Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-04-04
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
INTERESTING READING FOR THE
YOUNG FOLKS.
How Children I'm Olden Times
Amused ThemseIves-A Very Pecu-
liar kite-Dumas and His Dogs
South African KafHr Choir.

Have you ever wondered how the
children who lived hundreds of years
ago amused themselves? They could
not go skimming over the country on
a bicycle and were less fortunate in
the number of toys and games in
surprising to learn how many games
they played which are similar to the
ones now enjoyed by Young America.
One of the oldest games is ball. Ac
cording to ancient legends the first
ball was made by a Greek lady and
given to Nausicia, the Phaecian prin-
cess, who treated Ulysses so kindly.
The Greek lady also taught her how to
use it. This old world of ours has
made perhaps three thousand revolu-
lions around the sun since that, yet we
still play ball.
Old English pictures show us boys
and girls, scantily dressed, playing
handy ball or golf. Each one has a
long stick crooked at one end. That
is, perhaps. the earliest form of ball
playing with bats.
y Holes are made in the ground and
THE one who drove the ball in the holes
with the fewest number of strokes won
the game. Then they played balloon
ball and bowling. The English boys
who played ball upon London commons
some five hundred years ago used to
put hOrse-beans or peas in their balls
so that they would make a noise when
they kicked them.
One of the Roman kings, when boy,
spent many hours, it, is said, in play
ing a game of marbles called taw
Glass marbles were unknown at that
time, but they found the game fully as
interesting when played with nuts.
Leap-frOg and q game similar to hide
and-seek were played in ancient times.
Paper kites were sent up by the young
John Cinnamon before Columbus dis
covered America.
Boxing, wrestling running and char
lot racing were very serious sports
among the Greek youths. 1t was an
honor of lifetime to be Victorious in
any of these sports on the plain Of
Olympia during tho great festival held
there once in four years.
BattledoOr and Shuttlecock is an old
game and one often played by the chill
dren of a larger growth in England,
France and other countries. 1t is said
that the Siamese play shuttlecOck i'll an
astonishing manner. Their battledOors
being nothing more nor less than the
soles of their very Eat feet.
Spelican or jack straws is an old
English game. A story is told of a
young Englishman who had a passion
for that degrading vice-gambling. He
had sQuandered his whole estate In
this way. Some Of his wealthy rela-
tons offered to give him a new fortune
if he would solemnly promise never to
play any games they enumerated. They
\ made out a list Of every game they
could think of, even marbles, and he
promised never to play them. But
they missed one. Soon after they had
given him his new fortune they found
him playing jack straws with one Of
his old crOnies at f10 for plain straw
and so on up.
The training and flying of hawks or
falcons was popular amusement for
young and old in the middle ages.
Many tales relating to this pastime
have come down to us. One of Boo
caccio's has been used as a basis for
a drama by Tennyson and a poem by
Longfellow. The latter entitled THE
Falcon of Ser Ferderigo" is interesting,
giving one an idea of falconry in those
DAYS:
THE pomp and futter of brave fall
cOnry.
The bells, the jesses, the bright, scar
let hood,
The flight and pursuit Ger field and
wood,
All these fOrevermore are ended now:
No longer victor, but the victim thour'
Mary S. StelSon.