The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1913-06-13
Story of the Little Poem About Mary
md Her Lamb.


1t is doubtful IL any other simple
4 little rhyme IN the English language
has had the long and wide popularity,
as piece to speak at school. that the
little poem about Mary and the lamb
has had. The writer taught country
schools in his younger years, and 1t
was the custom for the boys and girls
to speak pieces" on Friday after
moons. There were whole terms when
this piece and
Twinkle. twinkle, little star;
How | wonder what you are"
were spoken every Friday afternoon,
and they seemed to give as much
pleasure as Il no one had ever heard
them before. Of the two, the story Of
Mary's lamb was the more popular.
Perhaps this was because the lamb
had followed Mary to school, and this
fact had more In II to arouse the i'm
agination of the children than the
poem about the twinkling star far up
In the heavens.
1t is interesting to know that both
Mary and her lamb were real. They
lived in the town of Sterling IN Massa-
ohusetts. The little house in which
the owner Of the lamb lived Is still
standing In Sterling, writes j. Ia
Harbour in the New York Sun. IL
stands close TO the roadside In
typical New England village. with
twering elms shading It's streets
and green fields and meadows around
It.
The owner of Mary's little lamb was
Miss Mary Sawyer. We are told that
the poem about Mary and the lamb had
Its origin In this way: One morning
when Mary Sawyer was little girl
she went 10 the barnyard With her
father and found that little eve
lamb had been deserted by It's mother
The deserted lamb was feeling very
badly indeed over the neglect OF Its
mother, and was bewaillng It's fate SO
plteously that Mary Sawyer took II
into her arms and carried It into the
house. where she fed II and found
snug and warm corner for It. It's
cries ceased and no lamb enred for by
It's own mother thrived better than
the lamb little Mary Sawyer had
adopted.
The lamb sought TO show It's graft
iude by keeping constantly 1t MARY 3
heels. II followed her 80 closely that
1t really tagged along one day when
Mary went 10 school. 1t followed her
into the schoolroom, to the amusement
of the pupils and the Indignation OF the
teacher, who vas all the moro wrath
III because Of the fact that the minister
of the town. the Rev. Demuel Chpen,
was visiting the school 1t that very
Time his nephew, boy named John
Roulstone. vas pupil in The school
The turning out of MarY'g lamb made
such an impression on young John
Roulstone TINT he thought out the
poem of Mary Had n Little Lamb
while on his way home from school
that evening.
Mary grew up into an attractive
Young woman. and married man
named Columbus Tyler, and vent to
Boston to I've. AT a time when there
vas a prospect Of Boston'a famous Old
South church being sold and torn
down, great fair was held for the
purpose of raising funds u add 10
sum being raised by popular aubscrip-
ton. TO purchase the church and pre-
vent It's destruction. Mrs. Mary Saw
yer Tylor had a booth II this fair.
and she sold little pieces o. yarn made
from the wood of her famous lamb.
This wool had been spun into yarn
and knitted into stockings b. Mary.
With the little strips of yaTn was a
card bearing Mary's autograph. soy-
eral hundred dollars were realized
from this CHARACTERIZATION Science
Monitor.