The moral education of children was taken very seriously in 19th Century America, a shared responsibility of home, church, and school. Some of the lessons were brutal, while others were temperate, and some were to be considered enlightened. A healthy publishing industry grew up to provide material guides for the good and the wicked child and S. Babcock & Sons was one of the most successful. The firm was founded in New Haven, CT, in 1803 by John Babcock, but it was his sons, particularly Sydney, who build the publishing house into a thriving business. By 1825, S. Babcock (under slightly fluid imprints reflecting changing family involvement) operated presses in New Haven & Charleston, SC, which remained active through the Civil War. Among many titles included in the juvenile series were: Old Dame Margery's Hush-a–Bye; The Story of Whittington and His Cat; the slightly ominous Casket or the Orphan's Portion; and our small volume of instructive poems, Sun-Flower or Poetical Blossoms. Child-sized and beautifully set with decorative borders, various typefaces & fine etchings, this volume was meant to be treasured. Considering its almost un-read state and publication date of 1840, this example certainly was. Condition: Excellent. Dimensions: 2.75 x 4.25".