River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-03-21
The sports of Greek and Roman
Youths.

Youths.
BY EDITH D. soMNER.
know many of my readers would be
interested in knowing how Greek and
Roman youths amused themselves, what
toys they used, and in what sports they
engaged. The whip.top was favorite
with Grecian boys long while ago, and
it is mentioned in Virgips writings. As
for marbles, Augustus spent many hours
IN playing with them game called taw,
an company with little Moorish boys, only
they made use Of nuts instead of agates,
which were then unknown. Agesilaus, Il
LacedemoDian king, was found by the
Persian ambassadors engaged in playing
at horse with his children, substituting
stick for the animal, and prancing with
it around the room. Socrates, the wise
man of Greece, did the same for one Of his
pupils, at which Alcibiades laughed at
him. Grecian boys were very familiar
with a childish game of chance, called
even or odd, which consisted in one per-
son concealibg in his hand number OF
pieces, and calling out even or odd? If
any one guessed right he took the pieces
Paper kites were used by Chinese boys
long, long ago, and the paper windmill
is five hundred years old. Hunt TIE fox
was favorite game over two hundred
years ago, and leap.frog is mentioned in
Shakspeare's time. Hot cookies, in
which one player kneels, and laying his
head in the lap of another, guesses who
struck him,w well.known to the ancients
Horace, the old Latin poet, wrote about
children building little houses, and Joining
mice to diminutive wagons. The Greek
boys had a game something like hide and
seek, but with a little variation. The
game of hand-ball is as old as the destruc-
ton of Troy, and the first ball is said to
have been made by u Greek lady, who
presented tito Nausea, the daughter of
king, and taught her how to nse it. Lon
don school-Doys i've hundred years ago
played ball iD the fields on holidays, and
frequently put horse.beans or peas inside,
to make rafting when they kicked it.
The most ancien, game OF ball with bats.
was golf or handy ball, in which holes
were made in the ground, and he who
drove the bail in the holes with the fewest
number of strokes gained the victory
The Greek children played too at leap.
frog; one seated on the groand. was sur
rounded by BIS comrades, who bit him
until he could catch one of them, then the
child caught took his place, and was
leased in the same manner. Among the
ancient Britons hunting was a fayorite
pastime with boys, since Alfred the Great,
at the age of eleven, was an expert and
active huA:er, and excelled. in all the
branches Of that art. When he became
older, he was educated to train and fly
hawks, which was then very popular az
an amusement in England. And here
will relate little story of a hawk, which
think will interest you. A young man
of high rank, named Lothbroc, living in
Denmark, was amusing himself one day
with his hawk, near the sea, when the
bird fell into the water. Lothbroc, in or
der TO rescue her, got little boat aud
rowed out to take her up, but before he
could return a storm arose, and he was
driven over TO the coast of England, where
he landed at town called Realham
The inhabitants OF the town carried him
to King Edmund, who, on hearing his
story, showed him great kindness, because
OF his skill in flying hawks. Now the
king already had a native falconer, named
Beoric, who became so Jealous of the
stranger that lie murdered him and hid
the body in wood. Is was discovered,
however, by little dog, and the king, to
punish The murderer, sent him TO seG in u
boat without mast, oars, or rudder, sup
posing that be would be drowned. Instead
of,hai, however, be arrived safe in Den.