiar way in which she refers to per sons engaged in the majesty profession, oue of which am. As you will remem- Der, one of the poems go's: