If he squeals, let him go,
Ena, mena, mina, mo.
Again notice the difference local circumstances give. The American children sing:—
Ana, mana, mina, mo,
Catch a nigger by the toe;
When he hollers, let him go,
Ana, mana, mina, mo.
Of children’s games no further notice can be taken, interesting though they be. To nursery stories, however, a short space must be devoted.
It is difficult now to discover in many of them any trace of religion, stories of the gods, or witchcraft, but the roots from which many of them spring were in existence thousands of years ago, and flourished in far-off lands. The similarity these stories bear to the myths of other countries greatly help in tracing that connecting link which shows the relationship of one race to another, when nearly all other landmarks and finger-posts have vanished[75].
Admitting the difficulty of assigning to every story its myth-root, it is easy enough in most cases to see the moral.