THE
MOTHER'S
NURSERY SONGS.
BY
THOMAS HASTINGS,
AUTHOR OF "DISSERTATION ON MUSICAL TASTE"—ONE OF THE COMPILERSOF "MUSICA SACRA"—"SPIRITUAL SONGS"—"INFANTMINSTREL," &c. &c.
NEW-YORK:
PUBLISHED BY JOHN P. HAVEN,
148, NASSAU STREET.
——
1835.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1834, by
JOHN P. HAVENS,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the
Southern District of New York.
PREFACE.
The author of the following pages was one day conversingwith a lady of some distinction, relative to the importanceof teaching young children to sing, when a questionarose—whether any thing could be done by the mother inthis respect, during the period of the early infancy of heroffspring? This inquiry, with the discussion that ensued,gave rise to the present publication.
Much, no doubt, can be done in early infancy, on themere principle of imitation. Exercises for this purposeshould be exceedingly simple; and, as far as possible,adapted to the infantile capacity. Great originality willhardly be expected in such a work as this: yet the materialshere presented are, for the most part, such as have notbefore been published. A few extracts, have been furnishedfrom the writings of Jane Taylor: And for many of theother little poems, the author is happy to acknowledge hisobligations to several literary friends, among whom are theRev. James Alexander, Professor of Rhetoric in PrincetonCollege, New Jersey, Mrs. Sigourney, of Hartford, Connecticut,well known as the author of occasional pieces ofgreat poetic merit, and Mrs. Brown, of Munson, Massachusetts,the writer of several interesting anonymous hymnsnow in general circulation.
The object of the work, as will b