Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-10-07
WHAT AND HOW THEY PLAYED.
Games for the Young and Old of Both
Sexes.

How the children did enjoy themselves,
and for that matter the grown folks, too.
Games of every kind, both American and
German, were provided. Every boy and
Girl. and the old folks, too. III most IN
stances. were provided with coupon
ticket. which entitled the bearer 20 n ride
on the switchback, hobbY-horses, a shot IN
the shooting gallery, and occupancy OF the
swing.
All of these were free, each Of them
having been leased for the occasion by the
/ committee IN charge.
The switchback probably received the
| largest patronage. From early forenoon
until dusk the ears were going backward
and forward, upward and downward, with
ceaseless rapidlty. u took two policemen
! in addition to the committee 90 keep back
| the crowd who so persistently showed tor
admission TO this enticing pastime.
THE sHooTfNG-GAILERY
This place also came in for a large share
! of the custom. but owing TO the nature Of
| the amusement each individual consumed
! very little time. Handsome prizes were
| donated by various people and awarded 70
| the best shots. both male and female. The
| contest among the ladies was remarkably
| close the prizes being won IN the following
order: Misses Gebhart, Sauer, Bott, and
| H0rra.
OTHER GAMES.
The swing and hobby-horses never
| stopped for moment. The little ones
were in their glory; they were as happy as
| could be, and there was not even so much
| as a skinned knee or scratch the whole day
| long. Everybody was goOd-natured.
| In the building used for the bench-shOw
| during the Exposition the German games
| for the children were conducted. The
4
| h0HdSchldqdi which literally translated
means handwriting, but Is called by the
| Germans chicken-pulling." To play the
game properly live rooster and goose Is
| placed under an inverted tlower-pot. The
| child Is then blindfOlded and some person
| turns the child around four or five times
so as TO make It lose its bearing.
The adult thon takes the little player by
the hand and leads it towards the flower
| pot. The little one Is furnished with a
| stick, and when the word strike Is
| called out be tries 70 hit the fiower-pot.
| If he does so he gets the prize that Is un-
| der IL. The supply of roOsters Yesterday
was rather limited, and for that reason
only four or five We're given IN this way,
most of the other presents being in the
nature of candy or toys OF some kind.
THEY BANGLE FROM A STRING.
Another very pleasing game is similar 10
| the above. A number Of presents are suS-
pended from a long rope stretched the
| whole way across the room. As IN the
other game the players are blindtOlded and
are started towards the rope. aud whatever
article they lay their hands upon belongs
10 them.
There was also sack-racing, which
afforded unlimited amusement 70 both the
participants and the spectators. This,
like all of the other games. Is so arranged
that every child gets prize.
| There was greasy-pOle climbing, the
| greasy pig, and last. but not least, foot
race for boys and girls.
In each of these the successful COMPETE
| tor was given a sealskin cap. The COM
mittee did well and too much praise can
| not be given them for their successful et-
forts in making the celebration of the
| German-day in Richmond an everlasting
memory for the little ones.
PEANUT-MAN
And then there was the "peanut-man."
| This was entirely new TO most Of the chill
dren present. and was patroulzed largely
] after the custom of st. Nicholas IN the
| old country. A person dressed IN the
| grOtesaue costume Of a clown, with u
| mask upon his face and tall. conical cap
rode into the grounds about o'clock.
/ Who he was no one could tell except the
! committee. IN lTOuL VI nun Ou tuo sduuAS
| he had bag of peanuts. These he threw
| right and left, aud the efforts of the chill
| dren to obtain the ground-peas were truly
amusing.
BIRD-sHooTISG.
Another of their games is bird, or eagle
/ shooting as it is sometimes called. A
wooden eagle is fixed on the top of pole
| about twenty feet in height. This is shot
| at with a rife. The contestant who first
brings a portion of the figure to the
ground gets the prize. No matter If forty
| shots have been fired previously and the
| birds are hanging so loosely that touch
/ will make them fall this counts nothing TO
those who have gone before, but only to
the person who brings 1t down.
Dancing in the Hall.
In the west wing of the main hall dancing
was carried on with vim from 2:30 O'clock
until dark. A neat programme was sus-
pended ON each side from the balcony
above. A smooth floor had been land over
the roueh planks. 1t was nicely waxed
and in as good condition as any ballroom
in the city. The girls and boys had a
splended time, and if some Of their
giances told the truth, the end is not
vat -