The Nursery, February 1881, Vol. XXIX: A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers

In Short

This February 1881 issue of The Nursery is an American children’s periodical that blends short prose stories, moral fables, and light poetry. Through tales of shipbuilding, back-yard gardening, and family life, it captures the everyday imaginations and quiet lessons of young readers in late nineteenth-century America. It has endured as an authentic artifact of period publishing, offering a gentle glimpse into historical childhood.

The Story

The volume opens with an educational overview of a busy shipyard, where twenty-six men prepare a large vessel for launching. The narrator walks young readers through the precise mechanics of calking, painting, and rigging, inviting them to imagine the grand vessel sliding off its cradle into the deep harbor. From this vast maritime scene, the focus shifts to a domestic garden, where a young boy named Louis plants peanuts in his yard. Though neighbors predict failure, his patient tending yields a small autumn harvest of ripe ground-nuts, which he proudly shares with the magazine's editors.

Imagination takes flight in a series of poems about travel and nature. Four children daydream of journeying to the icy Northland, sailing east to palm-lined deserts, galloping across western prairies on horseback, or flying south on wings, before a little girl gently concludes that staying home with her mother is best. Simple observational tales follow: three boys in blue sailor suits and red stockings play a game of "One-old-cat," frightening their elderly grandmother, who misinterprets their baseball equipment as weapons intended to harm a feline. Nearby, a helpful horse named Hero uses his teeth to nibble away a grass snare caught around a dog's leg, setting his friend free.

Domestic holiday scenes unfold as a young girl receives a tailless Manx kitten for Christmas, and another child tries—and fails—to stay awake on New Year's Eve to greet the incoming year. Creative resourcefulness returns in a narrative about two brothers, Jack and Fred, who build an oversized kite. After breaking their string and tearing the paper, they patiently adapt their design with cloth and sturdy cord, successfully flying it the next day.

In a city home, six-year-old Bertie visits his humorous uncle Frank. Between a vocal parrot named Poll, a hidden box of ferrets in the attic, and an unexpected gift of a black dog named Nero harnessed to a toy express-wagon, Bertie discovers the joys of city life. The anthology draws to a close with a mother telling her sons about losing her red coral beads as a child, revealing how her own mother caught her taking forbidden raisins from a corner cupboard. The issue ends with a lullaby-like song that assures young readers that daisies sleep under the snow, birds fly south, and babies rest safely in their mothers' arms.

How It Unfolds

A vessel takes shape Shipwrights and calkers drive oakum and pitch into the seams of a wooden hull, preparing the vessel for its maiden voyage down the bay.

Harvesting the ground-nut Young Louis plants peanuts in his family's new garden plot, carefully nurturing the green shoots until he successfully digs up a saucer-full of ripe nuts in November.

Dreams of distant lands Children express their desires to explore the far corners of the earth by snow-shoe, boat, horse, and wing, until a little girl chooses the quiet comfort of home.

Misunderstandings on the lawn An eighty-year-old grandmother watches three boys gather with a club and stone, fearing for a cat's safety before realizing they are merely playing ball.

Trial and triumph in the wind Two brothers encounter broken strings and torn paper while flying an ambitious homemade kite, but their perseverance pays off when they rebuild it with cloth.

Laughter in the city Bertie visits his playful uncle in the city, meeting talking parrots, attic ferrets, and a shaggy dog hitched to a miniature red, white, and blue express-wagon.

Lessons around the hearth A mother shares a childhood memory of losing her coral necklace while stealing raisins, teaching her listening sons a gentle lesson about honesty.

The People

• Louis wants to cultivate a successful crop of peanuts in his new backyard plot. He faces skepticism from neighbors who claim the nuts will never grow, but through careful tending, he succeeds in harvesting a bowl of ripe ground-nuts.
• Jack and Fred want to construct and fly a massive newspaper kite down by the seaside. Windstorms break their original string and tear the thin paper, driving them to rebuild the frame using durable cloth and heavier rope.
• Bertie wants to enjoy his two-week stay at his uncle's city house without succumbing to homesickness. Despite being left under the care of the housekeeper, his uncle's ventriloquistic jokes and playful gifts keep him thoroughly entertained.
• Uncle Frank wants to delight his young nephew through lighthearted trickery and humor. He mimics animal sounds from beneath tables and surprises Bertie with a fully outfitted dog-cart.
• Susan (the Mother) wanted to sneak sweet raisins from a high porcupine-quill box in her family's parlor without getting caught. Dropping her cherished red coral beads inside the container exposed her small theft, leaving her with a lifelong lesson in integrity.

In Its Own Voice

"When the seams are filled, they are covered with melted pitch or rosin to preserve the oakum from decay."

A practical explanation grounds the opening story, detailing how nineteenth-century calkers waterproofed wooden sailing ships before launching.

"There they staid all the afternoon doing the same thing."

An elderly grandmother watches three young boys play ball in the yard, relieved to learn their game of "One-old-cat" involved no actual harm to animals.

"My little sin had found me out."

A mother concludes her childhood story about losing her coral beads inside a forbidden jar of raisins, passing down an enduring moral lesson to her sons.

What It's Really About

At its core, this collection explores the quiet rhythms of nineteenth-century childhood, balancing adventurous imagination with practical life lessons. It contrasts a child's natural curiosity—whether expressed through travel daydreams, building kites, or stealing forbidden treats—with the comforting boundaries provided by home and family. Perseverance emerges as a central virtue, shown both in the mechanics of shipbuilding and in young boys learning from failed kite designs. The text repeatedly emphasizes kindness to animals, honesty, and respect for older family members. Underneath its light verses and short prose lies an ongoing effort to shape young character through accessible, reassuring narratives.

Why Read It Today

This issue offers a charming, unfiltered glimpse into the reading habits and cultural values of American children in 1881. Modern readers interested in historical literature, period illustrations, or Victorian domestic life will appreciate its concise stories and gentle tone. The prose is clear and accessible, making it an easy read, though contemporary audiences should be prepared for archaic phrasing, traditional gender roles, and explicit moralizing typical of late nineteenth-century instructional publishing. Its brief entries capture a world where simple pleasures—a homemade kite, a pet dog pulling a cart, or a patch of garden peanuts—were sources of genuine wonder. Reading it today provides a nostalgic, peaceful journey into a bygone era of children's literature.