Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-10-15
Household Games.

amount o money be spent in toys and
games /. the children are properly
encouraged, AMI directed little, they
may prepare the materials for their
own games, thus accomplishing two
desirable things manual
and mental facility in the manufac-
ture and production of something
with which to be after ward instructed
and amused. In the card games many
can be prepared on plain bristol board
cards in manuscript, involving simple
facts in history, botany geog raphy,
ETC or the always valuable and in
teresting matchmaking game can be
prepared on small bits of cards, by
drawing the letters with pen or ink, or
FASTING on letters cut from handbills
and newspapers, etc. In board games
the cover of a paper box serves well
for the surface, to be decorated with
the pen, pencil or water colers. In
''ye olden times" when this country
was not cursed with manufacturers of
games, our grandfathers cut the lines
of fox and geese, twelve men morris,
id checkers on the sides of pine
boards, colorlng the spaces, when
necessary with red chalk, and using
buttons, red and white ccrn Or color
ed beans for counters, or men, and It
is related by those who claim to know
lat more pleasure was derived from
these rude constructions than the
children of the present generation get
from their most elegant editions in
gold and colors. Many most valuable
and interesting games have gone out
of the market, and are not to be
bought, but which may be reproduced
under the instruction of some ol!er
persons who may have played them
in their youth; and if the details are
not fully remembered, others equally
good may be originated
All games are made By some one,
or by number of persons, either at
once or by slow growth, with practice
and various changes, notifications
and additions, so that there is no rea'
son why any one may not originate
others as good as the best IN the mar
ket, and in one sense a homemade
game is much more valuable to It's
originator or possessOr than another
which, IN other respects, is equally
good or better-as an original paint
ing may be more valuable than a
printed copy of much better picture,
because no one has duplicate of it.
The invention of games and social
amusements is as good mental exercise
as anything the schools offer, because
it requires the exercise of the inven~
tive faculties in the combination and
adaptation of knowledge already pos
sessed. or which must be hunted up
for this purpose. Original thought
In any direction exercises the inven>
tive faculties, and the construction of
games, puzzles, anagrams, refuses,
enigmas, etc, is one of those exercises
which is fascinating and pleasing
when once understood and practiced.
being divided into very small frac-
tons of the whole capital. Among
my acquaintance was one TheoDald
Thompson, the manager of the Jupi~
ter mines at Sandrust. He was an
old school fellow of mine and often
dropped In for chat when in town.
His mine was one of several that
were sinking along the supposed line
of rich quartz reef, but none of them
had struck it. One day Thompson
came in to see me. He seemed rather
gloomy about the prospects, of Jupiter,
but, as he was going away, he said
with peculiar look In his eye: Old
fellow, | want you to promise me that
you will not sell share of our stock
under pound till you hear from me
again l thought he was joking, as
the shares were then quoted at six
pence; but l told him | would do as
he wished
A few mornings afterward I receiv>
ed an envelope in Thompson's writing
but the letter it contained was intend
ed for another person, Mr.. Ellerton,
whom [ happened to know. So, think
ing that Thompson had probably put
my letter in that gentleman's envelope
[ posted the letter I had received to
Ellerton, with a request that he would
send me mine. About an hour after,
an old customer dropped In, and after
a commonplace remark asked how
Jupiters were going. | was on the
point of replying 'sixpence,' wheR
Thompson's parting words flashed to
my mind, and / answered as gravely
as | could, 'apound.' To nay surprise
instead of expressing astonishment or
incredulity, he anxiously inquired
how many l could let him have, and
[ sold him a thousand straight off.
Hardly had he gone when another of
my clients sauntered in whlstling. and
| sold him another thousand at the
sane price. Just as I was reaching
for my hat to go on the street to find
out what had happened to the mine,
q third buyer of Jupiters came in and
gobbled 1000 shares at thirty shillings
just as neatly as the others had swal-
lowed one thousand shares each at a
pound.
81 rushed out of my Office now, for
I had become little frightened about
selling SO much Jupiter without
knowing exactly what I was about;
but no one had heard any news of
that mine, and the few shares [ came
across l got for six pence each. The
bulk of the shares were held in Europe
and I could hear of no considerable
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