Dedicated
to
Diana Scott Lang
The stories in this Fairy Book come from all quarters of the world. Forexample, the adventures of “Ball-Carrier and the Bad One” are told by RedIndian grandmothers to Red Indian children who never go to school, nor see penand ink. “The Bunyip” is known to even more uneducated little ones, runningabout with no clothes at all in the bush, in Australia. You may see photographsof these merry little black fellows before their troubles begin, in “NorthernRaces of Central Australia,” by Messrs. Spencer and Gillen. They have nolessons except in tracking and catching birds, beasts, fishes, lizards, andsnakes, all of which they eat. But when they grow up to be big boys and girls,they are cruelly cut about with stone knives and frightened with sham bogiesall for their good their parents say and I think they would rather go toschool, if they had their choice, and take their chance of being birched andbullied. However, many boys might think it better fun to begin to learn huntingas soon as they can walk. Other stories, like “The Sacred Milk of Koumongoé,”come from the Kaffirs in Africa, whose dear papas are not so poor as those inAustralia, but have plenty of cattle and milk, and good mealies to eat, andlive in houses like very big bee-hives, and wear clothes of a sort, though notvery like our own. “Pivi and Kabo” is a tale from the brown people in theisland of New Caledonia, where a boy is never allowed to speak to or even lookat his own sisters; nobody knows why, so curious are the manners of this remoteisland. The story shows the advantages of good manners and pleasant behaviour;and the natives do not now cook and eat each other, but live on fish,vegetables, pork, and chickens, and dwell in houses. “What the Rose did to theCypress,” is a story from Persia, where the people, of course, are civilised,and much like those of whom you read in “The Arabian Nights.” Then there aretales like “The Fox and the Lapp” from the very north of Europe, where it isdark for half the year and day-light for the other half. The Lapps are a peoplenot fond of soap and water, and very much given to art magic. Then there aretales from India, told to Major Campbell, who wrote them out, by Hindoos; thesestories are “Wali Dâd the Simple-hearted,” and “The King who would be Strongerthan Fate,” but was not so clever as his daughter. From Brazil, in SouthAmerica, comes “The Tortoise and the Mischievous Monkey,” with the adventuresof other animals. Other tales are told in various parts of Europe, and in manylanguages; but all people, black, white, brown, red, and yellow, are like eachother when they tell stories; for these are meant for children, who like thesame sort of thing, whether they go to school and wear clothes, or, on theother hand, wear skins of beasts, or even nothing at all, and live on grubs andlizards and hawks and crows and serpents, like the little Australian blacks.
The tale of “What the Rose did to the Cypress,” is translated out of a Persianmanuscript by Mrs. Beveridge. “Pivi and Kabo” is translated by the Editor froma French version; “Asmund and Signy” by Miss Blackley; the Indian stories byMajor Campbell, and all the rest are told by Mrs. Lang, who does not give themexactly as they are told by all sorts of outlandish natives, but makes them upin the hope white people will like them, skipping the pieces which they willnot like. That is how this Fairy Book was made up for your entertainment.