Nelson & His World

My German grandmother gave me the German children’s book Der Struwwelpeter, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struwwelpeter (written by Heinrich Hoffman, in 1845) as a birthday gift. I think it is a horrible book to give to children, not only because of the stories, but perhaps most of all, because of the scaring illustrations in it.

For example in one of the stories a girl played with matches or something similar, caught fire, and burned to ashes. The illustration show a heap of smoking cinders with the girl’s shoes next to it, which were the only thing left of her. Another story I remember is someone with big scissors cutting off the thumbs of a child who was thumb sucking. (Like many children do). The illustration showed the thumbs being cut off, with drops of blood and all.

Luckily my mother disliked the book too, so after a while it disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again.

Where these kind of books available for English children too in Nelson’s time? I cannot imagine Nelson would have ever had given such a book to Horatia. I remember a letter by him to Horatia, in one of the Nicolas' editions) in which he mentions sending her a book with Spanish ladies in beautiful dresses.

Sylvia

Sylvia:

Horatia was extraordinary lucky both in her parents and her teacher. As well as receiving a book from Nelson with nice pictures in it, she also had a kind teacher. There is a facsimile of a letter from Horatia to Lady Hamilton in Hilda Gamlin's 'Emma, Lady Hamilton' in which she writes: 'Miss Connor gives me kisses when I read my book well.'

Generally, though, children were regarded as imps of the devil and evil had to be beaten or terrified out of them. People of that era would have regarded our notion of 'childhood innocence' with incomprehension. Boys' schools were famously brutal establishments; Nelson's headmaster at the Paston School was a notorious flogger. Girls were repressed by constant exhortation to be meek, docile and obedient. I have a book published in 1786 called 'Domestic Dialogues for Improving and Strengthening the Mind' in which girls are warned of the dangers of coquetry and vanity.

There was no attempt to shield children from the harsh realities of life, or from human depravity and cruelty. Children's literature (some of it translated from European sources) abounded in such tales, intended to prepare children for what awaited them, as well as inspiring them to perseverance in the face of difficulties. When one reads of the horrors awaiting a young midshipman, for example, one realises how quickly the young were expected to face the adult world.

Even reading books for very small children were full of warnings about the consequences of bad behaviour. This is from 'Reading without Tears ' from the early Victorian era; the syllables are hyphenated for ease of reading for small children:

What is the mat-ter with that little boy?

He has ta-ken poi-son. He saw a cup of poi-son on the shelf. He said 'This seems sweet stuff.' So he drank it.

Why did he take it with-out leave?

Can the doctor cure him? Will the poison des-troy him? He must die. The poi-son has des-troyed him.