Evening star., 1936-07-26

grammar. another for reading, an
other for spelling. with the best-pre-
pared pupil holding down the big
end Of the log. When we look at the
Weighty and solemn contents of even
the third and fourth readers, We can
but marvel at the youthful prodigies
who must have worn the bark from
those logs.
McGuffey believed that school books
were the best place in which to in
culate in children all the moral and
intellectual virtues. and he began
with great gusto, even in the first
reader. where timid 6-year-olds were
introduced TO the story of the boy
in the Ounce cap-"the bad little boy
who loves to be i-dle-Oh, what a sad,
sad sight is this!"
Each lesson in the first and second
readers had a moral stated in no un-
certain terms at the end A process
sion of good and bad children, each
receiving his Just deserts, trooped
through these readers. In the first
reader We have the story of the boy
who freed his Gagged bird, and Of the
boy who told a lie and repented-
after he was found out Also in the
first is the now famous poem" en-
titled Get Up, Lucy" but disrespect-
fully referred to by modern COM
mentators as Double Up, Lucy:
Get up. Lucy. Do not lie in bed nov.
Mary got up at 6, and is out now.
Up. up, Lucy. why do you lie in bed?
Get UP, Lucy, and go out to Mary
Just what the badgered Lucy said
when she went out TO Mary is not re-
corded. but our imagination can sup
ply the omission vividly.
The Second Reader abounds in good
and bad children and We are especially
impressed with 5-year-old Ann, who
gives part of her little cake to a poor,
thin, sickly old man and his dog.
Later, receiving another cake, she duti-
fully looks for the old man to share it
with him, but learns that he has
grown fat and well and gone to his
home long way off" We wish Nc
Guffey had also included the recipe
for this wonderful cake, one taste of
which could produce such a quick and
remarkable recovery.
One is also fascinated by the story
OF the kind man who tied up the in
jured leg of lame dog. and the next
morning the grateful animal returned
with a friend, similarly afflicted. In
later editions Of the readers, the num-
ber of dogs gradually increased, so
that when the man looked out Of his
door in the morning he found the
yard full of lame dogs. With what
dread must he have awaited the re-
lease of each new batch of books and
dogs from the press!
THOSE of us whose elders have a
knot-untying, string-saving fixa-
ton may be interested to know that
the habit is probably hangover from
some late McGuffey edition, contain
ing the story of two boys, one Of whom
lazily cut the string on his package.
while the other united the knot and
saved the cord. producing the latter
with unpleasant promptness at every
conceivable emergency thereafter.
Many poems which have become an
ingrained part of American literary
inheritance owe their fame to the
McGuffey readers. The First Reader
contained 'Mary's Lamb" the Second.
Twinkle, Twinkle. Little Star" and
TRY, Try Again." while the "Old
Oaken Bucket" appears in later
editions of the Fourth Reader. al
though it was apparently considered
to light for 9-year-old readers of the
1874 editionl
Another poem, "MeddleSome Matte
became such an institution that when
the late Theodore Roosevelt used the
expression in a political speech, no
explanation was necessary for his
McGuffey-reared audience. Waste
Not, Want Not" also appeared In q
later edition of one of the readers.
In the Third and Fourth Readers the
moral is less pointed, since selections
from various authors are used, but
the evils of intemperance are shown
by such narrowing articles as THE
Intemperate Husband" and "The
Venomous Worm" There are other
grave pieces dealing with the effects Of
gambling, the evil of duelling, and the
like. Death at the Toilet" portrays
under its arresting title the terrible
fate that befell young woman dress
ing for the ball. Death, it seems.
overlook her at her dressing table. her
face rouged, her wrists 'encircled b.
snowy gilt bracelets" and her left
hand holding a curling iron. -.