The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-04-12

PARLoUR PAsTIME.-The Game of
.Shadow Buf,- The old English
game of blind mans buff is so we'll
known, that the mere mention Of its
name will be sufficient to convince our
readers that it is the origin Of Shadow
Buff, much played on the continent /:
and from the fun it affords we'll worthy
of taking a prominent place among
our family Christmas sports. The
game is as follows : First of all, we
hang up sheet or table cloth against
the wall, whereon to "cast the shadow
In front of the sheet and eight or ten
feet from it, we are to place lamp
or one good light upon a table in order
that the shadow or profile Of any per-
sou standing between the light and
sheet, may fall thereon. The com.
pany being assembled, "Buf' is cho-
sen either by vote or lot, or is, perad-
venture, a volunteer. Buff has now
to sit on very low stool, about four
or five feet from the wall and lock
steadfastly for the coming shadow
The merry company now pass in pro-
cession between the light upon the
table and Buff who forfeits if LIE turns
his head in the least degree. As the
profles pass before him he must name
successfully the person to whom the
image belongs. The mistakes he
makes occasion much merriment,
especially if each person whose turn
it is to "cast a shadow cndeavors
in every way to disguise his indentity /;
by STOPPING if tall, tip-toeing if short,
by grimace or contorton; putting on
long mask nose, and doing other
funny things. However, as some per.
sons invariably "cast their shadows
before, Buff guesses right at last !;
and he who till now helped to mako
the fun, must take his turn upon the
stool to be made fun of.
A WORD TO PARENrs.-A modern
medical writer has a word for parents
who expose their children's limbs to
the cold. We commend the advice
to all who indulge in this practice -
81 cannot pass without word on
the barbarous regimen which custom
and the ignorant convictions of many
parents have prescribed for infants
and young children. ] allude to the
practice of ha!fdressing children,
which is adopted in almost all wealth
crs, sumctimes with q view to show
off, sometimes, as is said, to invigorate
and harden the child. the contin-
ucd impression of cold thus allowed to
be made Oh the arms, shoulders, legs,
and often bodies of young children,
must result, unless the power of the
system be very great, in gradually
establishing congestive circulation,
that will favor the development of tu-
bercles in the lungs or mcssentric
glands, Of dropsy of the brain, chronic
diarrhoa, bronchitis catarrh, and SO
on; to say nothing of the multitudes
of the little sufferers cut of by cronp,
and other acute infamations. Parent IS
should know, and not forget that chill.
dren have less power of generating
heat than adults; and that, conse.
quently. in cool or cold weather, their
bodies and limbs should receive as
careful an development and protec-
ton as those of grown persons liable
to the same degree of exposure for a
more careful, the selfish attention of
the latter to their own comfort and
health will hardly admit Of"
A GREAT KINDNEss.-The royal
family of Great Britain, in 1761, ran
loose about the world, and people did
not know how to treat them, nor they
how to be treated. In the I" Letters
to Gray" good story is told of the
Duke Of York, in substance as follows:
When he was at Southampton, in the
summer, there was in the neighborhood
-