Page 1 Advertisements Column 4

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 6, 27 February 1914, Page 1

go be Should the Dance VIEWS OF SOMu, nOTABLE PEOF' “ Everylady’s lal ” lias been making a hal f late, to consult a numbe f leading authorities upon rs topics of vital interest, i publishing a digest of their vielvs. In the February number, ii’-' to hand, for example, til stion of modern dancing is ssed, with particular refer to the Tango and other “ ’ dances. Opinions are expre; y leaders of the Church and notables as the Mayor of St. rviida ; Mrs Jenny Brennan, the'mistress <sf the ballet of het Theatre ; Mr R. O. general secretary oft Mrs Fairbairn, one o of Melbourne societ Mary Gilmore, the Australian poetess, v some years in South jesty’s k, the M.C.A. leaders d Mrs known ved for America, where the Tango found its origin. This collection of v. makes admirable reading, it is illustrated with a nui of first class photographs-. I General opinion seems to be 1 on the whole,dancing is impr ; rather than deteriorating, i that it it is only .in its abuses that it is at all objectionable. There are other fine articles and stories in this February issue of “ Everylad’y Journal, ” and the usual splendid review of the prevailing fashions. As we have done before we recommend this fine sixpenny magazine to all our woman readers. Nursery Rhymes. CURIOUS HISTORY* IN FAMILIAR LINES. The origin of many of our nursery rhymes is very interesting. “The House that Jack Built” (the “Observer” states) “ was an adaptation of a C-haldeo hymn, symbolising events in the history of the Hebrew nation “Jack Sprat” was no less an exalted personage than Archdeacon Sprat, whose name | appeared in the or iginal version. | A romantic history attaches to | “ Little Jack Horner,” who was : steward to the abbot of Glaston- ; bury. The latter wished to appease King Henry VIII., who was indignant because the monks had built a kitchen which he could not burn down. The abbot accordingly despatched Jack Horner with a specially tempting-looking pie, which was tilled inside with the title deeds of twelve monasteries, as a present to the King. Jack Horner slyly abstracted one deed, which was that referring to the Manor of Wells, and on his return to Glastonbury he informed the abbot that the deed was given to him by the King. The rhyme was founded on this incident, the “ plum ** which he abstracted being the title deeds ! of Wells. ; “ Humpty Dumpty ” is supposed to be a bold, bad baron in I the time of King John. “ The ! Babes in the Wood” had their ! origin in an actual crime com- | milted in the fifteenth century, 1 and the story may be seen carved j on the mantlepiece of an ancient house in Norfolk. “ Little 80-Peeb ” was not a m a den, but the holy friar (“boo ” or “ bod ” being a contraction for the word messenger), who, in Anglo-Saxon days went round collecting for the monasteries. The “ sheep ” referred to the congregation, and their “tails” to the contributions they would bring in with them. “Jack and Jill ” is supposed to refer to the complete amalgamation between tire Saxons and the Normans. One of the best-known nursery rhymes, “ Mary had a little Lamb,” comes from America. Some of the verses were written by a schoolboy named John ’ollston, who attended the same school at Massachusetts to which [ “ Mary ” went with her little pet, i A long lime afterwards the poem ■as completed by Mrs Sarah 11, a well-known authoress.