The Nursery, March 1878, Vol. XXIII. No. 3: A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers

In Short

Published in early 1878, this issue of The Nursery is an illustrated miscellany designed for very young children. Through short prose pieces, light verse, instructional guides, and simple music, the collection offers gentle moral guidance, basic natural history, and glimpses of domestic life. Children swing under oak trees, watch construction projects, help mothers, and care for pets, while wild animals chatter, fight, and play. Its enduring charm rests in its warm, unhurried tone, its non-punitive approach to childhood education, and its clear picture of Victorian-era ideals regarding family, nature, and kindness.

The Story

The volume opens on a poignant note with a poem about "Nobody's Dog," a thin, homeless terrier wandering the streets in search of a lost master, only to be driven away. This touch of melancholy quickly yields to bright nostalgia in "In the Swing," where a narrator named Edith recalls mornings spent swinging with her sister Mabel in their grandmother's oak grove, promising that their upcoming summer visit will bring no harm to the local birds and squirrels. Lighthearted observation follows: a poem welcomes the new moon, while a short narrative details how three young brothers industriously haul scrap wood from a neighboring construction site in their toy carts, earning their mother kindling and winning evening storytimes by the fire with their father.

Animal behavior forms a core thread throughout the issue. A brief dispatch from England recounts how an old goose intervened to stop two fighting flock-mates, lecturing and punishing them to restore peace. A mischievous poem turns out to be an ode to a little girl's doll—"The Girl Who is Always Good"—before the magazine takes an exotic turn with "A Letter from Calcutta." Written by a young correspondent named Leon, the letter describes how Indian crows torment local dogs to steal their bones and tease neighborhood kites, even holding avian trials to punish misbehaving crows.

Domestic instruction and nature lessons continue with a visit to a Kansas prairie-dog town, where yellow dogs bark like squeeze-toys, living in underground networks alongside sleepy owls. Contrast arrives in a tender poem, "The Street-Player," describing a ragged, hungry child playing a fiddle for pennies, prompting a comfortably housed child to share his savings. Natural history snapshots detail the courageous, meddlesome catbird, while a whimsical drawing lesson shows how to turn a roll of bread dough into the rear view of a sleeping cat. Children pretend to cook with invisible eggs and milk, while a local news item tells the humorous true story of a boy who accidentally caught a large trout when the fish bit his nose.

The closing selections weave together moral fables, cozy domesticity, and broader horizons. Aesop's fable of the ass in the lion's skin teaches the foolishness of empty pretense. A child describes a housefly that survived the winter in her sick mother's room, eating sugar and perching on her hand even after burning a wing. A grandfather presents young George with his very first watch. A girl named Helen temporarily loses her beloved canary to a snowstorm, only to have the bird fly down into her open hand when called. Three little chicks sail safely to their mother in an old shoe during a flood, while a boy named Charles uses his dog Fido to protect a mother goose from a swooping hawk. Little Mabel tries valiantly to keep her Christmas secrets, only to find the holiday full of surprises for herself. A young girl named Ruth studies her lessons out in the sunshine, an aunt explains snow-houses and the Northern Lights to her curious nephew, and the issue concludes with the playful words and sheet music for "The Froggie's Party."

How It Unfolds

A homeless dog wanders — The magazine begins with a melancholic poem about a stray black-and-white dog who seeks his lost master in the streets, only to be driven away.

Memories of summer — Two sisters recall swinging under their grandmother's oak tree and look forward to returning next summer to play peacefully among the woodland creatures.

Boys at work — Three brothers gather scrap wood from a neighboring building site, filling the cellar to help their mother and earning evening fireside stories with their father.

Avian peacemakers and Indian crows — Stories highlight animal intelligence, from an English goose breaking up a flock fight to bold crows in Calcutta pulling dogs' tails to steal their bones.

Prairies and street musicians — Readers travel to Western Kansas to see prairie dogs in subterranean villages, then read of a young street musician whose poverty moves a sheltered child to charity.

Domestic play and surprising catches — Children play cook with imaginary ingredients, a boy catches a trout with his nose, and a girl feeds sugar to a winter fly with a burnt wing.

Reunion and celebration — A lost canary flies back to its owner through the snow, chicks survive a flood in an old shoe, and the issue closes with a lively song about a frog's wedding.

The People

Edith and Mabel — Two sisters who cherish memories of swinging in their grandmother's oak grove. They represent the magazine's ideal child reader: thoughtful, cautious after a minor fall, and deeply affectionate toward nature.

The Three Brothers — Industrious young boys who spend their mornings hauling leftover timber from Mr. Little's building site. Driven by a desire to help their mother, their reward is a warm fire and storytime with their father.

Leon K. Davis — A young American living near Calcutta who writes to the magazine. Observant and amused by his surroundings, he details the clever, mischievous tactics of local crows and kites.

Helen — A caring eight-year-old girl who patiently tames her canary, Chirp. When Chirp escapes into a cold November snowstorm, her brave and immediate search rewards her with the bird's safe return.

Ruth ("The Little Student") — A diligent young girl who sits outside with her dog Lion, practicing her reading and writing, embodying the quiet, steady self-improvement celebrated throughout the text.

In Its Own Voice

"He almost seems to say, / As he looks in your face with wistful eyes, / 'I don't mean to be in your way.'"

A homeless stray trotting from street to street hopes for a friendly face in a cold world.

"So you see they had a reward for their labor, besides having the satisfaction of knowing that they helped their mother."

Three young brothers store kindling in the cellar and spend their evenings enjoying a wood fire with their father.

"She could see nothing of him; but Chirp saw her, and in a moment came fluttering down among the snowflakes, and perched upon her hand."

Helen searches the snowy yard for her lost canary, who flies straight to her when she calls his name.

What It's Really About

At its core, the issue advocates for a gentle, observant, and compassionate approach to childhood. Rather than relying on stern warnings or harsh punishments, the collection teaches morals through empathy and observation. Stories of homeless dogs and street musicians encourage young readers to feel active sympathy for the vulnerable. Accounts of Indian crows, prairie dogs, and catbirds foster a curious, respectful relationship with the natural world. Household tales frame work as a shared family joy rather than a chore. The implicit argument running through every page is that character is built quietly through daily habits: showing kindness to animals, helping parents, pursuing early lessons, and delighting in simple, wholesome pleasures.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers will find this publication a captivating artifact of Victorian childhood culture. It offers a clear, cozy glimpse into late nineteenth-century home life, complete with fireside storytelling, simple parlor games, and handmade Christmas gifts. Reading it feels like stepping into a sunlit, unhurried nursery where the world's complexities are distilled into digestible, comforting truths.

The collection is remarkably accessible, written in clean, direct English designed for early readers. Its brief formats—ranging from one-page stories to quick eight-line rhymes—make it an easy, charming browse. Readers should note the period tone, which leans heavily into moral tidiness and sentimental portrayals of poverty, as seen in the poem about the ragged street musician. Yet there is no harshness here. Instead, the volume preserves a historic philosophy of early childhood education that chose to inspire young minds with gentleness, humor, and wonder.