El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-08-27

for the Spanish war has passed the ex-
citing stage, and it Ia the excitement
which acts on the minds of the young
authors and causes them to break into
song.
My little girl, aged six years, came
In my house the other afternoon sing
ing:
"'As was going down Fulton street
One night when the moon was full.
Around the corner OF the block
met Spanish bull.
He said moo
And said "Shoo!"
Shoot Shoot
Moo, Moo! Moo"
81 asked her where she got the
song, but che didn't know more than
There, you see, Is another children's
song that has grown q little farther.
III the Spanish keep on fighting US,
both those germ songs may blossom
into something permanent, through loo
child authors touching them up and
the best OF q great number of forms
surviving.
"That is the history of the song
about London Bridge that is sung all
over the world today by English
speaking children. In the tenth cen
fury the Danes attacked London, and
putting the cables of their war-ships
around the piers that supported the
bridge across the Thames rowed with
all their strength and pulled the piers
out Of place, and the bridge fell down
The English children sung about it.
and the song has come down to us. The
pulling also survives in imitation of
the sea kings. Two children playing
London Bridge grasp each other by the
hands and wrists. Other children then
grasp them by the waist, some behind
one, some behind the other, and pull
with all their might. When the lead
ers who are pulling against each other
let go two heaps of children roll on the
ground.
1.-THE court set the fashion of love
games in the time of Charles H., and
the children played Il love my love
with an A. Il am a lusty wooer,' "a
flower and lady Religious persecu-
tions produced new games in the time
of James H., and the children played
Il am come to torment you At the
Revolution, when William III. came
70 the throne, there was q great scram-
BILE for offices spiritual and temporal,
and the children promptly reproduced
this in the famous game 'Puss in the
corner which we still have with us.
'Ssllie Walker and Water, water
wildhower' are probably descended
from the old Maypole games that
Cromwell's soldiers suppressed. They
are certainly very old, being found all
over the world among Euglish-speak-
ing children. In remote parts OF Eng
land the versions are quite different
from those of America.
THE version found here is evidently
much more rodern because IL is much
smoother and more developed. Ii goes
like this:
Little SAllie Waters.
Sitting In the sand, tH.'
Singing and crying .rt
For IA young man. d. rr- - 4.
Rise, saliie rise; wipe your eyes out with
your frock; !'. iuu-
Your young man Is coming; he'll be here ut
II o'clock
1.-THE version of Water, water, wild
flower which American children sing
Is much more modern than that found
in rural parts OF England: where il had
its origin. 1t Is quite polished. The
children here sing:
".water. water. wild flower.
Growing up So high
We are all young ladies
And we are sure to die.
Excepting ---,
She Is the fairest flower.
Fie File! File, for shame,
Turn your back
And tell your beams name"
"The girl designated turns her back,
and, facing outward from the ring,