Children's Rhymes

A dlf nlfied profeMfcr, witli b bald head, legan a lecture before the New York ü:hüí my of Sciences n a C diimbia coltgtí nJMI ItlTTIli na followB: , Keiiy, meney, miney, mo ('alelí iiikkit by the toe; ]f lie holler Irl ti í tu n' Keny, nieney, nilney, mo. One-ery, two-ery, zlceory, zun, Wlofcaboo. woekHboo, Crlckabo. orockabo, Tlllery tan. Entery, mfintery, keutery, kall, Apple Beed umi uppie all. Wlre, brler. llmber lock, 'l'hroo Eeege In a flnck, One IlluB vnnt, one tiles west, A lid one tiles over tbe cuckoo's net. Keiu-ry. teenery, tlckery. teven, 1M i?o marry ten or eleven; Pin, pan, musky Dan, Nlnitccn, twciity, iwenty-one. Tlie. dignified professor was Dr. II airington Holton, and his subjict was 'Tlio Ciuntinr-out Khymesof Cblldren, Study ii International Folk Lore." )r. Holton wus formerly n professor In l'rinity aMtjfe, Hailford. He liad just ¦eturned f rom a trip in Kurope. He exilHined to llic audiencc that tbesf ihynies md iiK.nv others which he bud plcked up D twcnty hmgnages, ere u-ed by chilIren in 'thelr games t0 determine who hnulil have tlie inoit iindesirahle part. íV leader repeated tlie do;:gerel rliyme md the child on whoni tlie last word feil His set free. Those remaining went ;hroii"li H e same ordeal until the last me remaimd. who wa8 "it." Tliis "it," Dt. Holton sald, ís a ery polit expresllon in the frames of Enjflisli-speaking ;'iüdren, for Ín Oerman tlie one who W "U" 8called a "wolf" Instead of"it;" in Jnpanese, "oni," or "llttle devil;"' in M iliísy, "bucea,1' or '-lepi r," and in Haai'sn, "crB7.y oi-e." l'rot. Holton said he luid eolketed countinr .mi ihvnu-8 in 20 htilgmgi, [¦ivili.i'il, Iih'í civil zed. imd barnnroas. Amoitíí these lanyuajres M tlie I'noliseolt lndians Japuicj-e, Aribii-, TuHktfh, MaU'.'íiy, Bnl-íiuiaii. Arnuninn, Swed[h, llaliim, Kii'sian, Puttmaow, Sp:inish hikI BrtWie. The Buljiarian cliild rhvni's, lie un, wen tnn prtnunced for rep.iilion. lut he recited examples in a ilo.en lniipu-iges. In Dulcli he liad cidleeied 14 OiMMntlng out rhyines, in Girnnin iC.'.t. mikI in KnpliOi 4')4 Altoüether, by coi r.-s. onding 'wilh scliolnrs in all purts w..rld, he liad ol.lailied St!O countIne out rliymes. Oim' oftlie tnost oiiiimoii inlis In all laiiüUiigi's was II. i' l'uin i li.ir (lile, t.wo. lnu'klf iny hIioc; Tliree, lour. sliut Uie ilonr; Klve, slx. iilck u p sih-ks; Mcviu, tiliíbt, iHy lliein 8linlgbt. il There ií ii finid of ciiriotia hKiMÍOIU i" the dovgiti-1 rliine-, Dr. li n ccmlinup'. Heiv is plcked un after l In rpe ition of tlie Kuiperor N.ipoleon into KuksÍh: The flrst leuleimnt wos no nent. lie sloppeü Ín battlu to wasli bis feit. Anothir. whicli shows how mcii-iit I he patter is, is: NebocbBilnezzar. llie king of the Je, Sllppeii off blsHllppers mul sllpppil on bis Hboeii. A modern instaure showin local coloting in llie United States i: Tbere was a lltlle raltlesnakf, He iitf loo nincli wedillng oake, And iiinilf bis belly acbe. As to tlie nrhfln of almost all of tlie children's doggerel, Dr. Holton snid lie believed it descended from reinóte antlqnity. 'l'he aaalenu were iiceiwtomecl to cast lots in the inogt solemn acta ofllfe. Il was eonsutered an ai-ptul to llie Almlglriy. In the tniddle aj-es castiní lots was dcjíra'U'd to a snier.stition nd chiirImmis useil iinuicinin formula to inipose on the ))eople pretendlng to cure ilissciises and forucasl tliu future. In the Wel I known dojüterel: Krkery, nckcry, ukery an. One cry, lwo cry, etc. Tlie "eekery" la Sanskritfor "'one." It is probable, Prof. Holton said, t lint "uckery" as orifíimtlly u word also. There was only one corrupt Litin verse Ihal Dr. Holton could remember. It is [u. hoc. Domine, quoil, lKu'k's foot plunip tu llie mud. It is probable that the jingles that the children dow Uíe in gaines were f irmerly written on papera ntid liuiijf aruund tlie necks of people [il the muidle iiges to keep ofl'the plague or to cure bydrophobia, gout and rheumattam. Children nowadays, however, are 1 II - olineil to iiuprove on Ihe oíd dogyerel. Dr. ltollon luid Interview ed a 'jood nmny cliildren in iill laiiJttMgeft, and tound lt ditlicult to undersland tliem. OonfOnant were lint preí-ci vi d, and vowels were ot no account to tlie children. As an illustratlon of hls ilifiiiulty, Dr. Holton wrote iiís word on the biackbo ird: l'HTH OI.O-ON VlCli.Il. This Whi llie way n man iiaiued Turner wrote his name. and lien a.-kid lo juslily hit) spellmg he . lid; "lJhth'' in "phthiric'' is stoundeil "t," "olo" iu 'colonel"is sounded "Ujjh," ";n" in "ynaw" id ii," and "yrrh" in "inynh" is pounded "r." J)r. Holton gave tliis example of llie maiincr in winch cliildreii chance the rhymes. In tbe easlern slates diere id a jingle which rúas ni fullows: John says to John how mocil are your u HcT John HMys 10 Jotn tweuty cmiUs Kplww; Joba ansa to John mat 1h too d.-ar, John tmyu to Jobu gtl oul of iiere. On ihe (KMMK thi li.is beeu Changed to: Culu Cüong, Chluumuu, bow much are your geese? Chía i 'Imiik, (.'liinuma ¦, tweuty cents nplece, He, Tlie latest discoveiy dtij{ ti i by Dr. Holton was th is. Ono, two, tlircc, four. rtve, 8lx, seven All gooU i-niUIrcii tco lo Kcuveu, All l) id clilldri'ii go bi'lovv, 'Jo keep compuiiy wllb Uultean.