old Teutonic allegory, the red hen being the sun, the money bags the rain, and the harp the winds. "Bluebeard" is from the tales of Perrault, which were published about 1697. Dr. C. Taylor thinks Bluebeard a type of the Castle Lords of the days of Knight Errantry. Some think Bluebeard was intended to represent Henry the Eighth. Another solution is that Bluebeard was Count Conomar, and the young wife, Tryphyna, daughter of Count Guerech. Count Conomar was a lieutenant of Brittany in the reign of Childebert. The incident of the keys and the doors is similar to that mentioned by "The Third Calendar" in the "Arabian Nights." The story of "Whittington and His Cat" is found in substance in an old Persian story. Several solutions of the story have been given. One suggests that a "cat" is a brig built on the Norwegian model. Another that the word "achat" means barter. 66 Beauty and the Beast," perhaps the most beautiful of all the nursery tales, is from the French of Villeneuve (1740). Some writer has said, "The most instructive reading for a person of any age, old or young, is that in which the author's tone of thought is above the average tone of the reader's thought, and yet not beyond his grasp.' ." Perhaps this thought may apply to the selections from Æsop. A short list of popular sayings is given. These may be of interest in themselves, and it may be both profitable and interesting to add to the list those common in your locality. |