Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-05-14
ALL ABOUT BLIND MANS BUFF.
BY HEzEKIAH BUTTERwoRTH.

| All of our young readers like to play
Blind Mans Buff when they can; and so
do many Of the older readers, for that
matter. But every one may not know that
! the game is more than eight hundred
| years old, and that it was a favorite amuse-
ment of gay courts and merry-making
princes and princesses before it became
the favorite holiday pastime of boys and
| girls. Blind Mans Buff is one of the
sports that came over to England in the
train of William the COnqueror.
It had its origin in Liege, one of the
fair provinces Of France, in the prosper
Gus days of Robert the Devout, who sue
| ceeded the famous old French monarch
Hughes Capet in the year 996.
In the year 999 Liege received, among
her valiant chiefs, one Jean Colin. He
was almost a giant in strength, a
Samson among the Liegeois, and
| nearly shared the experience of
Samson of old, as you shall presently
| hear. This grim warrior used to crush
his opponents with a mallet. 1t was con-
| sidered desirable to honor him with a
title which should follow his name. What
| should it be? Not "head- hitter" of
course; but the poetical designation,
M0jJJard, or Jean Colin Of the Mallet
Feuds were of perpetual occurrence in
| those dark old times, and Jean Collins
mallet was kept constantly busy in quell
| ing them. Terrible became the name of
Jean Colin MailIard
| But Liege had another valiant chief,
| Count de LOuvain, who, when Maillard
had proved himself superior to all of his
| other opponents, continued to bear arms
| against him.
| We cannot say whether or not Count
! de LOuvain learned his war lessons from
the conduct of the enemies of Samson,
! but, as he was ambitious to avoid the tap
| of Jean Collins mallet upon his own head,
he formed the plan of putting out Jean
Collins eyes.
A great battle was fought between the
| two chiefs and their forces. At the very
| first onset Count de Louvain succeeded in
his purpose of piercing both the eyes of
Maillard, and he looked upon the field as
| already won. But the latter, with a spirit
like that Of blind Samson, determined
| that his opponents should perish with
him, and ordered his esquire to take him
into the thickest Of the fight There he
| brandished his mallet on either hand, and
| did such fearful execution that his en-
emies fell around him in such numbers
that victory soon declared itself on his
side.
But, SamsOn-like, though blind he dealt
| Such blows never foemen felt;
| To shUn them, were in vain.
This way they fed, and that they run;
But, of an hundred men, not one
| Ere saw the light again.
Robert the Devout, of France, whose
troubles with his wives you may have
read in history, was very fond OF
deeds of valOr, and that of Jean Colin
Maillard kindled his admiration. He
lavished hOnors on the victorious
blind man, and ordered the stage
| players to bring out pantomime of his
contest with Count de Louvain for the
pleasure of the court. The court were
mallet of Maillard, and the warriors drop
ping down here and there, almost with
out knowing what had hit them, was all
very exciting; and people in that rude
age liked what vas sensational even more
than they do now. The children began
to act :. similar play in the streets, one OF
the players, more strong and active than
the rest, being blindfolded and given a
stick; and thus Blind Mans Buff
soon became the popular diversion of the
young in France and Normandy, where
it was known under the name Of Colin
| lNdGLLGrd. This name it still bears in
France and on the Continent of Europe.
. The King repeated oft the play;
| Inc children followed, day by day,
In merriment as rough
And to Ills time do sDortive feet
| Young Roberts pantOmime repeat
The play of Bind Mans Bur-
The plays Of Blind Mans Buff are nu-
merous, each country having some games
which had their origin in the exploit OF
Colin Maillard. Besides the rough play
that we have described, the French have
arehned and delightful parlor play, which
IS variation of Colin MGiZyGrd, and
which is called Portraits a Ia silhouette.
In this play Colin" who is usually
girl, has not her eyes bandaged, but, on
the contrary, has need of all her powers
OF penetration. A large white sheet is
hung from the ceiling, as though Tor the
performance Of shadow pantOmimes, ana
the person selected to represent conn
Maillard takes her place before 1t IN SUCH
a manner that her own shadow may not
fall upon the cloth. The lights are ex-
tinguished with the exception OF a single
candle, which is placed on a stand or Ia
BILE at some distance behind colin"
The players, one after another, pass be-
tween "CoIinr and the stand or table on
which the lighted candle is placed, each
one, of course, intercepting the light and
casting a grotesque shadow on the cloth.
Each nlayer. on passing before the light,