kpmelly
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A childrens prayer
- Thread starter kpmelly
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LLinda
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It's a line from "The Evening Prayer" and it was printed in The New England Primer, an 18th century reading primer for children in colonial America. Keep in mind, it's from the 1700's.
I agree with you that the prayer sounds macabre. But at it's origin, it was used when the incidence of death, especially infant mortality, was much more prevalent in society. Then there's the issue of the value system of early American Puritans that this prayer stems from. The Puritans were a strict, austere people and the prayer fit the era.
Now when we teach our children this prayer, I don't believe we think about how harsh the sentiment behind the words, really is. Kids tend to rattle it off, without much thought, as part of the bedtime ritual, like brushing their teeth and turning on a nightlight.
I agree with you that the prayer sounds macabre. But at it's origin, it was used when the incidence of death, especially infant mortality, was much more prevalent in society. Then there's the issue of the value system of early American Puritans that this prayer stems from. The Puritans were a strict, austere people and the prayer fit the era.
Now when we teach our children this prayer, I don't believe we think about how harsh the sentiment behind the words, really is. Kids tend to rattle it off, without much thought, as part of the bedtime ritual, like brushing their teeth and turning on a nightlight.
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I myself was taught this prayer as a child! When I had children I could not bring myself to teach this version and changed that line to "go with me in my dreams tonight and wake me in the morning light" . My grandchildren have all been taught this updated version of the prayer.
kpmelly
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