The Nursery, December 1877, Vol. XXII. No. 6: A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers

In Short

This December 1877 issue of The Nursery is a monthly American periodical crafted for very young children, combining illustrated moral tales, verse, simple songs, and light non-fiction. Through humorous encounters with pets, natural history sketches, and domestic mishaps, its brief entries offer gentle instruction alongside playfulness. It has lasted as a charming historical window into Victorian childhood, reflecting nineteenth-century ideas about family, animal welfare, and early education.

The Story

The issue moves through a varied landscape of home life, nature, and playful misbehaviour. It opens with the theatrical quarrel of "The Last Guest," in which a housemaid named Mary angrily confronts a dog named Tom over a stolen breakfast pheasant, while Tom cleverly defends his self-control before fleeing her swinging broom. Domestic wildlife then takes center stage in "The Starlings and the Sparrows," as a pair of starlings mistakenly try to evict a sparrow family from a birdhouse, only to discover after a rowdy battle that the doorway is too small for them to enter.

From nature tales, the volume shifts to personal anecdotes about cherished animals. A young girl named Katie Sinclair shares how she rescued a wet, shivering puppy under her window, named him Waif, and taught him to carry the dinner market basket and perform tricks for her father. Farther afield, a mother writes from Foochow, China, describing how her children, Amy and Robert, travel in sedan chairs carried by coolies, play on house-boats, and pick up local phrases. The narrative lens then turns backward in time with accounts of exceptionally smart horses: one named Pete who pulled up his own well-bucket to drink, and Whitey, who faithfully walked to church every Sunday, even traveling to his usual shed unattended when his owner was too ill to attend.

In the middle of the issue, a seven-month-old child named Baby Lila achieves her first grand adventure in "Baby's Exploit." Left on a rug surrounded by soft pillows, she crawls across the kitchen floor in her long white skirts, grabs a tin plate, and uses a feather duster to smear a pot of yeast across herself and the hearth, leaving her mother relieved that the child played with yeast rather than live coals.

Animal intelligence remains a core thread toward the end. A fable retells the story of the fox tricks a crow into dropping her cheese, while a poem contrasts migratory swallows with a brave robin who trusts human kindness for winter bread. A boy named Birdie spins an imaginative tale of five escaped pigs who outsmart a farmer just to get fresh air, followed by a true account of a tame robin returning to a family kitchen cage winter after winter. The collection closes with the story of Phantom, a singing white dog who once disrupted church with a stolen feather duster, before wrapping up with a festive Christmas carol score welcoming readers to holiday cheer.

How It Unfolds

Confrontation in the kitchen Mary the cook accuses Tom the dog of stealing a prepared pheasant, but Tom insists on his innocence and asks for bacon before ducking a flying broomstick.

A battle for the birdhouse Mr. and Mrs. Starling violently drive a family of sparrows out of a nesting box, only to realize the entrance is too tiny for starlings and that they are the actual intruders.

Katie finds a companion Katie Sinclair rescues a freezing, anonymous puppy from her porch, names him Waif, and trains him to fetch the family meat basket from the butcher.

An American family in China Amy and Robert adjust to life in Foochow, riding in pole-carried chairs, sleeping aboard river house-boats, and learning words from their nurse.

Equine loyalty and instinct Tales of clever horses reveal one that draws its own drinking water with a well-pole and another that trots to church alone on Sunday mornings.

Lila's yeast adventure Seven-month-old Baby Lila escapes her pillow boundary, crawls across the hearth, and paints herself and the floor with fresh bread yeast using a feather duster.

Tales of birds and swine Fables and children's stories celebrate the cleverness of animals, from a cheese-stealing fox to a litter of pigs who escape their sty simply to enjoy fresh air.

Phantom sings for his supper A small white dog named Phantom sneaks into church with a duster and later delights his family by howling in tune whenever his favorite song is sung.

The People

• Mary and Tom: A domestic housemaid and a clever pet dog whose morning argument over a missing cooked pheasant ends in a broom chase and a hasty retreat.
• Katie Sinclair: A compassionate young girl who rescues a homeless puppy, names him Waif, and builds a deep, enduring friendship with him through shared games and daily chores.
• Baby Lila: A curious seven-month-old infant who achieves her first major physical milestone by crawling past her barriers to play with a duster and yeast by the fireplace.
• Uncle George's Horse, Whitey: A highly disciplined horse who becomes so accustomed to the weekly church routine that he travels to the church shed by himself when his owner falls ill.
• Birdie: A thoughtful young child who invents a playful story about five escaped pigs, arguing that their rule-breaking was justified because they needed fresh air.
• Phantom: An expressive white dog known for interrupting a church service with a duster and for sitting up to "sing" in a clear voice whenever his favorite tune is played.

In Its Own Voice

"A waif," said she, "is something found, of which nobody knows the owner."

Katie's mother explains the meaning of the word before her daughter adopts it as the name for her lost, rescued puppy.

"I can never be thankful enough that she dusted the yeast instead of the coals."

A mother reflects on her baby's chaotic adventure across the kitchen floor, choosing gratitude over anger at the mess.

"Why, they got some fresh air!"

Little Birdie triumphantly explains the moral of his story after telling how five pigs escaped their sty and outsmarted the farmer.

What It's Really About

At its core, this issue explores the moral life of early childhood, focusing on kindness, curiosity, and responsibility toward animals. The stories consistently treat animals as creatures with dignity, intelligence, and feelings, whether urging readers to treat pets with gentleness or highlighting the clever habits of horses and birds. Beneath the simple plots lies a gentle instructional message: true goodness springs from empathy, forgiveness, and lighthearted resilience rather than harsh punishment or strict control.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals to social historians, literature lovers, and anyone charmed by antique children's writing. Reading it feels like flipping through a preserved album of late nineteenth-century family life, complete with cozy hearths, early home remedies, and period songs. While modern readers may notice Victorian gender roles or the casual mention of colonial-era domestic setups, the collection's warmth, playful humour, and genuine love for animals remain timelessly engaging.

<ElicitationsGroup message="If you'd like to explore this volume further:"> <Elicitation label="Read a detailed breakdown of 19th-century animal welfare themes" query="Analyze the animal welfare themes and attitudes toward pets in The Nursery, December 1877."/> <Elicitation label="Compare this issue's style to other Victorian children's magazines" query="How does the literary style of The Nursery (1877) compare to other 19th-century children's periodicals like St. Nicholas?"/> </ElicitationsGroup>