That is dying in the earth,
I was left alone at seven
By her who gave me birth.

With my papa I was happy
But I feared he'd take another,
But now my papa's married,
And I have a little brother.

And he eats good food,
While I eat poor,
And cry for my mother,
Whom I'll see no more.

Such a rhyme cannot but develop the pathetic and sympathetic
instincts of the child, making it more kind and gentle
to those in distress.

A girl in one of the rhymes urged by instinct and desire to chase
a butterfly, gives up the idea of catching it, presumably
out of a feeling of sympathy for the insect.

Unfortunately all their rhymes do not have this same
high moral tone. They indicate a total lack of respect for the
Buddhist priests. This is not necessarily against the rhyme
any more than against the priest, but it is an unfortunate
disposition to cultivate in children. There are constant
sallies at the shaved noddle of the priest. They speak of
his head as a gourd, and they class him with the tiger as a
beast of prey.