O Ye Jigs & Juleps by Virginia Cary Hudson

O Ye Jigs & Juleps by Virginia Cary Hudson and illustrated by Karla Kuskin. Published by The MacMillan Company, New York 1962. (A Division of The Crowell-Collier Publishing Company)

From Front Cover:
A humorous slice of Americana by a turn-of-the-century pixie, aged ten
From Back Cover:
An Adult’s Guide to the Child’s World of 1904. . .
(Introductory definitions by Virginia Cary Hudson, age 10)
Everlasting Life: “ . . .God gives it to you, and you can’t get rid of it . . . When you take it to Heaven with you, that’s good, but when you have to take it along with you to Hell, that’s different.”
Spring: “Spring is beautiful, and smells sweet. Spring is when you draw a circle in the dirt with your finger . . . and win all of the boys’ marbles. . . . I rub salt on my shooting thumb to make it tough.”
The Library: “The Library is where my father took his check book when I broke the window. I was only trying to kill a fly. It would take too long to tell you what my mother said.”
China and REligion: “In China there are two classes of people, the upper crust and the under crust, just like there is in Leesville. China has three religions stated by Mr. Confuscius, Mr. Tao, and Mr. Buddha. Leesville is ahead of China. Leesville has seven religions, Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists . . .”

. . . for further edification, see O Ye Jigs and Juleps! “Amen, and Be it So.”

From Inside flaps:
“ . . . oh ye beans and roses, oh ye jigs and juleps, Bless ye the Lord, Praise Him and Magnify Him Forever. Amen.”

“If I have to go to Hell, I sure hope I go to the one for Episcopalians, and don’t by mistake, get pushed in that horn punching, and tail wagging, red hot blazing one . . . God bless the Bishop. God bless my mission box, and Jesus be my friend and help me if you can, please. Amen, and Be It So.”

She’s everybody’s kid sister, with the pixiness of Eloise and the innocence of Dennis the Menace. She’s charming, sincere, devilish, precocious - and irresistible. And she’s real!
Virginia Cary Hudson was a sprite of ten back in 1904 when she wrote these essays for a very understanding teacher in her Episcopal boarding school. Discovered in an attic trunk, the essays are even more entertaining today because of their distinct, early American flavor. In them, Virginia expresses her naively trouncing concepts of school, the sacraments, church etiquette, everlasting life, spring, the library, personal appearance, strolling, and the religions of China (Mr. Confucius’ , Mr. Tao’s, Mr. Buddha’s). At least she begins with these topics; child-like, she soon wanders merrily off to examine her friends, her parents, herself, and life in general.

It is a child’s collection of impressions, it is an adult’s hilarious come-uppance. It is a spicy slice of small-town Americana in the early 1900’s. As Virginia herself would say, “ . . .Hallelujah! Glory three times also, and Amen twice.”