The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-09-14

"Once upon a time" there was q little
girl called Mary and she had Little
Lamb. So the story has been begun
millions of times in the days before baby
minds could grasp metre and rhyme.
Every day for half a century It has
been tod. Last evening million moth
ers repeated it to Blue Eyes and Brown
Eyes. Tonight another million will tell
the story. As long as the English Ian
guage endures the story of Mary and
her Little Lamb win endure.
Ir these iconoclastic days, when the
dearest idols Of our youth are being
ruthIessly shattered by implacable in
vestigators who place truth above the
most cherished ideals, 1t is cheerful to
record that there was a real Mary and
a real Lamb.
Furthermore, the incidents and state
ments In the verses were absolute facts.
This is much more important than
provln- that some of the best beloved OF
childhood's heroines and heroes were
myths, for there - no exagserating the
part played by the poem IN the educa-
ton of the American people.
For more than seventy years 1t has
beer the most popular children's poem
ever published In this country. More
people are familiar with 1t, perhaps.
than with any other verses ever written.
There Is probably not an English-speak-
ing child above the age of 8, nor an Eng
disappearing man or woman tnrougnout
the length and breadth of the United
States and Canada who carnot repeat At
least one stanza Of Mary Had a Little
Lamb" and undoubtedly most OF them
could recite all Of It.
DO You Know Who Wrote 1tf
But 1t is unlikely that there are more
than few hundred that know who was
the author Of the verses ana the or.
written. =.
to be published about Mary and the
Lamb will contain all the facts. They
one goes to Sterling Mass, as did
writer for The Worlds Sunday Maya
zine.
Sterling Is village. all white and
green of not more than 1850 people. that
slumbers in sleepy content between Wor'
cester and Fitchburg, and yet one may
find ever 50 many people there VINO &c
not know that 1t was the home OF mary
and the Lamb.
And, sad to relate. even those. who
tiers were born near Sterling have rather
a hazy idea of the facts. But IL one
drives about two miles due east IRON
Sterling, toward Clinton. one will en-
counter a uIIlo OnS~StOEy AOdSs
that Is now painted a very brilliant vel
low, and 1t was there that Mary was
born. A few yards away fs barn. also
rejoicing in glowing luteecence. where
the Lamb was born. There one MAY
The Mary in the poem was Mary e
Sawyer, until she married Columbus Ty
The Lamb was known simply as Mary''
Little Lamb.
The author of the verses was Johr
Roulstone, who was II years old at the
time he penned them.
The school to which Mary took the
Lamb was en- old-fashioned RED school
house about half mile from lHe saw
The teacher who turned him OUT be-
cause "it was against the rule" was MISS
Polly Kimball.
Mary and the Little Lamb has not been
exploited is that Mrs. Mary Sawyer
Tyler came to resent the fame IL gave
her. She died only four years ago. al
the age of o.. after serving for nearly
forty years as matron of the Mclean
Asylum for Insane at Somerville, Mass.
Where Mary Was Born.
The little house where Mary was born
on March %, 1906, is now occupied by
Henry S. Sawyer. a third cousin OF
Mary, and his family. The house has
been in the family since before the Rev
olution.
Mary came of fine old stock, the Pres.
colts and Eoughtons being closely aiiisc
to the Sawyers. Prescott, the historian
was one of her relatives; her g ra,na
While Mrs. Tyler objected to telling
strangers the story of the Lamb anc
naturally resented invitations 70 make
aff1davits as to the facts, she neverthe'
relatives and to some Of the children OF
Sterling. One of these is Miss Mary
Peck. the niece of Mrs. j. /. Goss o.
Sterling who remembers very distinctly
the day that Mrs. Tyler took her on hel
lap. gave her the card containing. yarr
made from the fleece of the Lamb. to-
gether with the autograph OF Mary her
self Also she told Miss Peck the story
of the Lamb.
Mary SAWYER was a bright and cheer.
full child with a passionate love for dumt
animals Everv four-footed thing on the
farm was her friend, and she made play
mitted to do so. She herself confessed
that she was quite content to play with
animals.
II loved them from the time could
toddie." she often said. And the animals
loved her. as animals always love those
who love them.
AS to the story Of the Lamb, 1t is bes
told in fary's own words. All those
who heard it from her lips remember il
so distinctly and so accurately that there
is only the slightest variation in the
wording as 1t is repeated by different
persons.
The Heartless Mother.
zone raw. bleak March morning went
out to the barn to see the cows fed, as
1 usually did no matter how cold it was
nor how early father and the boys began
their chores. In the sheep pen We found
two lambs that had been born during the
night The mother had cared for one Of
them, but the other she had pushed
aside. The little creature was very weak
and near death. but the unnatural mother
would have nothing to do with It, The
buys said that the Lamb could live only
a few hours.
I asked father to let me take care
of the Lamb Al nrst he refused, but
teased so hard that he finally said l
could take care Of IL e mother was will
ling. I carried the Lamb into the house.