Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-05-09
SPORTS OF THE BLIND
The Boys play Ball. Leap Frog and
Tag.

OF the employments and education of
the blind so much has been written
that there can scarcely be said to be
any lack of information on the sub
jects. Their amusements, or the less
practical sides of their existence, have
not been so fully told, but they form
no less interesting chapter in the his
tory of these unfortunates. Their
pastimes are not so restricted as would
naturally be supposed. although, of
course, anything to which sight is an
absolute essential is beyond their en-
joyment. Some attention was recently
attracted by an article from the pen of
the superintendent of the state school for
the blind of Kentucky, in which that
gentleman described a game of base
ball played between mines whose mem
bers were totally blind. The descrlp-
tion when submitted to the blind of
Missouri's Institute was pronounced
by them as something possible, but by
no means enjoyable. In the game cited
trees were used for bases and a regular
base ball was the object batted. The
batter was told when to strike by the
pitchers counting one, two, three.
The catcher's difficulty In the premises
guided only by sound, can easily be
imagined. The time spent in looking for
the ball, too, would do much toward
keeping down the score, unless game,
like a Chinese drama extended over
several days.
The boys at the Missouri Institute
play ball, but it is on a very much sim
plifled principal. Instead of a ball, an
old tomato or fruit can is used and the
batter tosSes 1t himself, as seeing lads
do in tie game of knock out" The
lielders stand outside of the limit that
the record in such cases has made and
then listens to music of the batted and
rebounding can. The batter has three
wacks at il, aad the fielder who re-
trieves the can on the third knock out
takes his turn at the bat. The game
moves with considerable rapidity. The
lielders seldom collide and SO acute
does their sense OF hearing become and
their faculty of Judging the fall of the
can, that they rarely intrude on each
others territories.
Another sport of the blind boys, and
one that has in it more of the wonder
full than their ball playing, is their
game of ''foot and half" This, as
everybody knows. is an elaborated and
rebound edition of the simple leap-frog
pastime. 1t differs from the latter in
the fact that the 'back" moves away
from the Scratch" or jumping line.
and toes a line further of each time
the leader of the jumping cohort goes
over him. The jumpers then leap from
the scratch and clear the STOPPING boy
in one leap until the feat Is too diff
cult, when they make it "one and
over" or jump from the scratch and
a second one to clear the ''back." The
boy who fails to make the leap Of the
leader, who sets the pace at lone and
over" when it is within the reach OF
-othar- player to still make 1t an
oSer.o taxes The place Of the stoop.
fus - ~nd the ex-stooper becomes the
leader,
In playing this the jumping boys will
work carefully out to the "back, +" and
so get their distance, and then with a
little run will leap light upon him with
their hands and make the over with
that wonderful precision which may
truly be accounted skill in the youth
blessed with sight, but which in them
approaches the miraculous. They also
play fair game of tag by running over
the big yard allotted to their play. This
yard is divided by two brick walls and
crossed by several rows of tree-boxe:
at regular distances. These object:
serve as landmarks for the running
youngsters and guide them in theil
play. There is about them as much
boisterousness and rush in their out
door games as there is with any party
of lads that ever gathered round q
country school-house, and their daring
seems equalled only by their immunity
from harm.