Lewis Carroll in Wonderland and at Home

ick of standing still in Fairyland, and when Lewis Carroll pushed her through the Looking-Glass she told everyone she met on the other side t

ars or more would have been able to squeeze through the other side of a Looking-Glass. Still, though so very young, Alice w

h Alice meant doing, for presto! up she climbed to the mantelshelf. It was easy enough to push through, for she did not ha

arked in Lewis Carroll. To him a child's soul was like the mirror behind which little A

little girl, quite "unbeknownst" to the "grown-ups," has tried her small best to squeeze through the looking-glass just as Alice did. In the days of our grandmothers, when the cheval glass swung in a frame,

e very careful about the things they did. Fortunately they are old-fashioned fairies, and have not

fireplace when she jumped down on the other side of the mantel. Of course, it was only "pretending" from the beginning; a romp with the kittens toward the close of a short winter's day, a little girl curled up in an armcha

nd then it covers them up snug you know with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again,' and when they wake up in the summer, Kitty, they dress themselves all in green, and dance

by on her lap. She had probably been playing with the Chessmen and pretending as usual, so it is small wonder

elf looked down upon the scene with the grinning face of an old man, and even the vase wore a smiling visage. There was a good fire burning in this lo

a smaller lump for a footstool, while the two Castles are enjoying a little promenade near by. In the background are the Red and White Knights and Bishops and all the Pawns. He has

n was how to read Looking-Glass fashion. She happened to pick up a book that she found on a table in the Looking

ng-glass, this is what she read in quite clear English, no matter how it look

ERWO

ig, and the

nd gimble

were the

ome raths

e Jabberwo

bite, the cl

Jubjub bi

ous Bande

vorpal swo

e manxome fo

he by the

awhile i

uffish thou

ock, with e

g through the

bled as

two! And thro

lade went sn

dead, and w

galumphi

ou slain the

arms, my

day! Calloo

tled in

ig, and the

nd gimble

were the

ome raths

puzzled over thi

dn't like to confess, even to herself, that she couldn't make it out at all.) 'Somehow it seems to fill my head w

sed it on the spur of the moment during an evening spent with his cousins, the Misses Wilcox, and with his natural gift of word-making the result is most surprising. The only verse

maining eleven, written down in learned fashion, brimful of his own quaint humor. For a real guid

or broil), "the time of broiling dinn

f slimy and lithe),

th, white hair, long hind legs, and short

ur or Giaour, a dog), "

let), "to screw out

b or soak), "the side of a hill" (

serable and miser

had no wings, beaks turned up, and made t

ome, solemne, and

hark; the forelegs curved out so that the animal walked on h

connected with the old verb to grike or shrike, from

d the green turtles squeaked out.' There were probably sun-dials on the top of the hill, and the borogoves were afraid that their nests would be undermined. The hill was prob

t-185

poem must have "simmered" for many years before Lewis Carroll put it "Through the Looking-Glass." But when Alice questioned t

not certain about. I think it's short for 'from

, he gives us the rule for the building of these "portmanteau" words. He says: "Take the two words 'fuming' and 'furious.' Make up your mind that you will say both words, but leave it unsettled which you will say first. Now open your mouth and speak. If you

on into wholesome nonsense. The Jabberwock itself was a most awe-inspiring creature, and Tenniel's drawing is most deliciously blood-curdling; half-snake, half-dragon, with "jaws that bite and

ave son good-bye, little dream

e Jubjub b

ious Ban

zzle them out. Then the brave boy goes forth into the "tulgey wood" and stands in "

word "galumphing," the first syllable of gallop and the last syllable of triumph) back to the proud papa, who says: "Come to my arms, my 'beamish boy' ... and 'chortles in his joy,'" But all the time these w

come and

go on f

e slain nor how many "beamish boys"

rom the real enjoyment of the book. So he wrote to about thirty mothers of small children asking their advice on the matter; they evidently voted against it, for, as we all know, the White Knight on his horse with its many trappings, with Alice wa

il and floated gently down, without even touching the stairs with her feet." Then when she tried to climb to the top of the hill to get a peep into the garden, she found that she was always going backwards an

erself to one that was waving gracefully a

th talking to" ... At length, as the Tiger-lily went on wavin

ll the flo

aid the Tiger-lily, "an

dering when you'd speak! Said I to myself, 'Her face has got some sense in it thou

r-lily remarked. "If only her petals cur

g criticised, so she b

ed at being planted out here w

middle," said the Rose. "

do if any danger

bark," sai

ed a Daisy. "That's why its

another Daisy. And here they

, loved it too, and were quick to see the point of his puns. The Red Q

here are you going? Look up, speak nicely,

tions, and explained as well as s

out here belong to me, but why did you come out here at all?" she added in

s, but she was too much in awe

thought to herself, "the next ti

tle girls were oft

looking at her watch; "open your mouth a little w

what your garden was

Alice didn't like at all, "though when you say 'garden,' I've

but went on: "And I thought I'd try an

pted, "I could show you hills in compari

o contradicting her at last. "A hill can't b

ueen shoo

said, "but I've heard nonsense compared with w

e the matter, for Alice had nothi

t any wonder that the little girls for whom Lewis Carroll

with the promise that when she entered the eighth square she would become a queen [she pro

the fourth square in no time. Well, that square belongs to Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and the fifth is mostly water, the sixth belongs to Humpty Dumpty, ... the s

the White Queen or both. Things went more rapidly than in Wonderland, the people were brisker and smar

the English for a thing, turn out your to

rom their governesses or their mamma-"Turn out y

ces. Only in Alice's case it took her quite a long time to remember who she was, just because the Red Queen told her not to forget. Children are very queer a

le men named Tweedledum and Tweedlede

um and T

o have a

edum said

d his nice

ew down a mo

as a ta

ened both th

forgot th

wing Dee on his. They were not accustomed to good society nor fine grammar. They w

said Tweedledum, "but it isn't so-n

as so, it might be; and if it were so, it woul

estion was never answered by either of the funny little brothers. They were very sociable and seemed most anxi

S AND THE

s shining

ith all h

s very be

s smooth a

as odd, be

le of th

was shini

he though

business

he day

rude of him

and spoil

s wet as w

s were d

ot see a cl

was in

ere flying

e no bird

s and the

ing close

like anyth

ntities

re only cle

"it would

maids with

for hal

ose," the W

would get

," said the

d a bit

s were tempted to stroll along the beach, in company with thes

s and the

on a mi

hey rested

nient

e little O

ited i

s come," the

of many

d ships, and

ages an

e sea is b

er pigs h

bit," the Oy

we have

us are out

of us

" said the

ed him muc

bread," the

we chie

nd vineg

y good,

re ready, Oy

begin t

arations, and their fate loomed up before them. So the two old weeping

shame," the

them such

brought them

them trot

ter said n

r's spread

you," the

ly symp

nd tears he

the lar

s pocket-h

is strea

," said th

ad a plea

trotting h

r came th

s scarcely

eaten e

her pinafore, could read these lines unmoved it is hard to say. Thin

r for th

e brushed, thei

s were cle

odd, becaus

dn't an

and to look for his special characters outside of his books will certainly recognize in the Walrus the hypocritical Mr. Pecksniff, whose tears flowed on every occasion when he was not otherwise employed in robbing his victims, and other little pleasantries. And as for the Carpenter, there is something very scholarly in the set of his cap and the combing of

k deep into things, and Alice, being a little girl and very partial to oysters, thought the W

one much busier than if one fell asleep in a rocki

only a pawn, moving over an immense chess-board from square to square, until in the end she should be made queen. The White Queen whom Alice met shortly was a very lopsid

d have a lady's ma

sure," the Queen said. "Twopence

t help laughi

to hire me, and I

ood jam," sa

want any to-d

the Queen said. "The rule is-jam to-morro

imes to 'jam to-day

"It's jam every other day; to-da

u," said Alice. "It's

s," the Queen said, kindly. "It alway

rked in great astonishment. "I

vantage in it, that one's

y," Alice remarked. "I can't rem

at only works backward

o you remember best?"

large piece of plaster on her finger as she spoke, "there's the king's messenger. He's in prison now, being punished, and the trial d

Queen.... "My finger's b

histle of a steam engine that Alice ha

she said.... "Have you

t," the Queen said, "but

it?" Alice asked, feeling

will come undone directly. Oh, oh!" As she said the words the brooch fle

!" and she caught at the brooch; but it was too late; th

" she said to Alice, with a smile. "Now y

n history. It has been played in nurseries and in private theatricals,

childhood have handed about as a riddle is resp

pty sat on

pty had a

horses and all

mpty-Dumpty in

ut modern children have m

Humpty-Dump

small boy or girl asks, "Now what is it?" and

egg!" and the riddle

charge behind the scenes, and so well did he work them that Humpty in his hands turned out a fine imitation of the Humpty-Dumpty Sir John Tenniel has made us remember; the same H

nd all his men-" Alice in

into a sudden passion. "You've been listening at doors, and be

Alice said, very gent

call a History of England, that is. Now take a good look at me. I'm one that has spoken to a King, I a

d pick me up in a minute, they would. However, this conversation is

never heard anything like it before, and found difficulty in keeping up a conversation that was disputed every step

as written entirely for her amusement, and here it is, with enough o

hen the fiel

song for y

en woods are

d tell you

when the da

'll underst

hen the leav

ink, and wr

message t

: "This is

e fishes

an answer

fishes' a

do it, Sir,

them aga

be better

answered, w

a temper

once, I told

not liste

ettle larg

he deed I

hop, my hear

he kettle

e came to m

e fishes a

him, I sai

ust wake th

very loud

shouted i

very stif

u needn't sh

very prou

d go and wak

rkscrew fro

wake them

ound the doo

ushed and kick

found the d

turn the ha

satisfactory endin

all. G

p and held

again," she said, as

eplied in a discontented tone, giving her one of his f

the old ballad tells us, "were fighting for the crown"; and then as the Red Queen had promised from the beginning, the White Knight-after a battle with the Red Knight who held Alice prisoner-took her in charge to guide her throu

id no attention. She was thinking instead of the strange kindly smile of the knight, "the setting sun gleaming through his hair and shining on his armor in a blaze of light that quite dazzled her; the horse quietly moving about with the reins hanging loose on his n

y, when the candles on the table all grew up to the ceiling, and the glass bottles each took a pair of plates for wings, and forks for legs, and went fluttering in all directions. Everything was in the greatest confusion, and when the White Queen disappeared in the soup tureen, and the soup ladle began walkin

s got large and green; and still, as Alice went on shaking her, she kept on growing sh

the reflection of a very puzzled little face. The "dream-child" had come back to everyday, and was trying to retrace her journ

ass," remembered once more the little girl who had been his inspiration, and wrote a loving

eneath a

g onward

vening

hree that

e and wi

simple tal

aled that

de and me

sts have s

aunts me, p

ving und

en by wa

et, the ta

e and wi

shall nes

derland

as the da

as the su

ing down t

in the gol

t is it b