9 SEPTEMBER 1972, Page 28

Lullaby

Sir: The subject set in your recent competition ' Lullaby for a modern infant' reminds me of such a berceuse which appeared in Sellar and Yeatman's And Now All This (Methuen) in the chapter entitled ' Psycho-Babycraft.' It runs as follows:

' Hushabye Babies (Hush quite a lot) — Bad Babies get Rabies (And have to be shot).

So suck the right fingers, And dream the right dreams (And don't you wake up with Psymbolical Pscreams ).

I am sure, however, that your competitors will successfully update this!

B. L. Howarth Jon Dalton and Howarth Ltd, 39/41 Kent Street, Fleetwood, Lancashire