The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1914-01-23
THE. OBSERVATORY.


Some months ago / wrote some
thing about the old New England
Primer" what ] then said was abou
a reprint of the original edition
while that is interesting enough
must confess that think the i'm
provements made in the Primer il
later editions were real the i1lustra
tons are amusing enough in the latei
editions, but are an advance on the
wierd cuts of the first output; and the
couplets that are woven into the New
England child's memory are found il
these later editions; such as
The cat doth play
And after slay;"
The idle Fool
IS whipt at school,
Time cuts down all,
Both great and SMALL"
Youth forward slips,
Death sooner nips.'
This is the edition which was most
common in the first and second quar-
tiers of the Nineteenth century, and
later the American Tract Society pub
l1shed Child's Primer in which they
incorporated many of the best things
OF the New England Primer, and gave
really good pictures, and this was pop
ular in multitudes of Christian homes
all through the eastern states, both
north and south; any close observer
OF the writings of American authors
OF the Nineteenth century will see con-
stantly reminders of those Primers.
It would be interesting to trace their
influence; to go back into old Enp-
land and look for their source in the
Puritan homes, and then mark their
development in America.
Students of English literature meet
many references to DR. Watts HYMNS
tor Infant minds; | wonder how MANY
nave ever seen copy of an old edit
ION; | possess such a copy, with its
quaint pictures. If any one looks
through any church hymn book he
VIII notice that Isaac Watts supplies
great many of the best pieces; he
had a happy knack of expressing
hhought IN simple and comprehen-
'ive style, and was a most prolific
writer; his rendering of the psalms in
'hyme and meter was very popular
n the English speaking Protestant
'hurches in the 18th, and first three
quarters of the 10Th, Century; some
mes he rendered a psalm into four
'r hive different meters, and while al
most none of those productions are
'ad, much is commonplace. but a
asst amount has lived and will live
n my opinion some of Isaac Watts
ymns nave no superior in the Eng
Ish language. And he wrote much
or children, and when one has touch
d and saturated the minds of a gen
ration OF children he has gotten the
u6sequent generations of all ages
y hat could be more beautiful than
IS cradle hymn?"
Hush my dear, lie still and slunber
Holy angels guard thy bed,
eavenly blessings without number
Gently falling on thy head.
y Il
oft and easy is thy cradle
Course and hard thy Savior Law
hen his birthplace was a stable,
And his softest bed was hay
Isaac Watts died in l748, and HE
'mns had been spread all over New
ngland at that time; books were few
those days, and verses being easily
were repeated to the child,
n and filled their minds. Nv Grand
other was born in 1870, and iudg;ng
ON my mothers relation to me he's
other mind was one of those Thus
ored, and while books had become
ite plentiful in my youth, vet NV
other through my childhood vas
repeating to me what nv,
andmother had loved. In the lztS ,
d 18th centuries almost every event
any Importance was put into :
yme' printed on an open Sheet and
us sold; thus recorded and printed r
quite as quickly as our da;IU
pers give such facts now. vet soon,
than weekly papers, those sheets =
tn usually dogggerel rhyme, were !