The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-17

"a EW~@~f
and maker Of instructive rhyme by vo-
cation. is just now beginning 10 pat into
practice the theories on which he has
been working these three years.
His theories are based on indisputabls
facts. When a man wants to recall the
calendar. no matter how learned he
may be, what aees he do but recite:
Thirty days hath September" just a
common nursery jingle? Few can recall
the lessons OF school days now. but
everyone remembers:
Hey diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle.
Little lack HIorner
Sat IN q cornefs
nonsense verses written more than two
hundred years ago.
The value Of easy rhyme
adapted 10. the retentiveness OF childish
memory offers means of which educat-
ors have been too slow to take advan-
tage of.
Mr.. MaeGregor is supplying that de-
ffciency.
It was three years ago the notion first
came TO him. He was. to speak at a
Sunday school convention in whining
ton. but seeing with what zest they
were singing he gave pace to the mu-
sic. Then he thought what a pity that
the time should be given to songs of no
import when ali the Bible truths re-
manned to be learned.
Why not set Bible history TO music?
From that moment his great purpose
was born, and since then, all his leisure
and so much Of his working time as he
could spare has been given 10 that
task. He had previously discovered a
natural aptitude for rhyme. Perhaps
1t was heredity. His grandfather, a min
lister, immigrating to Nova Scotia from
Scotland, had turned several passages of
the Bible into metrical form. Mr.. Mac
Gregor. however, had not remembered
that when he began his undertaking.
Moreover, be Is. so far as he knows.
the first man to essay the undertaking
Of putting the whole Bible into verse.
49,
This he is doing, not only consecutive
~, but by d series of verses on the books
of the Bible, and by other series on the
lives Of the Bible characters. The series
on the sixty-six books he has made into
ffty-two verses. putting two books or
epistles Of the same names into one
verse, 50 that Sunday schools may learn
one each week and complete the course
In a year. He begins.-
In Genesis creations given
And the story of Adams fall;
The history of the human race
And faithful AbrahaIn's call.
Any Child could learn that in two
minutes, and know more about the
book of Genesis than many people
know all their lives.
He has got as far as Solomon In his
consecutive Bible history, but has turn
ed aside to versify the acts of the apos-
ties, seeing the International Sunday
School lessons from next year are to
be taken from that book. He will have
one verse for each Sundays lesson.
: Mr. MacGreger's natural facility for
turning rhymes has been heightened
by practice, so hat he reels them off
as fast as one could write a letter.
Some Of the stanzas show marks of haste
but they can always. by a little dexter
1ty, be sung to some popular air, "Auld
Lang Syne' or Home Sweet Home"
or something like that. That is part
of his plan, that verses should be sung.
He began last Saturday his FIRST public
lesson. having the Boys Brigade. of the
AAAC4 SA444Gll DIT Liz w. Y.
T u. Hall, on Mulberry street, and the
demonstration was most gratifying.
Not content with that, he proposes To
teach American history in the same way.
He has one set to verses, beginning.-
George Washington is at the head
n first nj war and peace,
The first in the hearts of his countrymeu.
His greatness viii ever increase.
Next week he will teach the children
From Massachusetts John Adams came.
He was President numbe two.
The Capitol at Washington
Was the Job they then got through.
And, after learning all the names in
sequence, the pupils would finally be
taught
And now comes Major Mckinley;
And now we expect our Industries
VIII all begin to. thrive.
7 To further the same work he has
painted "a row sof tin signs, with AWa..
ADJ Jeh-' on the first; then Mad. Mon.
q Al" and so on, to "Cle., Har., cle.o
These could be posted about the school
room, SO that the youngsters going about
the room would Hnconsciousiy learn thu
order, or reeite it in time to their march
ing.
The same way with the flag. How many
know the sequence in which the thirteen
original States Joined the Union? Mr..
MacGregor's scholars will have no excuse
for ignorance. They will associate with
the top stripe these lines:-
I'm proud OF little Delaware.
For It's the banner State:
She signed the Consultation first.
And her peaches are first rate.
Fixing firmly in the memory not only
an important historical fact, but an equal
iy important statement of natural re-
soureeA Pennsylvania Is next, and then.
New Jersey is the seaside State.
-That\in agriculture wins
We're proud of all our seaside resorts
Ana our famous bicycle spins.
Mr.. MacGregor is, in fact, indefatigable.
Ie plans a history Of the State, Of Essex
County and of Newark, Individual lives
59f all the Presidents and great Generals.
OF the Pope ana Queen Victoria, Of The
catholitsand Protestant churches. an ab-
stract Of the collects, an account Of fine
temperance. movement. There seems no
limit 10 the manifestations of his scheme.
Take Columbus, for instance. He sings:
Columbus, Americas diseoverer.
In Genoa; in Italy, was born.
His father vas a poor wool comber,