David Rands has kindly shared with readers of the Victorian Web his site about the life and works of W. B. Rands, the prolific writer of children's literature and originator of The Boy's Own Paper. Readers may wish to consult this site for more information about this little-known figure who had an immense influence upon Victorian children. [GPL]
Little Ben Bute
Had a flute, flute, flute,
And went about the world in a knickerbocker suit;
Down, up and down,
And round about the town,
He played and he played tootle-too, toot, toot!
Tootle-too, tootle-too-ey!
He could not play it well,
So the notes rose and fell,
Tootle, tootle-too, with a whirl and a squrrk;
The wind, puff, puff,
Was forty times enough,
That he sent into the flute from his cheek, cheek, cheek,
Tootle-too, tootle-too-ey!
Then people to the lad
Said "This is very bad!
Our ears they are splitting, with your toot, toot, toot;
Is there no one within reach -
What, no one! - who will teach
Little Bute how to play upon the flute, flute, flute?"
Tootle-toot, tootle-too-ey!
Last modified 21 August 2005