False stories corrected

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1622
G

NEDL TRANSFER

HN 5DRJ I

HARVARD COLLEGE
LIBRARY

by Google

L^i^.

Digitized by Google

#■

Digitized by GoOQle

byGoOQ

False > Stories

eORRECTEW.

^ LEA.RN TO UNLBABN TTHAT TOV BAT»
LEARNED AMISS.''

NEW-YOKK:

rVBIilSHED BY SAMTTEL WOOD & 80R8,
NO. ^61» PBAEl^-STREET ;

And Samuel S.Wood& Co.No.212,M:arket^t«

BALTIMORE.

1B22.

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PREFACE.

IT would be gratifying to the feellDgs of
the publisher of this little work, to ]^a9e and
benefit all, without offiendiiig or injuriDg any;
but observation and experienee have conTio*
oed him that thi» b im]H*aetteiMe« Of thi8,the
Fables of the Man and hi^Son, affords afamil*
far proof. In endeavonring to pleaie alf, they
displeased all, and lost the beast _on vrhick
they rode. Nevertheless, it is to be hoped,
that jndieious parenta will approve this selec*
Von for their children, and that the childrea
themselves will be amused and instructed by a
perusal of True Stories Belated, and Falss
Stories Corrected.

'^ w^^^

False Stories Corrected.

MANY wrong ideas are impress*
ed on the infant mind.; grow with it»
growth, and strengthen with ]t»
strength. Some of them, however
ridiculous and troublesome^ get sutih
deep root and firm possession, as ta
bid defiance to reason ; and continue
through life,^ the unprofitable conv
panioos of the injured individuals.

The erroneous opinions which lit-
tle children often form from hearing;
erf* animals Which have no existence,,
and seeing representations of them^^
are calculated to produce an injuri-^
ous effect upon their ineKpierienced
minds ; hence,^ is evident the propri-
ety of withholding from them everjr
thing but truth, or fiction presented
ki such form as cannot be mistak^iV
aockaa usefiil Fables* TheCrfiglit-

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ful BtorieB which are sometimeft told
by nurses or the servants to children,
ID order to keep them quiet, have
rendered manj so timid that they
hardly dare remain alone in the dart,

' and in some instances, the fearful
disposition thus created is . pot over*
come in the whole course of their
lives.

Manj false stories are told with as
intention to deceive. This k lying,
and is very wicked. Others are toM
merely for sport or pastime ; this too
is lying, and is very reprehensible.
And many are the offspring of cre-
dulity in the relator, who, deceived
by appearances, gives currency to
jiarratioDS, the falsity of wli^ich, a
due investigation would have detec
ted. The imagination of a persoa

, excited by fear has sometimes repre
sented the most absurd images, and
at others, magnified objects to a size
vastly greater than the reality
hence, the tales ot Ghosts and Gob-
lins, which exist only in the misgui-

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ded ioaaginations of the ignorant and
credulous* .

Au instance of the effect of fear
and imagination is given in the fol-
lowing ingenious lines of Rol>ert
Bloomfield, founded upon fact.

THE PAKENHAM GHOST.

THE lawns were dry in Euston Ptok ;
- (Hpre troth inspires my tale,)
The lonely fdotpath, still, and dark,
lied over hill and dale*

Benighted was an ancient Dame,
And feafrfu) haste she made,

To gain the vale of Fakenham,
And hail its willow shade.

Her footsteps knew no idle stops,

But followed faster still ;
And echoed to the darksome copse,

That whispered on the hill ;

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trbereclamoroug rooks, yet scarcely liush'4,

Bespolie a peopled shade ;
And many a wing the foliage bnish'd,

And hovering circuits made.

The dappled herd of grazing deer,

That sought the shades by 4ay ,
Now sterted from her path with fear.

And gave the stranger way.

Parker it grew ; and darker fears,

Came o'er her troubled mind ;
When now, a short quick step she hears,

Come patting close beirind*

She tum'd, it stopt ! nought €ould she see,

Upon the gloomy plain !
But as she strove the Sprite to flee.

She heard the same again.

New terror seized her quaking frame,
For, where the path was bare.

The trotting Ghost kept on the same I
She muttered many a prayer.

Yet once again, amidst her fright,
She tried what sight could do ;

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'^v:

When through the cheating glooms of night,
A Monster stood in view I

Regardless of whatever she felt,

It followed down the plain !
She own'd her sins, and down she knelt,

And said her prayers again.

Then on she sped : and hope grew strong,

The white park-gate in view ;
Which pushing hard, so long it swung,

That Ghost and all pass'd through.

lioud fell the gate against the post !

Her heart-strings like to crack ;
For much she fear'd the grisly Ghost,

Would leap upon her back.

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^

Still on, pat, pat, the Goblin ^ent,

As it had done before:—
Her strength and resolution spent.

She fainted at the door.

Out came her husband, much surprised ;

Out came her daughter dear.
Crood-natured souls ! all unadvisM,

Of what they had to fear.

The candle^f gleam pierced through the niglil,
Some short space o'er the green ;

And there the little trotting Sprite^
Distinctly might be seen.

An Asi'^t Foal had lost its Bam,
* Within the spacious park ;
And, sim]^e as the playful lamh.

Had followed in the dark.

* .- ' "

No Goblin he, no imp of sin ;

No crimes had ever known.
They took the shaggy stranger in.

And rearM him as their own.

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9

The Matron learned to love the sou^d,
That frightened her before.

A fovourite the Ghost became ;
^ And Hwas his fate to thrive , "
And long he liv'd and spread his fame.
And kept the joke alive.

For many a laugh went through the vstle,

And some consriction too :—
Each thought some other Goblin tale,

Perhaps was just as true.

AMONG the baneful effects of
oeglected or improper education,
may be classed the ignorance of dif-

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10

ferent parts of the earth, .and that
iiliberalitj of sentiment towards the
inhabitants of countries with which
we are but partially acquainted.
We suppose others enveloped in ig-
norance und error, and are too apt
to consider them as infidels, savages,
or barbarians.

The term savage signifies uncuki-
vated, uncivilized, barbarous.

Infidel implies an unbeliever, a
miscreant, a pagan, one who rejects
Christianity.

A christian is a disciple or fol-
lower of Christ, and is Christ's ser-
vant : and Chri9t says, « Ye are my
servants if ye do whatsoever I com-
mand you*'' He commands his to
live in love, and not even to resist
evil, but to do good for evil, to pray
for enemies ; and has left the follow-
ing golden Rule, which is a real cri-
terion of a christian ; "Whatsoever
ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them."

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11

Frotn the preceding definitions,
can we believe every American

is a Christian ? If we jadge from
the manner of their lives and con-
duct, we must concMde they are
not.

B

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12

Can we' suppose ere
man

i8 a Christian ? Thei
prove many of them a
frees are known by their
by their conduct prove
aret

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13

Well, is it proper to call every
Indian

a savage ? Judging, as before, bj
their fruits, it is evident from a vari«
ety of well authenticated facta and
circumstances, they are not.

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14

Have we reason to suppose evtery
Turk

is an infidel ? Though the practice
of many is hostile to Christian prin-
ciples, yet, no doubt, there arjB
among them others whose deport-
loeat will not warrant the coadusion*

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15

And shall every Negro

be termed an Infidel, Heathen, or
Savage? Our own knowledge proves
the contrary. We are sensible that
there is a considerable number of
pious Negroes in this country ; and
charity will conclude, and Mungo
Park's testimony in his travels in
Arrica,will goto prove,that although
the^ may be in a state of ignorances

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16

there are kind and humane people
among them : and no doubt those
who follofr Christ, being led by the
influence of his spirit, and carefulljr
practice Christian principles, by do-
ing as they would be done by. —
" These having not the law, are a
law unto themseive8,which show the
work of the law written in their
hearts :'* « not the hearers of the
law are just before God, but the
doers of the law shall be justified.**
" God, who hath made of one blood
all nations of men, to dwell on aU
the face of the earth, is no respect-
er of persons, but in every nation^
he that feareth him, and worketh
righteousness is accepted with him.*'
And John the Divine says, " 1 be-
held, and lo, a great multitude,which
no man could number, of ait nations,
and kindreds, and people, and
tongue?<i,stood before the throne, and
before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, and palms m their hands ; and
cried with a loud voice,, saying, sal-

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17

▼ation to our God which sitfeth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb.
And one of the elders answered^
Baying unto me, what are (heHC
which are arrayed in white robes ?
/and whence came they i and I said
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And
he said to me. These are they which
came out of great tribulation, and
have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore, are they before the
throne of God, and s^rve him day
and night in his temple : and he that
sitteth on the throne shall dwell a-
mong them. Tfa^y shall hunger no
morej neither thirst any more ; nei-
ther shall the sun light on them, nor
any heat. For th^ Lamb which is in
the midst of the throne shall feed
them, and shall lead them into liv-
ing- fountains of waters : and God
shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes/' It is not profession and
show, but poiisession and practice
that make the Ghristian.

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18

IT is not uncommon in this en*
lightened age, to hear of the strength
of Hercules, whom fabulous history
has recorded as a most renowned
Grecian hero, and who, after deatby
was ranked among the gods,^ and
received divine honours. According
to the accounts, there were many
persons of the same name. Dio*
dorus mentions three ; Cicero six ;
and some others extend the num-
ber td no less than fortj-three. Of
all these, one generally called the
Theban Hercules, is the most cele-
brated ; and to him, as might natu-
rally be expected, the actions of the

* There are that are called gods many, and
lords many; bat there is but oneliyin^; and
true God, and he neither slumbers nor sleeps.
The wickedness and gross blindneSfi attendant,
have been the sources by which man has mul-
tiplied to himself objects of adoration not.on-
}y from among his fellow-creatures/ but also
many of the inferior animals and beasts of the
field, the sun, moon« things animate and inani?
mate ; even of the works of his own hands b4
has mftdA what are eall«%d »t%An i of srold of sik

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19

others have been attributed. He is
reported to have been the son of Ju-
piter and Alcmena. He is repre-
sented as a very robust person^
wrapt in a lion's skin, leaning on a
huge and Icnotty club.

Tbe following lines of the poet,
which but hint at the various ex-

£loit8 of this renowned Hero, or
>eity of Heathen Mythology, give
a Binall specimen of the extra?ag|nt

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20

and ridiculous falsehoods with which
such history abounds; by which the
ancients were imposed oq ; and to
which moderns too fondly give coun*
tenance.

So mighty Hercules o'er many a clime,
Waved bis vast mace In virtue's cause sublimei
Unmeasure'l strength with early art combiu'd.
Awed, served, protected,and amazM mankind*
First, two dread snakes, at Juno's vengefal

nod,
ClimVd round the cradle of the sleeping god :
Waked by the shrilling hiss and rustling sound.
And shrieksof far attendants trembling touod,.
Their gasping throats witb clenching hands

]ie holds.
And death untwists their convoluted folds..
Next,in red torrents from her sevenfold heads,
Fell Hydra's blood on Lema's lake he sheds ;
Grasps Achelous with resistless force,
And drags the roarmg river to its course ;
Biads with loud bellowing and with hideous

yeM,
The monster buB, and threefold dog of hell.
Thgi where Nemea's howling forests warey *
•He drives UmlUod «d his dusky eave :

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^21

Seized by the throat, the growliHg tend &m

armSf
Attd tears his gaping jaws with sinewy arms ;
Lifts proud Anteous from bis mother plainf«
And with strong grasp, the struggling giant

strains.
Back falls his fainting head and clammy hair,
Writhe his weak limbs, and flits his life in air.
By steps reverted, o'er the blood dropt fen.
He traclcs huge Caucus to his murderous den ;
Where breathing flames through brazen lip9,

he fled,
And shakes the rock-rooft cavern o'er his head,
liast, with wide arms the solid earth be tears,
Piles rock on rock, on mountain mountain

rears ;
Heaves up huee Abyla on Afric's sand,
Crowns with high Caipe Europe's salient

strand ;
Crests with opposing towers the splendid scene,
And pours from urns immense the sea between*
Loud u'er the whirling flood Charibdis roars,
Affrighted Scylla bellows round its shores ;
Tesuvio groans through all his echoing caves,
And Etna thunders o'er the insurgent waves.
Th»t thft licrht. vain and foolish

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• 22

I

ore, and men who grasp (be murder-
ous steely should abound with tales
of heathen deities, or invocations to
gods and goddesses, 9^ch as VenaSy
Cupid, Mars, Neptune, &c. is not so
much to be admired at; but that
sober people, endued with good an*
derstanding, especially, professors
of a belief in the doctrines of christi-
anitj ; that such should so often, in
their conversations, writings, prints,
&c. hoist in those ridiculous abomi-
nations of the dark ages, as though
they believed in them, is astonishing %
and highly reprehensible.

It -is not natural to make a god of
a man, whom we have seen born and
suffer like ourselves, all the miseries
to which human nature is liable; and
die, and become food for worms ;
yet this happened with almost* all
nations, after the revolution of many
ages.

A man who had performed great
actions, who had rendered importaa|
services to his country, was deifiei^

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23

after his death; and there was
scjarcely a joung warrior of distio-
guished vaIour» whd was not repa*
ted the son of a god.

When arts and sciences began to
prevail, and a taste for elegant and
beautiful composition had displayed
itself among mankind/ the poets,
(particularly Homer) embellished
these fictions, and increased their
credit, by their lively descriptions
and harmonious numbers. Thej
assigned to each deity his particular
Ijpettribates and^^unctions ; they re-
corded the actions of gods and he-
roes, and celebrated their praises ;
yet so far were many of these ac-
tions from meriting praise, that they
would have disgraced men. Not
only human weaknesses, but the
most shocking vices, were attributed
to these supposed divinities ; and
the immortal gods, whose province
they believed it to reward virtue,
and punish crio^^ instead of being
themselves bel# up as patteois of

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24

purity and perfectioDt were repre*
senfed as subject to human passions,
and capable of committing the moflt
criminal acts.

POETS, historians, and design-
ing or credulous people relate many
marvellous stories of Mermaids ;

♦- :

^nd some from such authorif j as to
gain the belief o^mlny people ; but
little children, beKave tbera not*

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25

They are fictions, and no where t»
be found but in the imagination^ or
tales of travellers, and the wild fan-
cy of the poet.* The annexed cut
is the form in which she is repre-
sented, holding a mirror in one hand,
and combing her long hair with the
other.

* One of them,, speaking of the mermaid,
say§,

Amphibious nymph, from Nile's prolific bed,
Bmerging Trapa iifto her pearly head ;
Fair glows her virgin cheek and modest breast^
A panoply of scales deforms the rest ;
Her quivering fins and panting gills she hides.
But spreads her silver arms upon the Udes ;
Slow as she sails, her ivory neck she laves ;
And shakts her golden tresses o'er the waves*

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26

SUCH a thiog or creature as a
Fairy never was ; jet poets and
others are pleased even io this daj,
to be writing and speaking of those
airy and visionary beings, as though
mankind could derive soaiething
useful from such tales. In ancient
tradition and romances we are in-
formed they are a sort of deity or
imaginary genii, conversant on the
earth, and distinguished by a variety
of fantastical actions, either good or
bad. They are represented as fe-
males, superior to human nature,
sometimes visible, and sometimes

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27

invisible ; and possessing power to
pass through key boles, and to dart
about with great velocity, &c. It is
said, in the Highlands o( Scotland,
new born infants are watched till the
christening is over, lest thej should
be stolen or changed bj some of
these fantastical personages. Prob-
ably from this circumstance, Oay
formed his fabU^ the Mother, the
Nurse and the Fairy.

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28

ACCORDIItO (o ancient tradi-
tion, Harpies were winged animals,
with the face of a woman, bodies of
Tuitures, with feet and claws hook-
ed like the talons of a bird of prey.
The ancients looked on the harpies
as a sort of genii or daemons.^ This
creature, which never had a being,
is said to be symbol, and that the
fable originated among the Egypt-
ians, as follows : — During the months

* A kind of intermediate beings by the Ma.

bometans believed to exist between man and
angels.

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29

of A prill May, and June, especial-
\y the tfTolatler, Egjpt was greatly
subject to stormy winds, which laid
waste their olive grounds, and
brought numerous swarms of grass-
hoppers and other troublesome in-
sects from the shores of the Red
Sea, which did infinite damage to
the country. The Egyptians, there-
fore, gave figures which proclaimed
these three months, a female face
with the bodies and inlaws of birds^
and called them Harop, a name
which sufficiently denoted the true
sense of the symbol. All this the
Greeks realized, and embellished id
their way.

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30

GRIFFON, in the natural history
of the ancients, the name of an im-
aginary bird of prey, of the eagle
kind. Thej represented it with four
legs, wings, and a beak : the upper

[)art represented an eagle, and the
ower a lion; they supposed it to
watch over gold mines, hidden treas-
ures, &c. This animal was cooae-
€rated to the sun. The Griffon is
frequently seen on ancient medals :
and it is still borne in coat-armour.
The Griffon is an ornament in archi-
lecture, in common use among the
Greeks, and was copied from them.

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31

THE Salamander has a short cy-
lindrical tail, four toes on the fore-
feet, and a naked porous body.—'
This animal has been said, even ia
the Philosophical Transactions, to
live in the fire ; but this is found to
be fabulous. It is found in the
southern countries of Europe. The
following account of this species it
extracted from the Count de la Ce-
pede^s Natural History of Serpents;
Whilst the hardest bodies cannot
resist the violence of fire, the world
have endeavoured to make us believe
that a small lizard can not only with-
atand the flamesi but even extinguijih

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32

them. As agreeable fables readily
gain belief, every one has been eager
to adopt that of a small animal so
highly privileged, so superior to the
most powerful agent m nature, and
which could furnish so many objects
of comparison to poetry, so many

Eretty embijems to love, and so many
rilliant devices to valour. The an-
cients believed this poetry of the
Salamander. Wishing that its origin
might be as surprising as its power ;
and being desirous of realizing the
ingenious fictions of the poets, they
have pretended that it Owes its ex-
istence to the purest of eleb^enta,
which cannot consume it : and they
have called it the daughter of fire,
giving it, however, a body of ice.
The moderns have followed the
ridiculous tales of the ancients ; amd
as it is difficult to stop when one bas
passed the bounds of probabilrfy,
some have gone so far as to think
that the most violent fire could be
extinguished by the land Salaman-
der. Quacks sold this small lizard^

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33

aflSrmingy that when thrown into the
greatest conflagration, it would check
it9 progress. It was very necessary
that philosophers and naturalists
should take the trouble to prove by
facts what reason aione might have
demonstrated : and it was not till
after the light of science was diffus-
ed abroad, that the world gave over
believing in this wonderful property
of the Salamander*

The Salamander being destitute
of claws, having only four toes on
each of the fore-feet, and no advan-
tage of conformation making up its
deficiencies, its manner of living
must, as is indeed the case, be very
different from that of other lizards.
It walks very slowly ; far from being
able to climb trees with rapidity ; it
often appears to drag^ itself with
great difficulty along the surface of
the earth. It seldom goes far from
the place of shelter which it has fixed
on ; it passes its life under the earth,
often at the bottom of old walls dur-
ing the summer.

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34

PHCENIX, in ornithology, a bird
famous in antiquifj, but generallj
looked upon by the moderns as fab-
ulous. The ancients speak of this
bird as single, or the only one of its
vkind : they describe it as the size
of an eagle ; its head 6nely crested
with a beautiful plumage, its neci
covered with feathers of a gold coj
our, and the rest of the body purpl
only the tail white, sind the ey
sparkling like stars ; they hold tb
it lives 500 or 600 years in the wili
erness ; that when thus advanced ii
age, it builds itaelf a pile of swei

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35 5

rood and aromatic guma, and fires
t with the wafting^ of its wingSy and
hus buros itself; and that from its
ishes arises a worm, which in time
;rows up to be a Phcenix.

This story is so extravaganti that
ittle children have a very good right
lot to believe it ; and to ask why
lo older persons, who know better,
epresent and keep alive the ideas of
his fabulous bird of the ancients f

HISTORY informs, that there
vere a people in Thessalia, a coun-
ry of ancient Greece, who were
called Centaurs ; and that they were
he first who tamed horses, and made
ise of them in war, and thus became
'try formidable. Their neighbours,
vho first saw them on horseback,
bought they were monsters, part
uan and part horse ; and as this idea
avoured the marvellous, it was ea-
gerly adopted by the poets. Ridic-
ilous as it may appear, some grave

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36

writers have contended for the ac-
tual existence of these monsters,
which are represented in paintings
and prints, a compound of man and
beast, like this jcut

That pious and beautiful writer,
Dr. Toung, in a work of his,entitled,
« The Centaur not Fabulous," has
a great deal of valuable malter, well
worth reading. He very ingenious-
ly takes up this fabulous story of the
ancients, and proves, not that there
ever was such a creature in shape^

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37

ut fbat many, iC not most men and
romen, may be considered as Cen-
lurs ; that is, in disposition, action,
nd pursuits ; rendering themselves
lalf human, half, or (as the Centaur
I represented) more than half beast
T brute.

IT is probable many of my little
eaders have heard of Jack Frost,

md bis €xploits of biting off toes
md noses. Some person bas fanci-

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38

fully represented him with iciclei
hanging from ^is wings, and skates
on his feet, pinching an old man's
nose, to represent cold weather.
The dress of the old man, as well as
his attitude, and that of his dog,
pretty ingeniously represent the ef-
fects of cold upon both ; while Jack
Frost is feigned to say, as he holds
the old man by the nose ;

The zenith of thy sun is past ;
To ioe or clay tbou'lt come at last.

And the old man in his reply.

Take off thy finders, hoary frost.
Lest sun beams <1art forth to thy cost.

But this is all a matter of fancy;
such a creature as Jack Frost never I
existed. It is true, we often say of I
the cold, it pinch^, it stings ;' that
is, it is sharp and piercing npoD us,
and in degree painful ; but we do
not mean (hereby that it has fingers
to pinch, teeth fo bite, or. a sting
like a bee, or wasp, or hornet.

byGoOQ

39

I Pelican as falsely described.

4 Pelican properly described.

WRITERS have related strange
ngs.of this bird, which the cred-
»U8 have believed ; numberB have

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40

asserted, 'they fed their yoang wi
their own bipod, and falseij deBcri
ed it in prints.

This bird, however, deserves o
serious notice* It frequents bo
fresh and salt water; yet, its 1
Tourite residence is in uncultivat<
lands and wildernesses where it ci
remain undistiirbed ; in these plac
they bring up their young. No*
as the pelican is to carry provisioi
for a hungry brood, to remote pi
tes, she has a bag of a large siz
provided by~ Nature, for carrying
in.

Here we may see the wisdom an
goodness of the all-wise Creator, wl
has taught this bird to provide foril
offspring, enabling her to carry tt
store of provisions she has caugi
far in the wilderness, the place (
h^r residence, where, like a teod«

Earent, she empties the product c
er labours before Ihem.

Now if some person quite nm
uaioted with this bird, has seen ht

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41

ligbf, and baBtifjr feed a raTenoaa
%od from this bag, it would not be
; noatural to suppose she fed them
fiih hep-owD blood. Edwards, who
%ote a history of birds, says, ^* that
te thought it incredible (in the des-
Tiption of this bird by some authors)
assert that a man's head could be
»ut into their pouch ; but he was an
ye-witnesB to the fact,, as practised
ty the keeper of a Pelican, brought
England in the year 1745,by Cap*
ain Pelly, from the Cape of Good
lope." The Pelican certainly is a
;ood exaipple to idle parents, who
legleet to' labour, and are not pro*
rident for their offspring*

FINIS-

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Samuel Wood & Som^

▲TTHB

JUVENILE BOOK-STORE,

No. 261, PEARL-STREET,
New. York ;
And Samuel S. Wood ST Cb

No. n%, MAREBTSTREET,

Baltimore ;
HAVE FOR SALE^
A Large CoUectMn

OP

Books and Stationary^

A General Assortment

OP

School Books,

And A Great Vwriehf

OE

SMALL BOOKS,

With neat Cuts and pretty stork
for Little Chadren^

A liberal Allowance made to tkoi
nho buy to iell again:^

Digitized by Google

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^'gi-v

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1

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