Welcome Flora!

[shewhomust]

The children had been busy for many days, making grand preparations for the Feast of Flora. They got up very early on May-day and went out to gather flowers for the maypole, which had been erected on the village green.

They came back with their arms full of marsh marigolds, cowslips, bluebells, and lady's smock, and Nan and Lily were soon making a crown for Jessie, who was to be Queen of the May.

Then there were the nosegays that they intended to put on each breakfast plate, as a greeting from Flora.

Dan and Philip were decorating the plough, the milk-cart, and the drays, and as soon as Ted had finished milking his Ayrshire cows, he was going to groom the bay mare, for she was to take part in the procession.

The children had arranged that Alan should represent Scotland: he was to wear his Highland dress, to carry bagpipes, and to have a spray of heather in his cap, fastened with his thistle clasp.

Pat represented Ireland, with his banner and a bunch of shamrock. He had provided Louise with a leek, and she was to carry a banner with the red dragon of Wales. And Betty was to represent England in a robe embroidered with roses, whilst Jack was in attendance as St. George of Merry England, ready to slay any number of dragons.

When all was ready, the procession went down the street as far as the quay, and returned by the sea-front. The balconies and doorways were crowded with interested spectators, who cheered each party as it went by.

There were the fish-carts, with lobsters, soles, and crayfish, under the direction of
their old sailor friend. The milk-cart, with a gaily decorated milk-can, was driven by Ted. The bay mare, drawing the useful plough, was managed by Philip, who represented Agriculture.

In the rear of the procession was the chimney-sweep, in his cart adorned with the greenest of green boughs.

And they all marched to the strains of the village band, which was playing national airs.

When they arrived at the village green, the Queen was crowned with all due ceremony, and there was much dancing round the maypole. Alan had a Highland schottische with the May-queen, and Pat, an Irish jig with Lily; then they had country dances and all kinds of games, and the merriment continued until the last rays of the setting sun warned them that it was time to be going home.

The Dale Readers, Book II
Written by Nellie Dale
With new pictures by Walter Crane
George Philip & Son.
London & Liverpool

Nellie Dale was a British educator who wrote a series of books which could be used in conjunction with her own system of teaching reading. The children move from experience to experience, travelling by train, visiting Dunwich, breeding silk worms, surviving a shipwreck, all narrated in the same deadpan voice, in a vocabulary chosen to illustrate some aspect of English. In addition to the four full-page illustrations, and numerous smaller panels, the text is strewn with vignettes over which a key word is displayed, each letter coloured according to the teaching scheme, and several pages of word-lists follow the main text.

My copy is not dated, though it bears a USA copyright of 1907. It also has a bookplate from Darlington Training College dated 1931, and the illustrated title page has been stamped "Specimen: with the [publishers'] compliments"

It's an odd and charming little book; but some of the illustrations are delicious.

Comments

[vschanoes.livejournal.com]

That's so lovely! And it is my mother's birthday, so she is forever the May Queen!

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's lovely. Thank you.

Nine