Moral Tales for Children

Moral Tales for Children written in 1842, by Uncle Arthur is a compilation of fictional stories aimed to educate young children. Uncle Arthur dedicates his book to the moral and religious education of children, emphasizing religion as an important aspect of life that must be instilled in childhood. The goal of his book is to teach children lessons which will cause them to grow up both happy and useful to society. Stories such as Jane Elliot or the Happy Home, uses real life experiences of the young characters to give children a formal education as well as lessons from the bible.

The entire Moral Tales for Children collection is a perfect example of emerging middle class print culture. As print became more commercially available, middle class families in the antebellum period seized on the wide variety of literature being published; they were particularly drawn to works that helped to define the conventions of middle class life. Works such as Catherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s The American Woman’s Home, T.S. Arthur’s Sweethearts and Wives, and Godey’s Lady’s Book, along with Moral Tales for Children, exemplify efforts in print culture used to teach these new protocols and expectations set in motion by the emerging middle class. Moral Tales for Children targeted middle class children in the mid-nineteenth century and, according to Uncle Arthur, served to promote their happiness and usefulness.