Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-01-28
FOR YOUTHFUL READERS.
INSTRUCTIVE AND EFUL
READING FOR THE YOUNG,
Something About Skates and
f. Skating--A Touching Scene
From a Russian Polo Game
1.-The Size Of Alligators.
Something About Skates and
Skating.

Something About Skates and
Skating.
There is no more graceful and
healthful exercise than skating. A
skillful skater makes one almost look
for the wings that the ancients fixed
to the ankles of Mercury, Perseus and
Minerva. In one thing can the birds
be rivaled by humans,
"a they sweep,
, On sounding skates thousand different
ways,
In circling poses, swift as the wind along,
sings Thompson.
The boy who has never learned to
skate has lost pleasure that is dear
to boy heart, but there are few who
have not tried skating, however limit
ed the streams, pond or icy place for
practice may have been.
Skates are very old; hun
dreds, nay, perhaps thousands
of years before this crisp win
ter, skating was a merry sport.
Perhaps too many in this age OF in.
vention think that more ideas are
new than really are so. If we remem-
Der that every thing we see around us
grew up, then we can begin the inquiry
about skates that came before the
keen edged "club, with all the ardor
OF historians. 1t is certain that skates
would be of no use in the tropics; we
must look for their home in the land
OF long winters, of crusty snow and
slow, ice-bound rivers
We would not envy the boy of long
ago, as he bound the shin-bones of
some animal to his feet and went
through kind fsprawling gymnastics
that was the skating of the period.
In Iceland skates are called islegglr,
''ice bones," the shin of sheep.
If sheep shin-bones were the first
skates, then the boy who lived before
iron or bronze were known, back in
the stone and bone age. could enjoy
himself with this CHEEKY sport. The
boys of London in the 10Th century,
Fitz Stephen tells us, in winter bind
under their feet a pair Of shin-bones,
take In their hands poles shod with
iron, which at times they strike
against the ice, and are thus carried
along with the rapidlty of a bird on
the wing or a bolt discharged from a
crossbow. The generous Holland boy,
Hans Brinker, was forced to go back
to the primitive way, when he
had given his skates to a
poor friend and had forgotten his
chances in the race for the 'silver
skates"
1t is thought that skates came into
use in Northern Europe, perhaps in
Holland, where it is cold and there is
plenty of smooth water, because
where the rivers are swift there is no
skating. The wooden skates with
iron runners curling up into a wonder
ful spiral terminated with a, brass
acorn at the point, were introduced
into England from the Low Countries.
Cosby Pepys in his diary OF Dec. l,
1861, records, "To my Lord Sand
wich's, to Mr.. Moore and then
over to the ParEe, where first in my
life, it being agreat frost. did see peo-
pie sliding with their skates, which is a
very pretty art
The Scotch have the reputation Of
being good skaters both in the 'fen,"
or straight swift skating, and the
Clancy" skating. Our country has
the champion, | think, at present
A Touching Scene From a Russian
Pc o Game.
A pathetic story OF brute pity is
told in the following extract from the
letter ola visitor in Russia, to afrend,
describing a. game OF polo:
Horse and rider still lay motionless.
Was it possible that the shock could
have killed them both? The man lay
just as he had been sitting, turned to
one side in readiness to strike the
ball; so that, while his feet were still
in the stirrups' his head and shoulders
had fallen backward on the ground
At this death-like stiffness a shud-
der passed through all the vast as
sembly; and in the carriage next to
us alady fell suddenly back against
the cushions, fainting. Then two or
three officers sprang forward to
see what had happened. while
the players leaped from their
horses to assist their fall
en- comrade. Never have seen sight
OF higher intelligence in brute than
was then exhibited by that little Cos
sack pony.
AS two or three OF the officers,
STOPPING, took him by the head to
raise him, he looked up at them with
pleading, pathetic eyes, as though en-
treating them to bevery careful. Then
slowly, cautiously, he allowed himself
to be drawn away from that PROSTATE
figure, raising himself as much as pos
sible, that he might not crush or in
jure his beloved master.
No sooner was this weight removed
than the officers body turned with q
quick, convulsive movement, and the
next moment stiffened as though sud
denly changed to stone. 1t made every
one shiver to see that ominous, ghast-
~ motion. The horse was no sooner on
his feet, than, shaking his head free
from the land that held his bride, and
stepping, oh, SO carefully, he passed
around to where his masters head
lay. The great fur cap had fallen
backward leavino the hrOnze1 fora-