Children -- United States; United States -- Social life and customs -- To 1775
A widely read little book was somewhat pompously entitled _The
Looking Glass for the Mind_. It was chiefly translated from that
much-admired work, _L'Ami des Enfans_. Those terse and entertaining
tales of Berquin had perennial youth in their English form and
were reprinted till our own day. The illustrations of Bewick have
a distinct value as showing the dress of children. A few are here
shown. The first is from _William and Amelia_; both children are not
eight years old. The long trained gowns, bare necks, elbow sleeves,
and tall feathered hats are precisely the dress of grown women of
that day, as William's coat and knee-breeches are the garb of a man.
The two "ladies" were "walking arm in arm humming a pretty song then
fashionable in the village collection of Ballads." When they glanced
at the apples in the tree William, "the politest and prettiest
little fellow in the village," dropped his shepherd's pipe, climbed
the tree, and threw down apples in the ladies' aprons. As Charlotte
got more and bigger apples Amelia abandoned her "usual pleasing
prattle," sulked and at last ordered William to fall down "on his
knees on this instant" to apologize. As he refused Amelia pouted
at dinner, would not touch her wine nor say "Your good health,
William," and at last was ordered by her mother from the table.
William, after many attempts, sneaked out with some peaches for her,
and thus an affectionate and generous friendship was restored.
[Illustration: "Clarissa, or the Grateful Orphan," from _The Looking
Glass for the Mind_]
Another illustration is for the tale, _Caroline, or a Lesson to Cure
Vanity_. Caroline's dress is further described in the text as of
pea-green taffety with
fine pink trimmings, elegantly worked shoes, hair a clod of powder
and pomatum. Her "fine silk slip was nicely soused in the rain"; her
hoop and flounces and train caught in the furzes, her gauze hat blew
in a pond of filthy water, etc.; all these made her glad to return
to a more modest dress. The illustration for the _Worthy Tenant_
shows Farmer Harris speaking to polite Sophia, while "Robert was
so shamefully impertinent as to walk round the farmer, holding his
nose, and asking his brother if he did not perceive something of
the smell of a dung heap. He then lighted some paper at the fire,
and carried it around the room in order to disperse, as he said, the
unpleasant smell," etc. _Clarissa, or the Grateful Orphan_, who was
so good that the king relinquished a large fortune to her, complete
the quartette of illustrations.
A group of books was published just after the end of the colonial
period, which had a vast influence on the children of our young
Republic. These books were English; the most important of them
were: _The History of the Fairchild Family_, 1788 _circa_, by Mrs.
Sherwood; _Sanford and Merton_, 1783, by Thomas Day; _The Parents'
Assistant_, 1796, by Maria Edgeworth; _Evenings at Home_, 1792, by
Dr. Aikin and Mrs. Barbauld.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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