Page:A Book of Nursery Rhymes.djvu/15

Rh ingredients has alone prevented it from being absolutely indigestible.

It will be seen from the present collection that not only do these rhymes and jingles fall naturally into the four great divisions of Mother Play, Mother Stories, Child Play, and Child Stories, but there is a logical order in which each section may be advantageously presented to the child,—an order which, by the way, the mother-instinct almost always finds out without any consciousness of following a law. The mother may generally be safely trusted to present these rhymes and jingles to the child in the natural order of the awakening of the child's interest and growing intelligence. She is not governed by the hardness of the words, the difficulty of the sentences, or any principle of grading which is attempted in school books or by school teachers. For there are certain of these rhymes and jingles which belong to certain periods of the child's progressing acquaintance with the world that lies about him from his infancy, just as certain foods and certain dress are necessary and suitable at different stages of his physical growth.

For example, the Mother-Play rhymes and jingles, which are generally accompanied by movements and gestures, and those which affect the child's own personality,—the parts of his body, etc.,—infants sensibly appreciate and enjoy before they can talk, and it is but natural that they are among the first things which they repeat as they learn to talk. And so "Pat-a-cake" and "This Little Pig went to Market" are acted, and lullabies are crooned at this stage. After this personal interest children may become occupied with animals and their doings, first in relation to themselves and