| Show i l WHO WAS MOTHER MOTHE GOOSE J By AN ANICE ICE PAGE COOPER Who was Mother Goose is one of those curious questions that Interest in interest in- in terest both the insatiable child in inthe inthe inthe the nursery I and the antiquarian Whenever there edition edition edi edi- appears a new I edi tion of these rhymes which are the common heritage of English and American childhood the two centuries centuries centuries ries old problem pops up again and andin andin andin in this year of grace 1924 when C. C B B. B Falls the poster artist whose A ABC B C book bool of many colored woodcuts wood woodcuts woodcuts cuts was the delight of an earlier season brings out one of the loveliest loveliest loveliest love love- liest and most elaborate of Mother r Gooses the question is just as far from solution as ever That there was a real Mother Goose living living- in Boston in the early there seems no doubt but whether or not she wrote the rhymes is the Issue upon which bibliophiles bibliophiles bib bib- and antiquarians differ Wealthy Mrs 1 Goose o of Pudding Lane who lies buried in the ol old 9 59 Granary Burying Ground was was inn n exuberant old lady who was fond of her own Wa way When a son and and heir was born to her daughter and son-in-law son T. T Fleet the printer her joy was unbounded and she spent her whole time in the nursery poring poring por I ing forth in far from melodious strains the songs and ditties which she had learned In her younger days II much to the annoyance of pf f her son- son I law in-law and the neighbors When Fleet had tried in vain to silence her by ridicule he shrewdly hit upon the Idea of profiting by his misfortune I tune and made a collection ot of his mothers mother's songs together with such ditties as he could gather from other sources and published them under the title Mother Goose Melodies 1 This Is the legend that all alI good Bostonians believe Unfortunately not a single copy of the mythical edition of 1719 exists and several noted antiquarians are persistent in I poi pointing ting out that Mother G Goose ose I A rhymes had an entirely different origin Very early in the eighteenth eighteenth eighteenth eight eight- century the tales of Per- Per the famous French writer of fables found their way across the channel to England Austin Dobson Dobson Dob- Dob I son eon speaks o of a translation advertised advertised advertised adver adver- in the Monthly Chronicle of I March 1 1729 of which no copies are known to exist But this is the title as it appeared In the booksellers bookseller's booksellers bookseller's booksellers bookseller's book book- i sellers seller's catalog Mother Iother Gooses Goose's Stories of Past Times writ purposely for or the In Innocent Innocent Innocent In- In I Entertainment of Children and yet et are so contrived by the theauthor theauthor theauthor author that not only Children but those of Maturity have found found in them uncommon Pleasure and Delight As in in Instance of which the famous Pen Perault sic was so soI I taken with them that he made the Morals l to to- to them himself knowing the they tended to the Encouragement of Virtue and the Depression of Vice the former of which is il ever rewarded in them and the latter ever punished Borrowing ng his title from Per Per- Contes ae e M Ma MaMere Mere Iere lOye Francis Newbery the London printer published about 1765 the first edition of Mother 1 Gooses Goose's Melody Melody Mel Mel- ody of which there is any actual actual actual ac ac- ac- ac record This This' being a collection collection tion of nursery rhymes to which a selection of Shakespeare's lyrics lyric was added the question of auth hardly arises put lint there is a a great deal of interest in the author of the preface and nd footnotes The chances are that th they y were written written written writ writ- ten by G Goldsmith ld ini h who was employed employed em em- in hack h york work ork by Newbery from 1162 1762 to 1768 Goldsmith was fond of children was familiar with nursery rhymes and games and delighted de delighted de- de lighted in playing Jack and Jill with two bits of paper on his fingers fin fin- gers There is another curious and pathetic bit of or evidence On Janu January January Jan Jan- u uary ry 29 29 1768 Goldsmiths Goldsmith's play The Good Natured Man 1 was produced and met with a cool reception The poet was bitterly disappointed but I at supper that night with his friends he concealed his hurt by an attempt at attempt attempt at- at tempt at noisy gai gaiety ty even off offer offer- erI er- er I ing to sing his favorite song which I the he never consented to sing except I on special occasions An Old Woman Wom Worn an Tossed In a Blanket Seventeen Times as High as the the Moon 1 In Inthe Inthe Inthe the Introduction to this first Mother Moth l er Goose this favorite song will win willbe be found dragged into the text with no apparent excuse except that it I delighted the writer How much we owe to o old Mrs Go Goose se of Boston to P and to kindly hard pressed Goldsmith it is doubtful if the world will willever willever willever ever know But this the most fascinating fascinating fascinating fas fas- of the antiquarians antiquarian's puzzles puzzles is a purely academic question to the child who Intoxicates ates himself himself himself him him- self with the d deathless Jingles |
