Another, said when blowing a thistle-seed in the air:
Thistle seed, thistle seed, fly away, fly,
The hair on your body will take you up high;
Let the wind whirl you around and around,
You'll not hurt yourself when you fall to the ground.
Apparently there is here no trace of the thistle-seed being blown for divination purposes; this rhyme is very similar to the one said by English children to the dandelion-seeds. There are also "Pat a cake" rhymes, and cumulative rhymes, and many are humorous. The illustrations from photographs of Chinese children at play have been prepared purposely for the book, and are of special interest. Some are particularly pretty, and illustrate for children some Chinese customs and costumes.
It may perhaps be permissible here to draw attention to some articles, by Professor Headland, in The Home Magazine of New York, published in February, 1901, on "The Games of Chinese Children." In this article Professor Headland describes the visit of Dr. Luther Gulick to him at Peking. Dr. Gulick wished for information regarding the play-life of children of the East, in order to discover what relation exists between the games of oriental and those of occidental children, and thus to learn the effect of play in the mental and physical development as well as the character of children, and through them in the human race as a whole. The result of the calling of the boys together for play was the collection of many games, some so like to some of our own that they might almost have been transplanted from here to Peking. Photographs of these are given. Professor Headland notices in this same article that the games played in Central and South China are different, partly because of climatic conditions, partly because of the character of the people. A large number of the games played there as here are but reproductions of the employment of the children's parents; farming, carpentry, housekeeping. Near the river or sea, fishing is the favourite game. During the Chinese-Japanese War, children organised battalions and played at war, retreating when the leader reported the Japanese coming in true soldier-fashion. A. B. Gomme.
