The Nursery, August 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 2

In Short

Published in Boston in August 1873, this issue of a monthly children’s magazine collects short stories, poems, and simple moral tales designed for young readers. Through domestic vignettes, animal anecdotes, and accounts of cross-country wagon journeys, the pages explore kindness, obedience, and the natural curiosity of children. It has lasted as a charming historical artifact of nineteenth-century pedagogy, capturing the gentle domestic rhythms and earnest moral framework that defined Victorian childhood education and entertainment.

The Story

This collection of juvenile literature unfolds through a mosaic of short narratives, verse, and domestic interactions that trace the moral and physical journeys of children and animals alike. The volume opens with a reflection on maternal love, asserting that a mother’s primary prayer for a child to possess a loving heart shapes every other virtue, from diligence to grace. From this philosophical opening, the magazine moves into everyday domestic scenes. In one household, young siblings Fred, Bessy, and Maggy discover a freshly frosted Fourth of July cake cooling in the kitchen. Temptation proves too strong; Fred and Bessy taste it, and little Maggy leaves a clear handprint in the frosting. When their mother discovers the meddling, she gently rebukes them and gives the cake away to a poor family, teaching the children that true joy requires goodness.

The pastoral and domestic world expands outward into the surrounding countryside and distant territories. Two children, Coosie and Carrie, begin as orphaned lambs fed from a bottle by a thoughtful cook, grow into mischievous pets that bounce upon spring-beds, and eventually return to the meadow flock where they learn to trust human kindness once more. Across other pages, children learn the cost of idleness. Amy plans to earn money by picking blackberries for a local shopkeeper, but she wastes precious hours figuring out her potential profits on a slate instead of picking. When she finally reaches the berry patch, a troop of schoolboys has already stripped the bushes clean, leaving her with nothing. Conversely, loyal sister Nelly balances her duties with care, visiting her injured brother Martin who lies abed with a broken leg, and brings him a rich harvest of blackberries, earning his sweet gratitude.

The magazine also stretches its gaze across the North American continent. Two little girls, Annette and Lisette, embark on a grueling wagon journey to California in 1849, crossing vast prairies, dodging buffalo herds, braving violent thunderstorms, and surviving freezing mountain passes before finally reaching the Sacramento River. Alongside these human odysseys, animals express their own emotional inner lives. Old Bob the watchdog chafes outside a gated garden while his master dines with the parson, only to be rewarded at last with a plate of bones. Kingbirds ferociously defend their nest from curious human visitors in an orchard, while a mischievous colt and a flock of barnyard chickens navigate the small trials of farm life. Across every tale, the volume moves from temptation and trial toward reconciliation, industry, and peace, ending with simple nursery rhymes and gentle guidance that invite young readers to appreciate the beauty of the morning world.

How It Unfolds

The prayer of beginnings An opening meditation establishes that a mother's wish for a loving heart in her child naturally generates wisdom, beauty, and lasting happiness. This moral framework sets the tone for the entire collection of stories and verse.

The temptation of the cake Three siblings succumb to temptation and sample their mother's Fourth of July cake before it can be served. Their mother discovers the mischief and gives the beautiful pastry to a poor family, teaching an unforgettable lesson about the link between goodness and joy.

The day of lost opportunities Amy sets out to pick blackberries for a local shopkeeper but wastes her afternoon calculating hypothetical earnings on a slate. By the time she reaches the fields, schoolboys have stripped the bushes, teaching her that dreaming replaces doing.

The journey across the plains Annette and Lisette travel across the American continent by ox-wagon in 1849, enduring fierce storms, rugged mountain snows, and water shortages. Through hardship and perseverance, they finally reach California and safety.

The loyal sister's return Nelly visits her injured brother Martin, who is confined to bed with a broken leg, before joining a group of children to pick blackberries. She saves her finest berries for him, demonstrating the quiet rewards of thoughtfulness.

The evening rest The volume closes with animal fables, gentle farmyard notes, and simple poetry designed to lull young minds. Children and pets find their way back to comfort, closure, and rest as the day concludes.

The People

Edward, the boy from the opening meditation, grows up guided by his mother's prayer for a loving heart; he seeks to help others, becomes industrious, and ultimately wins universal affection. Amy, an eager but undisciplined girl, wants to earn money for her mother by picking blackberries, but she allows daydreams and mathematical calculations to block her path, ending her afternoon empty-handed and wiser about the perils of procrastination. Nelly wants to join her friends for a blackberry frolic while keeping a steadfast promise to her bedridden brother Martin, who is confined indoors with a broken leg; despite distractions and teasing companions, Nelly saves her finest berries for him, securing a moment of genuine shared sibling affection. Annette and Lisette want only to reach California with their family during the historic migration of 1849; they face blistering plains, mountain snowstorms, and frightening buffalo herds, but they endure these trials alongside their parents to arrive safely at the Sacramento River. Bob, a faithful watchdog, wants a scrap of dinner after guarding the yard for three long hours; he is initially shut out while his master dines with the parson, but ultimately receives a welcome plateful of bones from Betty, ending his long wait in total satisfaction.

In Its Own Voice

Reflecting on the transformative power of genuine affection, the author notes how inner goodness naturally shapes external grace:

She had not prayed that he might be handsome; but there was so much love and good-will manifest in his face, that people loved to look on it: and its expression made it handsome, for beauty attends love like its shadow.

Describing the simple, rustic tools that bring a young boy absolute contentment, the text highlights independent play:

There's such comfort in a chisel! And such music in a file! I wish that little pocket-saws would get to be the style!

Capturing the lively sensory details of a successful harvest in the woods, a young character celebrates the discovery:

"Jewels of jet! Look here!" cried Harry Thorp. "See the bouncers! Here's sweetness! Here's blackness! Here's richness!"

What It's Really About

The collection explores the intersection of moral development and domestic duty, examining how small daily choices build character in growing children. It investigates the tension between idle dreaming and active execution, suggesting that genuine virtue requires practical work rather than hypothetical intention. Furthermore, the magazine contemplates the reciprocal nature of love and community, arguing that kindness must be actively given before it can be received. Through stories of children navigating temptation, sibling loyalty, and frontier hardships, the text underscores the Victorian belief that obedience, industry, and unselfishness form the bedrock of a well-lived life and enduring happiness.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love historical children's literature, Victorian domestic vignettes, and gentle moral fables will find much to admire in these pages. Reading this magazine feels like stepping into a sunlit nineteenth-century parlor where adults and children share quiet lessons through verse and story. What stays with you is the sincere earnestness of the prose, which treats children's emotional and moral growth with profound seriousness. Modern readers must navigate the heavy-handed didacticism and explicitly moralizing tone that defined nineteenth-century pedagogy, which can occasionally feel overly prescriptive to contemporary sensibilities. Yet beneath the formal moral instruction lies a surprisingly vivid record of childhood consciousness—capturing the simple joy of a box of nails, the terror of a kingbird defending its nest, and the awe of crossing an untamed continent by wagon. It remains a touching, beautifully preserved window into a bygone era of education and family life.