Winifred Sackville Stoner

“ To treat their pets most kindly upon the Christmas morn
In memory of the Saviour who on this day was born.
And likewise all the horses, the cows and pigs and sheep,
For men so seldom think of them when Christmas time they keep;
And even wild, fierce animals, and fishes in the sea,
Should all be made quite happy at Christmas time to be.
"I do not like this plan at all of giving up my sled
And my good faithful reindeer," so good old Santa said.
But Mother Earth she laughed at him and said she would repay
The reindeer, whom she would send home straight to the Milky Way. ”

“ And for your Christmas presents
Oh, how I hope and pray
That Earth's five best good fairies
To you will come and stay."
"The first is GOOD HEALTH FAIRY,
Whose aid all mortals seek,
For he is life's elixir
And gives strength to the weak. ”

“ And fast the good Wright aeroplane it flew both low and high,
So Santa took the Earth's advice, and though he heaved a sigh,
He dropped the poor old worn-out sled as he was passing by,
And people said, who saw it fall, "A meteor from the sky!"
Then, kissing each good reindeer, he bade them all farewell,
[7] And left them in the Milky Way, forever there to dwell. ”

“ Yet none of these great terrors can make King Teddy shiver.
[3]
THE GROUCH-BUG
Of all the dreaded bugs and germs
That in this earth abound,
No bugs in greater number
Have ever yet been found,
Nor looked upon with terror more
By big folks and by small
Than GROUCH-BUGS, which are awful pests.
That come to one and all.
They make us, oh, so cranky
That we would like to yell,
And hunt up all the meanest things
About our friends to tell.
When other folks are smiling
The GROUCH-BUG'S victim cries,
While other folks are dancing
The GROUCH-SICK heave big sighs. ”

“ So we should follow in their steps and feed the wee birds crumbs Before we start to feast ourselves on Christmas sugar plums.
A CHRISTMAS WISH FOR ALL MY FRIENDS
While Christmas bells are chiming, oh, may there come to you
A dear sweet little fairy, who's always good and true;
The little happy fairy, who drives away dull care,
And makes all things upon the earth seem ever bright and fair.
She'll whisper to good Santa to bring what you most wish ”

“ For folks who get the GROUCHES
And other folks abuse,
Would be to give a ducking
With water freezing cold
So that they'd be so chilly
[5] They couldn't even scold.
But for the kiddies of my age
Who let this bad bug in,
He recommends the touching
Of peach limb to bare skin.
KIND HEARTS
There are no bigger hearts for their bodies
And no kinder hearts on this earth
Than the big juicy red hearts of melons,
To mortals fair jewels of worth.
The "King Water Melon," the big heart,
Of all earthly melons the best,
He clings to the earth, his good mother,
And never once leaves her warm breast. ”

“ He always has a wagging tail,
KIND PICKLES.
His Master Shipp he'll never fail,
Staunch PICKLES.
And that is why all folks who meet
This clever dog in home or street
Declare there is no one so sweet
AS PICKLES.
[257]
PEACE FORERUNNER—"LOVE MANKIND."
Little birdie, whispering here,
Tell me, does sweet peace draw near?
Little girl, I sadly fear
Peace will not bring Christmas cheer
While you mortals are so blind
To love your country, not your kind,
Peace can never dwell on earth,
Bringing comfort, joy and mirth,
Until UNIVERSAL LOVE
Paves the way for sweet Peace Dove. ”

“ Far, far among the icebergs, in the cold and freezing zone,
She built for him a palace, where he lives almost alone,
With only good old Mrs. Claus to keep him company,
[2] And sometimes Cousin Nicholas for two days or for three.
Wise Mother Earth she knew this clime would suit good Santa well,
For here no foolish, idle folks would ever come to dwell;
Nor pay the good Saint visits which would waste his precious time,
While he could work much faster here than in a warmer clime.
But never did he suffer from the icebergs at the Pole,
As fairies kept his fireplace all full of red-hot coal ”

“ A goat is stronger than a pig,
But often it is not as big.
It has four legs just like a horse,
But never runs on a race-course.
It gives good milk, though not as much
As cows and elephants and such,
But more than any bull or ox,
Rooster, ram, or sly old fox.
Like any mule, a goat likes hay
And all tin cans we throw away.
He's useful and I'm fond of him,
But some good folks have a strange whim
To hold their noses when he's near,
[8] And act as if they greatly fear
To touch his fur which has the smell
Of something I know very well,
The odor I'd know anywhere,
It's like Dad's tonic for his hair. ”

“ The Stuart line was ended with Anne, unhappy queen,
Then came four kings called Georges, with wits not very keen,
Hanover's line they founded, which line rules England now,
And to this line all Englishmen on loyal knee would bow.
And after all the Georges had had their rule and died,
Then William Fourth, the brother of George the Third, he tried
To rule o'er England's country with kind and steady hand,
But when his brother's daughter succeeded to this land
She made a better ruler than any queen or king
[121] And to VICTORIA, great VICTORIA, loudest praises ring. ”

“ There we'll see an Esquimau, Esquimau, Esquimau,
Sitting in his house of snow, in his house of snow.
And maybe a big polar bear, polar bear, polar bear,
With huge claws and long white hair, huge claws and white hair.
Walrus, reindeer, seal live there, seal live there, seal live there,
They think their land is wondrous fair, oh, so wondrous fair. ”

“ Rhyme and rhythm seem to furnish to the young mind an easy and effective method of relating and expressing facts ordinarily dissociated from anything of interest to a child. As long as such facts are presented to the young in home and school, the jingle will prove of service to teachers and parents, and of interest and value to children. In addition, some of these jingles will delight the young merely because of their rhythmical quality, while others will afford amusement because of the humorous interpretation they put on many of the events that are daily experienced by children everywhere. ”

“ EASTER GREETING TO MY FRIEND
If you haven't any Easter clothes on Easter morn to wear
Then don't you care.
If the EASTER RABBIT passes by and leaves no gift behind,
Then don't you mind.
Just smile at every one you meet and do some kindly act,
For it's a fact,
By doing any kindly deed one's heart is filled with JOY
Which will destroy
All pain that one may suffer from ENVY'S cruel sting;
So you can sing—
"Fulfilled will be my wishes for gifts and raiment fair—
Some day—somewhere."
[1]
TAKE THAT GUM FROM YOUR MOUTH AND PUT YOUR FEET RIGHT IN ”

“ AN APPEAL TO THE FAIRIES [This poem was written in the hope of saving a beautiful forest near my home in Evansville, Indiana.]
Good Fairies, save the lovely trees, which live on Coal Mine Hill!
Their home has been your home so long, your hearts with grief would fill
Should stout men armed with axes come and fell them to the earth,
These monarchs of the forest, these jewels of great worth. ”

“ But in the Tower cold in death the poor young king was found.
'Tis said that he was murdered by one who then did rule
His uncle the third Richard, hump-backed and very cruel.
This wicked monster lost his life at Bosworth's bloody field,
Then came the Tudor family their scepters strong to wield.
Through Henry Seventh and his son King Henry Eighth, the bold,
Then Edward Sixth, the wise young king who ne'er grew to be old,
And monstrous blood-soaked Mary at whose dread bloody name,
All noble English subjects should feel a blush of shame ”

“ And as folks float upon their wings
They take some predigested pills,
Which, so they say, keep off all ills.
And now on good Thanksgiving Day
There is no feasting, as folks say—
"We wish to live for many years,
And of all eating we have fears.
The doctors say corn's full of worms
Known as pellagra's awful germs,
That turkeys cause appendicitis,
Scarlet fever, stomachtitis;
That products of the frying pan
Cause great distress to every man;
That puddings bring us naught but woe,
And therefore we should let them go. ”

“ She ruled o'er England's empire for years full sixty-four,
And her great crown with queenly grace and kindliness she wore.
Her son, King Edward Seventh, the ever tactful king,
Ruled for a few short seasons until by Death's cruel sting
His happy reign was ended and George the Fifth, his heir,
Was made the kingly ruler of England's lands so fair.
BRUNETTES ALL THE RAGE
Great Byron sang of ladies fair
With bright blue eyes and golden hair;
But Major Woodruff says—;"Beware—;
Of those whose skin is very fair,
As naughty maidens have blue eyes
And seldom are they good and wise." ”

“ To split the pesky little things, shure as me name's MAHORE!"
[3]
THE CAREFUL MOTHER
Now come, dear John, and go to school,
I hope you know your every rule.
No, do not kiss me, Johnnie dear,
My mouth is full of germs I fear.
Love, as you walk along the street,
You must not pat each dog you meet.
Alas! you naughty, careless lad,
You've touched the cat, how sad, how sad! ”

“ Eating like a greedy boy from off the kitchen shelf.
But Mother couldn't scold aloud for fear the guests would hear,
And so she softly whispered, "Don't eat that way, my dear."
Then Mrs. Dean, the company, she patted Lillie's head,
And smiling at the jellied face, she to the culprit said,
"I've always liked the jelly good which makes my bread so sweet,
[3] And surely it tastes better still when with a spoon we eat
This lovely, wobbling dainty, which is loved by one and all,
From little girls and tiny boys to great men, large and tall." ”

“ In the greatest of terror he falls on his knees,
And quickly returns to his subterra home,
Resolving that he will not again roam
Till six stormy weeks have slowly gone by,
And then once again, perhaps he will try
To put his flat head above the cold ground,
And take a survey of the earth all around.
So I made up my mind that during the year
I'd keep him at home so he couldn't appear.
And to bring wintry weather he hadn't a chance,
For of his own shadow he caught not a glance.
[3]
ALL THE WORLD CRIES
"Quack-quack-quack-quack!" cries Auntie Duck,
While Mother Hen goes "Cluck-cluck-cluck!" ”

“ He met a wise professor, who soon taught him to spell,
Likewise to read of fairy lore and use a real steel pen
To write to his own father dear, who like most all the men
Must ever stay at home and work to earn the cents to pay
For wife and children's outing till the summer slips away.
Now all the strange, uncommon words which little Bob could find,
He stored away and tried to keep in his small, active mind
So as to use in writing notes to his dear fat old Dad,
And when the big folks used strange words it made him very glad. ”

“ Then after eating all the cakes his "tummy-tum" can hold,
He milks the cows and splits the wood (at least, so I've been told) ,
But never thinks to bring nice gifts to little girls and boys
Whose parents have to trim their trees and buy them all their toys.
Besides, this naughty NISSEN is cross at times and bad,
And does all sorts of horrid tricks which I think very sad
At Christmas when we all should be so kind to one another,
And treat each person whom we meet as if he were our brother. ”

“ Not a bit like Santa who pays us all a call.
But, like our good gift giver, his beard is long and white,
And he wears a coat of furs and many colors bright.
But instead of bringing goodies to good girls and to boys,
Nice new clothes and books and games and lots of wondrous toys,
He expects that all big folks and also little ones
Should leave his favorite dishes, such as puddings, cakes and buns,
Outside of every doorway so that he may eat at will [8]
Of these luscious dainties until he has had his fill. ”

“ Which love to haunt the kitchen of the cleanly Bridget Bryce.
While little Mikey loves dear Kent far more than all his toys,
[7] And says that he'd rather play with him than any girls or boys,
Because he never minds a bit to jump right in the pond
And bring to land a stick or stone or weeping willow wand.
He always acts politely to all who may come near,
And so all strangers pet him and think he is a dear.
They like his soft and silky hair, which proves he has good blood,
And never does he make folks mad by tracking floors with mud. ”

“ To meet the ever-dreaded King
To whom all lives must pay.
Concerning this jingle Elbert Hubbard said: "Dear Little Friend: This is your masterpiece of word painting descriptive of courage, anguish and man's helplessness." ”

“ These jingles were written by a child for children. The young author does not expect that any one will imagine they were intended to be a contribution to poetry or literature. They will be of interest to adults principally as an illustration of the way a child's mind views some of the every-day situations of life. Grown people will also be interested to see how easily a young child can put facts into the jingle form when freedom of expression is acquired early.
Those who have read Mrs. Stoner's Natural Education will recall that Winifred learned almost as a babe to use the typewriter. ”

“ GOOD-BYE TO TEDDY BEARS
Good-bye to all the Teddy Bears, both big and small!
The "Billy Possums" are in style for one and all.
We little girls, like older folks, are bound to keep in style,
And so we have to change our toys 'most every little while. ”

“ The modern ladies quite compare
In beauty with these dames so fair,
But they no longer wish to see
Bold knights so humbly bending knee,
They ask only to keep beside
The modern knight in his bold stride.
[177]
THE FIVE BEST FAIRIES
The joyous CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
Is flying through the air,
He's in our homes and in our hearts,
About us everywhere.
We see him in the night time
When we have gone to bed,
Sitting on our pillow,
Or floating round our head.
We hear him in the morning
As soon as we arise,
"Don't forget the aged
And little ones," he cries. ”

“ No fitter place for children nor grown-up folks could be
Than on this lovely Coal Mine Hill where NATURE we can see.
'Tis here the little orphans and poor children all around
Find the greatest pleasures which in this woods abound.
So dearest, kindest FAIRIES, please rescue these grand trees,
And save them for the children, we ask you on our knees. ”