, 1866-07-23
THE AGE OF DASE BALL.

| money Dy II. Dut now Iuas StcAk AAtAous IL
the greatest intensity Of its busincsa activity
as we'll as OF It's political caruestuess, is break
1ng out in downright play. Men leave theil
business and &c hundreds Of miles, and spend
day after day in playing ball. What does II
mean:
We think that the auswer is the same witt
the answer TO the question, why the busines:
activity of the people went on 20 nightly
through the war, and 80 much more nightly
now that the war Ia orer- II is the super
abounding vitality mud elasticity Of thu
nation. which the crisis has called, as We say,
into play. We arc no longer ration at
work, lis great powers steadily moving BY an
outward eompulsion, but nation at play,
diving business as We drive ball, for the
luxury Of the activity, and because life must
have vent. Because the power Is withfu.the en-
e'nc still plays, and the balancs wheel gathers
momentum instead Of inertia IN the Intervals
of work.
But lie cannot find its full enjoyment ex.
cept In pure play, TINT is. in nctiv1ty which
finds its reward In itself, or al least only IL
simple victory, without the wages or the
spoils. And so nation, that Is young again,
Is not content with resolving all its work
l 1TfthnN1
faint Of work. Play is the simple sicu Of
exuber1nt life. Niagara can turn all the
\ machinery in the world, and still be greatez
In its play than In its work. BY this sign We
know nation full Of undeveloped greatness.
So 1t alwnys was- We wonder whv the
Kings Of Htncveh were the Kings of the
East. We understand it, when we uncover
their old palace walls, and find on them bat
lies with lions as we'll as with men. "Nim-
rod WAS mighty hunter before the Lord, u
and The lie which made The hunter made the
conqucror- So, too, the Persian boys were
not taught business or letters, but only "to
ride the horse, to draw thu bow. and to speak
the truth" The King united with them, aud
tho State proposed public contests and prizes
for manly exercises. They surpassed the
Assyrians In their play, and bore Oft the prize
the Empire Of Asia.
The Persfaus developed manly zeal enough
to take MI Asia and Egypt for lis body, and
to pour millions Of men over the Hellespont
on match game, with Europe for its prize.
Bnt they met kcener players than themselves.
Herodotus tells us that alter the battle Of
Thermopyle some Arcadieus came into the
camp OF Xer1cs. They were asked, tWhat
are the Greeks dofnsg' "They are at Olym-
~. 1.x.u--.
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rtn. ~ 49, .a., s .m " 'ne
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e, .,..hsaau1 A' ~. wv ~. moues' out
coward; hut the result approved
his philosophy. The old Persian felt
the principle. The zeal which in play
Nr%AH Snir r1mttn Sy1
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O1ymn;. ,,d ~ 11,o.-.-..tas ~ 49,.
,f c,sa.. .,s ~ ~. e.1,sp ~. - 4..Ate
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rn,ass.s-s. . - -, .us c, uus " tue lu4i moon IN
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.1.a1 ,.oI.aa 1'..|- ~. ~ - ac1oss - N1isn
,rn.+ s,,.,,s.s,. - 1-.s 1 - ~ tA' - @,s
puiut heroes In tonr liss pinda,. Rnt al,
that remains to us of Pindar is a collection of
eopcs Of y,ctory-ior victories, not at sa1amis
or Pla:na, but at The Olympic. Pv,,,jan. or
Eemeap Games.
In this fuluess af plsy We are the fnlness of
life. which look the .es from t,,e rhnn,c;one
and the lind from The per.1,ns and r,ado 10
Greeks the leading race of antiouitv. War
and commerce were to them on,v The n,otac,
tor and supporter of national life which en-
toyed even its wealth and its yictor,es Less
than The glory Of Its Owl life. which vas IN
its fill f.ower a& its fes,iva,s A.,ho -anr,cn
OF the Pcrsians WIS Int a ,,rcc, crcrc;sa of
the eame euthu,iasm- which In tbs canos
wa, ready to barte, life for v;c,oyy - th.
canpaicna Of Alexander were mt - mucb
tie enterprise of a conouerer ns the ,rtnrn
match of = hicb.s,,r,,aa .t,,,o+a
In the same woy W. ,o,,rht .c. t,s pons
In trimming IA, the coro,,se, NJ tba rae,a hs
The enorts n ,ha C.man. Wn.t;ns "1u ~ 10y ~
cl.diatoria, camcs n wn,ch t,a oa,a,s-S @
lively norroE and hrnt,1 hr, ;,to,ra 80.
Of the Latin race found nlav. and leaned n
the simpler eame of war 4o snrnoes ,ho
Gretks. while in al, cl,e f;reaca ,r.aa ,.,t,ns
hcr sayace connneror ~ ~Nf@'''