CHILDHOOD.
ASSEVERATION.
60. A child to whom is told any story which he considers remarkable will
usually reply by an expression of skepticism, such as: "Really and
truly?" "Honestly?" "Earnest, now?" or, "You are fooling." The first
speaker answers by some formula or asseveration, as, "Honor bright" (_New
England_); "Deed, deed, and double deed" (_Pennsylvania_); "True as I
live," or, "Hope I'll die if it isn't so," or simply, "Hope I'll die."
_General in the United States._
61. A formula of asseveration in Maryland and Pennsylvania is, "I cross
my heart," accompanied by the sign of the cross.
62. A sign resembling that of the cross is made on the chin or throat.
"You won't tell?" "No." "Well, cross your throat."
_Cambridge, Mass._
63. When a child wishes to make an asseveration, he wets his finger on
his mouth and signs a cross on his throat.
_Salem, Mass._
64. In asseveration, the proper method is to use the words, "Hope to die
if I don't," the speaker drawing the forefinger across the throat from
ear to ear.
_Biddeford, Me._
65. Asseveration in Maine and Massachusetts is often made by the
following formula. First boy: "Honor bright?" Second boy: "Hope to die."
First boy: "Cut your throat?" Second boy draws finger across throat. This
is the strongest possible form of oath that can be taken by a boy.
66. Little girls, without any idea of the meaning, employ the following
formula of asseveration:--
Certain, true,
Black and blue.
A variant of the first line: "Certain and true."
_Massachusetts._
67. A form fuller than the preceding:--
Certain, true,
Black and blue,
Lay me down and cut me in two.
68. A boy who desires to tell an extravagant story without being guilty
of a lie would point with his thumb over his left shoulder. If he should
succeed in accomplishing this without the observation of the boy to whom
he is talking, so much the better.
_Biddeford, Me._
69. "In my school-days, if a boy crossed his fingers, elbows, and legs,
though the act might not be noticed by the companion accosted, no blame
was attached to the falsehood."
_New York city._
70. The addition of the words "in a horn" justify a falsehood. In the
childhood of the informant, it was not considered honorable to express
the words in such manner that they could not be heard by the child with
whom conversation was carried on.
_Cambridge, Mass._
71. In making a false statement, it was proper to say "over the left."
This was often uttered in such manner that the person addressed should
not perceive the qualification. Or, the statement would be made, and
after it had been taken in and believed, the words "over the left" would
be added.
_Ohio and Cambridge, Mass._
72. A formula for making a false statement: "As true as I lie here,"
said, as one fools, gives free scope to white lies.
_Roxbury, Mass._
73. An imprecation of children against disloyalty:--
Tell tale tit,
Your tongue shall be slit,
And every dog in our town
It shall have a bit.
_Ohio._
CHALLENGE.
To "stump" another boy to do a thing is considered as putting a certain
obligation on him to perform the action indicated. The phrase is
sometimes used, although the person giving the "stump" may not himself be
able to accomplish the feat.
74. We used to "dare" or "stump" one another to eat green "chuckcherries."
_Brookline, Mass._
75. Daring or "stumping" is or has been common among children generally.
Sometimes it is to jump a certain distance; sometimes to skate out on
thin ice; again, to touch something very hot. Once in Ohio several lads
were collected together about a spring. One of them drew a pail of fresh
water and by chance brought up a small live fish. One of the boys
"stumped" his companions to eat the fish alive, without dressing or
cooking. The boys took the "stump," one quickly cut up the unfortunate
little animal and each boy swallowed a bit. Often the dare is to eat some
very untoothsome morsel.
FORTUNE.
76. Put a mark upon a paper for every bow you get, and when you have one
hundred bury the paper and wish. When the paper is decayed you will find
your wish in its place.
_Cambridge and Bedford, Mass._
77. Children collect two or three hundred names of persons, asking each to
give a bow with the name. This bow is expressed after the name on a sheet
of paper on which the latter is written by this sign [Symbol: H with
slanted cross-bar]. After all are collected the paper is secretly buried
face downward, and then dug up after two or three months, when money is
sometimes found under it.
_North Cambridge, Mass._
78. At Christmas or New Year's children, on first meeting, call out "My
Christmas-gift," or "New Year's-gift," and the one who calls first is to
receive a gift from the other.
_Mansfield, O._
FRIENDSHIP.
79. If two persons, while walking, divide so as to pass an obstruction
one on one side and one on the other, they will quarrel. Children avert
this catastrophe by exclaiming, "bread and butter," which is a counter
charm. On the other hand, if they say "pepper and salt," the quarrel is
made doubly certain. So universal is the practice that many grown people
of the best social class (women) still involuntarily avoid such
separation, and even use the childish words. In country towns, when girls
are walking with young men, if the latter pass on the other side of the
tree it is considered as rude, and as a token of indifference; in such a
case one girl will cast a meaning look on her companion as much as to
say, "he does not care for you." To use the local phrase, it would be
said, So-and-so is "mad" with ---- (naming the girl).
_Massachusetts._
80. In passing a tree in the middle of the sidewalk, children used to
pass it on one side going one way and on the other side going the other
way for luck.
_Billerica, Mass._
MYTHOLOGY.
81. The stars are angels' eyes.
_Westminster, Mass._
82. The stars are holes made in the sky, so that the light of heaven
shines through. "I remember, as a child, that this idea was suggested to
me on seeing the effect of holes in the lamp shade. I think, however,
that I rather liked to suppose it true and firmly believed in the
explanation."
_Cambridge, Mass._
83. "As a child, I constantly looked into lilies and tulips in the
expectation of finding fairies lying within them."
_Mansfield, O._
84. "I remember that as a child, while walking with a companion, she
cried: 'Why, a fairy lighted on my hand!' The child believed that this
had been the case."
_Cambridge, Mass._
85. The children used to fearfully look in the well, and on seeing the
reflected face in the bottom, would cry out, "Face in the well, pull me
down in the well," and would then run away quickly.
_Bruynswick, N.Y._
86. At the age of six or seven years, a child, while going to a spring to
draw water, saw a little creature with wings fly from one star to
another, leaving behind an arc of light. She cried to her aunt: "Oh,
aunt, I saw a little gold-boy!" Her aunt, somewhat shocked, rebuked the
child, who insisted on the literal truth of her vision.
_Mansfield, O._
87. Stick your thumb through a knothole and say:--
Old Gran'f'ther Graybeard, without tooths or tongue,
If you'll give me a little finger I'll give you a thumb.
Thumb'll go away and little finger'll come.
88. Go to the woodpile and say, "Johnnie with your fingers, and Willie
with your toes," and something (suthin) will come out of the woodpile and
tear off all your clothes (close).
_Gilsum, N.H._
PUNISHMENT.
89. An "eyewinker" placed in the palm of the hand will cause the ferule
to break when the teacher strikes the palm with it.
_Portsmouth, N.H._
90. Pine tar or pitch in the hand will prevent the blows of the ferule
from causing pain. (_Portsmouth, N.H._, sixty years ago.)
Believed by most schoolboys there at that time.
SPORT.
91. At croquet, if your ball was about to be sent flying, the safeguard
was to draw an imaginary X with your mallet, saying, "Criss cross." It
made your enemy's foot slip, and many a girl would get "mad" and not
play, if you did it often.
_Brookline, Mass._
92. Children believe it is unlucky to step on the cracks in the
flagstones, which are believed to contain poison. It is a game to walk a
long distance on such stones without setting foot on the interstices.
_Cambridge, Mass._
93. When children are tired of swinging, or think it is time for the
swinger to give way to another, the phrase is "let the old cat die."
After this has been said, it is unlucky to quicken the motion of the
swing again.
_General._
VARIOUS.
94. When a child loses a tooth, if the tongue is not put into the cavity
a gold tooth will come in place of it.
_New York and Northern Ohio._
95. The ideas of children about the significance of color are mixed. Thus
in croquet no child (in a town near Boston) would take the red ball,
because it was supposed to mean hate. Blue is the favorite color.
96. Red and yellow, catch a fellow. _Brookline, Mass._
Pink and blue, he'll catch you. _Deerfield, Mass._
Pink and blue, he'll be true. _Deerfield, Mass._
Black and white, hold him tight. _Pennsylvania._
97. An old superstition which still survives among children is, that if
they crawl over an older person and do not crawl back they will never
grow again.
_Haverhill, Mass._
98. "We used always as children to get X's scored with a pin on our new
'village gaiters.' We were told it was to make them safe and take the
slipperiness off."
_Brookline, Mass._
99. Children say that the one who takes the first bite of an apple that
is to be passed about for eating will fail in his or her lesson.
_Chelsea, Mass._
100. Boys believe that they can prevent the stitch in the side which is
liable to be induced by running, by means of holding a pebble under the
tongue. "I believe I could run all day, and not get tired, if I could
hold a pebble under my tongue," said one.
_Cambridge, Mass._