The Brown Fairy Book

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - - The stories in this Fairy Book come from all quarters of the world. For example the adventures of 'Ball-Carrier and the Bad One' are told by Red Indian grandmothers to Red Indian children who never go to school nor see pen and ink. 'The Bunyip' is known to even more uneducated little ones running about with no clothes at all in the bush in Australia. You may see photographs of these merry little black fellows before their troubles begin in 'Northern Races of Central Australia' by Messrs. Spencer and Gillen. They have no lessons except in tracking and catching birds beasts fishes lizards and snakes 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 bogies all for their good' their parents say and I think they would rather go to school if they had their choice and take their chance of being birched and bullied. However many boys might think it better fun to begin to learn hunting as soon as they can walk. Other stories like 'The Sacred Milk of Koumongoe' come from the Kaffirs in Africa whose dear papas are not so poor as those in Australia but have plenty of cattle and milk and good mealies to eat and live in houses like very big bee-hives and wear clothes of a sort though not very like our own.