The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-11-27
A GOOD GAME.
Erntn tho ,urrIrun Ruiltlp.

There L. Il SIMPLE ana very interesting
Play to which our young folks have given
The name of Nerbarium," and which has
had 4 remarkable effect within our observa-
ton in stimulating the faculty of language
in many somewhat sluggish brains. A num-
Der of persons-the more the melTier-are
provided with pencils, and word chosen
rs the Nerbarium, which each writes at the
head of his sheet. The object of the game
is 70 draw out the vast number OF words
which lie folded up, as it were, III the
yerbarium, and this is accomplished, amid
much excitement and amusement. in the
following manner: Let us suppose, for IN
stance, that the word chosen is 8 treason"
One of the company is appointed time
keeper and the signal being given, each
writes as rapidly rs possible all the words
beginning with ''T" which can be spelled
with the letters OF the vcrbarium.
At the end Of the two minutes the time
keeper calls ''Time !" land the eager pench,
are obliged to stop. The company then
read, in order, the words they have writ
ten. As each word is read, those who have
not written it call out "No," and those who
have il cross it out from their lists, and place
opposite to it number Of credits equal to
the number OF detuulterS. Ii three persons,
for instance, fail to have the word ''tea,"
the rest take three credits. TWO minutes
are then devoted to words beginning with
r." and 50 on until the whole verbarlum
is exhausted, when each player counts the
aggregate number Of credits, and the one
who has the largest number is declared the
winner.
The possibilities OF fun in this game do
not all appear from dry description ike
the foregoing.
The lamentations Of those who, i'll their
Jealous pursuits of complicated anaSralns,
have overlooked the simplest combinations !:
sc n,, for hut fond the 1atnnt
of an attempt to impose triumphantly some
word that "isn't in ii !" the appeals to the
dictionary to settle disputed questions, and
hundred other lively little incidents Of the
game, render it the most popular with old
and Young that has ever been introduced
into the parlor.
TO illustrate the extensive range Of Ian
guage which this simple amusement covers,
It is only necessary to say that not less than
one hundred words may be derived in this
way from "treason," which is, after all, not
Il good yerbarium.
Try Nerbarium, and you will find it in
.allibly successful as Il means of amusement,
while it is, as we have pointed out, highly
useful.
After giving the game here described
something OF trial, / can endorse it as not
only entertaining but exceedingly useful.
For one thing, it frrnishes excellent lessons
in spelling, which, in the multitude of stu
dies in our schools at the present day, is by
far too much overlooked.
The principle of the game, too, is sls-
ceptible OF variation. For instance, suppose
you introduce to your circle OF family or
friends any word Of two or three syllableS,
letting it be one pretty fairly sprinkled with
vowels, and then all set to work-and the
little ones viii be very likely to prove
smarter at it than the larger and older ones
and see how many words each can dig out
OF it in given time,-say ten, fifteen, or
twenty Misunderstanding or not, system
OF rewards for profciencies and punish
ments for delinquencies in bad spelling and
other shortcomings, as may he preferred.
/ must confess was somewhat skeptical
rs to there being as many rs 100 words
folded up" as the writer above asserts, in
the word 'streason"; SO we set to work
lmyseif and little ones) the other evening to
test 1t, and were soon satisfied of the truth
OF the assertion, for 1t was not long before
eighty words responded to our exertions !;
and II the piurals OF words and the dupli.
eating or repeating OF letters in the same
had been allowed, the number could
Haoubfless have been extended to almost any