Apologia
Reading edition
The gathering of the data which are the bases of this little book was an offshoot of my general interest in the collection of books made for the children of long ago. This field is rich in human interest and leads one into folk-lore and fairyland, a delightful avocation for a man busy in the urgent bread-and-butter (and pie) struggle of to-day.
It was my intention and ardent desire to put forth this little story in 1915, to commemorate the two-hundredth anniversary of the first edition of the Divine and Moral Songs—but—“the best-laid plans o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley”, and mine were ruthlessly spilled; so instead of this book appearing in 1915, the dear old world has made several stormy circuits of its orbit and the chronologers are about to hang out the sign for 1919 before a kindly fate permitted the fulfillment of my heart’s desire in this matter. But never mind, I am doubtless the only one to be much annoyed, for the whole of 1915 passed without the appearance of so much as a newspaper paragraph, so far as I could discover, relative to the momentous fact that two hundred years ago an immortal book first saw the light.
It may be, however, of passing interest to note that the one-hundredth anniversary of the Divine Songs was celebrated by the battle of Waterloo, and the two-hundredth anniversary found Europe in the midst of a conflict to which that celebrated battle of 1815 now seems like boys’ play.
And so, with Herrick I say:
“Goe thou forth my booke, though late; Yet be timely fortunate, It may chance good-luck may send Thee a kinsman, or a friend, That may harbour thee, when I, With my fates neglected lye. If thou know’st not where to dwell, See, the fier’s by: Farewell.” W. M. S.
September, 1918.
DIVINE SONGS Attempted in Easy Language for the Use of CHILDREN.
By I. WATTS.
Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise. Matt. xxi. 16.
LONDON: Printed for M. Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultry. 1715.