Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-03-30
Parl0r Games.

Hal SIstii we uO, uOtHcIS WudI Sudll
we play?' perplexing question oft times
to poor mother, who has no frisk left in
her, and wonders why the children can't
be content to sit still as other people do.
Dear madam, they can't! You might as
well ask your cider barrel to stop working.
Their legs and arms are all a-twitch with
the Unsuitable fermentation of their age;
their brains are electric with growth
Let them have their fun now at the proper
season, and they won't be half so likely to
take it by and by at the wrong.
Let them act charades get up tableaux,
dance about, "dress up" Never mind if
it does pull the room to pieces; or, if the
comfort of an invalid or busy person is in
vaded by the noise, let them play games,
of which there are plenty neither bolster
GUS nor difficult. They will enjoy them
all the more if you will lay down your
work for while and take part with
them.
There is piano kaleidoscope" for in
stance, which will keep a group of little
ones enchanted and happy for whole
evening. The lid of the piano is raised
and folded over so as to form, with the
aid of the piano cover, a long, triangular
! passage. The children stand at one end
of this peeping in; the other is brightly
| lit by gas branch or couple of candles,
and mother holds upat the opening Sc
ries of gay objects, such as flowers, lamp
mats, bead-baskets, which, triply reflected
| in the polished wood, make series of
| beautiful effects, like those of kaleido-
scope.
Or there is the "Game of Statues :"
Everybody is statue, excepting two who
enact Snowman and a would-be pur-
chaser. The Snowman must be the
funny one" of the family. He describes
the statues, turns them round, gives the
prices, indicates their best points, regrets
that this ones nose was a little injured in
packing, and taat one got dirty on the
voyage and hasn't had its face washed yet
the statues meantime standing perfectly
still, with immovable faces. Anyone who
moves or laughs is punished by forfeit.
Menagerie" is another nice game, es.
pecially if there happens to be family
grthering or little party. The older peo.
pie arrange themselves as audience, one
person acts Snowman, the rest are put out
of the room and enter one by one. The
Snowman states that he has the finest col
lection of beasts ever seen; brought to-
gether at vast expense from every quarter
of the globe; and including every anima
that went into Noah's ark. What would
the gentleman Tor LADY, like to see? Ths
visitor is pretty sure to choose some out
of-the-way creature like a crocodile OF
gorilla in hopes of posing the Snowman
who prolongs the conversation little, anC
manages to extract sketch of the anima
and his ways. After which he draws asid,
the curtain, behind which looking glas
is hidden, and Tom, who has demanded
the " chimpanZee-a troublesome creature
always in mischief, dreadful glutton
nails-of course they're dirty-he neve
, cleans them, sees his own face! Ant
Flora, who has asked for the porcupine, a
"cross, suiky good -for-nothing creature
good for nothing but to make pin
, clshions," is scandalized by a similar re
, Fiction! Well managed, this game cal
! be made very amusing.
Musical fright is noisier. A row O
chairs-one less in number than the per
SONS playing-is ranged down the middle
of the room. Some one plays the piano
while the children dance in circle. Sud
denly the music stops and the PLAYER
run for chairs. One person of course fail
; to secure any, and is counted out of tn,
| game. After each turn a chair is with
drawn till only one chair and two player
4 are left; the one who gets that is declared
e winner.
Y Russian scandal" is played in thi
wise: One person takes another out O
q the room ana Tells hlm story. Playe
1 No. 2 calls out No 3 and repeats the sam
: story. No. 3 tells No. 4, and and SO Oh
e till all have heard it, when the last toll
e rehearses the story aloud to all the others
{ the version being generally widely differ
' ent from the original, each person havin,
t unconsciCusly added or left out something
e "The reviewers This is game 70
J. older boys and girls. Each is furnishe,
u with pencil and paper, and begins b,
/ writing the name of an imaginary booi
i on the top line, folding it once, and passinj
d it to the next player, who adds secon,
o name and an "or," and hands it on Eacl
8 then write the authors name, a motto, al
0 opinion of the press" and q secon