The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-07-09

Udlduco anu IOuHu WSutiuX.
Do you remember how your little heart
has swelled and sobbed in sympathy with
the sorrows of poor little Bo-peep? What a
blessed, lovably human little fellow was
Boy Blue. Did you never sing yourself
asleep to the sweet rhythm OF Where are
you going. my pretty maid?" or feel u
paug Of pity for the pleading swain who
offered even the keys of Canterbury to the
lady of his choice would she but marry
him7 l rememDe we'll how used TO pic
ture her standing. stately and dignifed, at
the head of grand ball. as she proudly
said to her wOoer. "Sir, l do not want the
keys of Canterbury" and how l once
astOnished and amused an elder sister,
who strove to tease me into revealing some
childish secret. by exclaiming: mo, l will
not tell. not even If you give me the keys
OF Canterbury"
did not know then. though used them
daily, that l had. indeed. the keys of Can
terbury given me by wise old Mother Goose,
whereby to open tho gate beautiful into
the land of lovely imagin alton, the land
that is c!lildnood's birthright.
Another favOrite of mine was
Cusha cow, bonnie, let down thy milk
And will give thee gown Of silk.
And oh! the stony-hearted nursery maid
who once nearly broke my heart by rudely
exclaimipg: Dear me, child. don't you
know how SILLY that Is. What would a
COW do with gown OF silk?" / did not
KNOW only knew that there was sweet
music in the lines and poetry in the thought
i sang under my breath after that, but
have not yet forgiven ths harsh speech
that murdered my baby ideal.
We have new Ideas about Mother Goose
now. We may have a new kind of chill
| tp h6.o r
sure thought so, some nights ago, when l
was visiting friend aud her 6-year-old son
came to the head of the stairs aud called
out in woeful accents:
Ma! won't you please come aud make
Fred behave? l want him to lie parallel
and he will persist In lying diagonal!"
1t was very funuy-1 laughed heartily at
the time, but l felt rather sorry for the
po0r babies. at the sams time We think
neither OF them ever knew the fun OF lying
''crosswisa" in bed. To ''lie diagonal
sounds so mucn more fatiguing.
A friend of mine told me recently abopt
new book that Is supersediu0 Mother
Goose" ut is just what mothers need"
she said, enthusiastically. 1T ought to be
in every house In the country. You must
look at it," said l would be glad to do
So-good literature is such IA essential in
the child's education that every good book
for the little ONES should be known and
L
AID learned that 1t was being sought for 80
eagerly that 1t was hard for the sellers TO
keep 1t supplied. My friend. In fact had
tho only available copy. one lady having
just bought all the copies that were to be
had in town for distribution among her
friends. a large supply had been ordered,
however, and would soon be OH hand.
l procured tho volume and studied it
carefully. l learned that the original
issue had been exhausted and thar the
copy l was perusing was revised and
enlarged" edition. Naturally | expected
to fiEd something Of value in training the
childish mind.
The work is called Mother Truths
Melodies: A Kindergarten" and is
suDplant Mother Goose's Melodies" be-
cause
Since little ones are geese no more,
Hut knowing have become,
1t i'll beseems that Mother Goose
Should dwell in every home,
So Mother Truth In melodies
For BABES moro lii Is her voice,
Assured that parents. Gu ldren, all
VIII welcome and rejoice.
The author says in a note which is
worth quoting:
"Lst no one suppose that the author of
these melodies considers them poetry.
They are simply rhymes, the Jingle of
which may he music in the children's ears
and the illustrations delight to eager
eyes. The truths presented even II not
fully understood at FIRST. will leave their
impress. and in so far as they I'll the lit
tie minds, will keep out falsehood and false
ideas"
With this introduction one eagerly turns
to find the truths that are 10 work such
beneficent results.
There are number Of badly imagined
and fcehly executed improvements" on
Instance:
Little Jack Horner sat in the corner,
Eating morsei OF nice brown bread.
Have some pie some cake
Nay. not l. with shake
And q toss OF his wise little head
For this bread Will make bono
And white teeth like stone,
That will neither grow soft nor decay
And so on. to an analysis OF digestion,
wholly ridiculous in child's mouth.
story or two, calculated 10 fill chiIdren's
minds with the slliest of sentimental no.
tions, few bits that "Motber Truth" has
ribbed outright from other and better
writers. and several rbymirg alphabets
and MULTIPLICATION tables. But it is as a
scientist that "Aother Truth" comes out
strong. Here, for instance. Is stanza
from rhyming discourse On gases:
"And what are gases ma ?"
"Fiuids. which, IL we squeeze
in space too small will burst with force"
"And what arc fluids. please ?"
Fluids are what will flow,
And gases are so light
That when we give them room enough
They rush with eager flight"
The airy grace with which this ethereal
subject is touched upon, the subtle por-
travail of the dangerous Qualities of that
fluid that if squeezed too tight will burst
with force. and the facile flight Of the
flowing fluid. must call up a peculiarly
graphic picture in the child's mind.
The capabilities for mischief in that ope
quotation alone arc tremendous. The art
Is atrocious--the scientific teach inc utterly
misleading, thu handling OF the language
uncOuth. barbarous, calculated to DESTROY
at once perception. interest and artistic
sense.
Fit 10 be ciassed with It is this other bit
an interesting contribution to our zoo.