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Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library© 1997 By the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. All rights reserved.
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Sara Josepha Hale Collection, Accession 7639-d, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library
Transfer 1995 November 28
Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
[Revealing the name of an early playmate and a classmate of Mr. Roulstone, thanking him for the offer of a lamb picture but declining as she has been presented with many others, and politely refusing to send a photograph of herself.
[Discussing the authorship of [ Mary Had a Little Lamb ], including the claim of Mary Sawyer [ Mary E. Tyler ?] that the poem was written by Sarah Josepha Hale for her twenty five years previously. He further discusses evidence attempting to identify the author of the poem, including a statement by Hale that she wrote the poem and that she wrote it as a allegory "to teach the loving-kindness that should find happiness in making helpless creatures happy." He states certain differences in the two versions of the poem, one published in the 1830 September-October issue of Juvenile Miscellany , with the initials 'S. J. H.' following the verse which was entitled 'Mary's Lamb' and the other the book, [ Mary Had a Little Lamb ]. He also inquires about "the Old South wool-selling" and mentions Mr. Ford and Mr. Roulstone's theory.]
[Discussing further the authorship of Mary Had a Little Lamb , and mentioning "the Old South wool selling," Mrs. Emmet [Ruth E.]Finley and her forthcoming biography of Hale, and Sarah Hunter , descendant of Hale.]
[Asking him to talk about his attitude concerning the authorship of ' Mary's Little Lamb , ' mentioning the Ford controversy and the 1830 September-October issue of Juvenile Miscellany . ]
[Offering to send the needed photographic illustration [from Juvenile Miscellany ] and asking to borrow the clipping from the Boston Transcript which appeared after "the Old South Church Wool-Selling incident."]
[Commenting on 'the old South wool-selling' and the corresponding article in the Boston Transcript . ]
[Thanking him for the promise of the photograph of the first printing of " Mary's Little Lamb " and enclosing a copy of the article from the Boston Transcript . ]
[Thanking her for the copy of the article and enclosing a photograph of the poem as well as one of the original wrapper number of the issue of the [ Juvenile Miscellany ].]
[Expressing her gratitude for the two photographs from the issue of the Juvenile Miscellany and discussing the chapter on " Mary's Lamb . " She comments on writing about the character and achievements of Sarah Josepha Hale and "the Raulston -Sawyer -Hale -Ford affair."]