The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-08-02
The National Games.

game of base ball yer played, which
took place at Hoboken, n. j., on
June T., ls49. There is lack or def
mite infor. I alton, but it may pretty
safely he stated that Captain Arson
was there and playing. The game
of base ball had originated nearly
nine months before. 1t had grad
ually grown GU of the old English
%schOOlbOy game OF FOUNDERS. Like
man, base ball is the result of cvOlu-
zion. FOUNDERS evoluted into town
ball" In the latter sport instead of
bases there we've '%cornerS.' These
were unattended. ans runner were
put out b being h t with the ball
thrown directly at them by the field
els. The ball was much SOfte than
the modern base ball, ard was com
posed wholly Of rubber. In the early
forties Il arty OF New IC kers as
sembled every Wednesday and Satu :
day on a vacant lot, then a long way
out of town, and now covered Ivy the
Madison Square Garden, to play
townball. After a me some of
them felt that the sport might he
greatly improved. 1t was finally dc.
cided to substitute bases for Cor
ncrs." to use a ball with a hard rub.
Der center, wound with yarn and
covered with leather. to place men to
gun d the bases. and to change the
name %''townball" to 'basc ball"
On September 23. 1915, these gentle
men organii ed the first base ball
club and called it the Kni kerhocAer.
Thus Our national game was born.
There were soon a number OF base
ball clubs in arr around New York,
and the first match game vas be-
tween the knicKerhocker and New
YORK clubs. 1t comprised only four
innings, the rule then being that the
club first making twenty one runs
in even innings was the winner.
GROWTH or TIE GAME.
The growth OF base ball in other
parts OF the country was very slow.
Townball continued to be played,
and It's votaries did not take to base
ball. fase ball was not played in
Philadclphia-only ninety miles from
New YOrk-until 1850. fifteen years
after its b nth in this city. In that
year the Olympic Townoall Club, of
that city, organi ed in 1888, decided
to plav base ball instead thereafter.
The first base bail match in Phila.
delphia took place June II, 1850, be-
tween the Equity and Winona clubs.
San francisco's trst match took
place on February %, 1860. Base
ball vas not played in the New Eng
land States until five or six years
a ter its birth, and then only in
such a modified form that it was
called 1.-The New England game" in
cent adiStlnctiOn to "the New York
game" The Originators OF GU ma
tIonal game were gentlemen who
played base bail merely for recrea-
tlOn, and we. anxious that it should
remain a gentlcmen'S game. AS
clubs multiplied throughout the
country IL became necessary to estab-
liSh some general organization, with
authority to control and egulate the
interests of the sport and its play
ing lulCS.
Accordingly there was 70 med the
National Association of Base Ball
Players, in which any club was en-
titled to membership, with the privi-
lego of sending delegates to the an
nual meeting. The playing rules
adopted ~ this organization were
the standard mes 70 the game, and
were Observed by all clubs. Almost
the first rule made by this National
Association positively debarrel from
membership any club in which there
was a mai VINO played base bal for
hire or emolumcnt Of any kind. Con-
sc luently base ball tcurished between
the years 1856 and 1871. as never be-
fore or since. There were hosts of
Clubs, and in every large city many
matches were played daily, usually
upon some vacant lot, the attendance
frequently numbering from 10, 900 to
%, 600 people.
In the city of Allegheny, Pa,
alone there wee five different base
ball grounds within a stones throw
of each other. and on almost every
day during the base ball season there
was a match IN each of these grounds
and the same Is true of other large
cities at that time.
The intrOdu ton OF professional
players was gradual. The rivalry be-
tween clubs became so great that in
order to strengthen itself and win
victory over some rival each would
leave nothing undone to secure the
best players Thus inducements
were held out to men who had
shown an unusual aptitude for the
game to influence them to rlay only
with a particular club. A wealthy
gentleman, or instance, desiring to
see his club in the front rank would
offer some young man Of rare ball
playing ability a position in his bust.
ness or counting house, with a pri-