The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-26
MOTHER GOOSE A CLASSIC.
The Immortal Nursery Book Discuss
ed by Miss Backus' Glass.

The immortal Nursery Book Discuss
ed by Miss Backus' Glass.
The 18th class of the series on the
Mother Play was held yesterday morn
ing at the Philbrick Kindergarten. 1t
had previously been decided to spend
the two last lessons on that classic
for very little children, Mother Goose.
Mother Goose is immortal, Miss Back
US said, as immortal in her way as
Shakespeare and Wilton in theirs.
She has survived the wear and tear of
centuries and she is as delightful to
the child of to-day as she ever was;
Age cannot wither her, nor custom
stale her infinite variety, Why is
this? For one thing she feeds the
child's innate instincts of rhythm, love
of continuity of sound, and the
animism that endows all things with
life like his own. Each rhyme is
short story of a dramatic moment in
the history of something, and whether
II is of Simple Simon, A Dish and A
Spoon, and A King and A Queen is of
the same Importance to the very small
child 1t was supposed at one time
that some of the rhymes have deep
historical or political significance, and
we cannot say to the contrary; but
taken only as nonsense, they are en-
pertaining enough. Louis Carroll in
dignantly denied that there was any
political meaning to The Hunting of
the Shark, and severely rebuked the
order of mind that could not enjoy
nonsense as such, but it only shows
that some minds must read deep mean
ings with everything.
Some of the rhymes are certainly not
elevating in tone, Taffy was a Welsh
man, for instance is tale of theft and
cruelty, and there is nothing inspiring
about Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son. but
no other collection has ever taken the
place of Mother Goose" In very
interesting book called Mother Goose
for Grown Folks" Mr.. Whitney has
taken the rhymes for texts to very
beautiful little sermons on human ma
ture, showing the universally of the
experience brought out by the simple
rhymes. Something of the same sort
is done by the senior classes in the
training schools. following the line of
Froebel's Mother Play. The Mother
Goose rhyme is used as the song or
play and the original motto and COM
mentary are explanations of the inner
meaning of it. Some of these are so
good that one is appended to show how
much meaning may be contained in a
simple and familiar rhyme. At the
last class ON Saturday, at 1890 a great
many of the jingles and rhymes will
be analysed, showing why some are
much better than others.
The Mother Goose Mother Play"
reads as follows
One misty. mostly morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
| CHANGED to meet an old man
Clothed all in. leather,
l began to curtsey
And he began to grin,
GLOW do you do, how do you do,
Flow do you do again"
oh, mother, teach your little child,
Though skies be dark and drear,
A kind and friendly word to speak,
a word of help and cheer.
'Twouid seem a trihing thing, tits true,
pleasant glance to give
And yet such things make up the day
And teach us how 10 live.
They cheer US through the toilsome
day,
And give us courage, too
To do our work with all our strength,
Ere pleasure we pursue.
And when we smile with joyous mien
We do the work God gives US here,
With hearts more true and light.
And thank Him for the world so fair,
For rain and snow and sun,
For words of cheer and kindly deeds,
For night when day is done.
1t seems a small thing to lead a child
to see that cheerful greeting is nee
essary and important to him and to
others, but when he has learned this,
we have taught him great and fund
amental truth.
Cheerfulness when the sun shines
and all is fair is very easy matter,
hat on misty, mostly, sad, dreary days
we have to make an effort to keep Sc
rene and cheerful.
An old man, clothed all in leather
and wet with The rain, does not, at
first, appear a very inspiring object
and the person who tells us the short
story does not seem to care much
about the meeting until she sees his
face. then he began to grin and she to
eurtsey. and we feel that they have
gone each. his way with hearts much
cheered by the mutual hearty exchange
Of courtesies so lively and SO gay. j
We all know that there are