St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-08-07
HOW RUSSIA AMusEs ITSELF.
Has No Knowledge of the Heaiti,y
Anglo-Saxon Ganea

| Has no Knowledge of the Heaftlly
/ Anglo-Saxop Games.
Unfortunately young Russia has not
the faintest glimmering of knowledge
| of the practice or even of the existence
of-such things as football, cricket, f1ves,
rackets, golf, athletic sports, hockey CT
any other of the numerous pastimes
which play so important q part in the
life of every schoolboy in this merry
land of England. Therefore there is
no question, for him, of staying behind
at the school premises after working
| hours, in order to take part in any
game. He goes home; that much is
certain; most of his time is loafed
| aWay-that, too, is beyond question.
lie may skate little, perhaps, in the
winter, if he happens to live near a
skating pond, but he will not go far for
it: and in the summer, which is holiday
time for him from June till September,
he walks up and down the village
street, clothed in white calico garments,
or plays cup and ball in the garden;
fishes little, perhaps, in the river or
pond ii there happen to be one, and
lazies his time away without exertion.
OF late years "lorteneece," as lawn ten
mis- is called in the czars country, has
been slightly attempted; but it is not
really liked; too many balls are lost,
and the rules of the game have never
yet been thoroughly grasped. A quar-
tette OF men will occasionally rig up
their net, which they raise to the height
OF about 11a feet, and play species of
battledoor and shuttlecock over it un-
til the balls disappear; but it is scarce
ly tennis. AS a matter of fact, Rus
sian generally rushes at the ball and
misses it; on the rare occasions when
he strikes the object, he does SO with
SO much energy that the ball, unless
stopped by the adversary's eye, or his
partners, disappears forever into 'the
blue" Croquet is a mild favorite,
too; but it is played very languidly and
Well do remember a scene at the
custom house some years--a good many
years, fear-ago! I was a schoolboy
at the time, and had arrived from Eng
land in order to spend the summer holi-
days in Russia. Among my impedi-
menta was box of croquet parapher-
malta which | had been commissioned
to bring out for an English resident.
AT that time the game was as vet un-
known to the country, and the custom
house authorities on opening the box
retreated in horror and alarm when
they beheld it's awe-inspiring contents. |
instruments of assault, bombs, mys-
terlous weapons of every kind were |
contained in that awful box; not one of |
them would go near it! Amid excla- |
nations OF warning and horror, drew |
forth one of the bombs and p1acedait |
upon the ground; then a second; to the
accompaniment of cries of terror and |
/ took from the case n
terrible weapon (known to croouet I
players as mallet), and to the mex
oressrble alarm of all present COM
nenced little exhibition game of c,o-
luet upon the floor of the custom house.
order to demonstrate the uses OF the
'ar1ous implements. As the hoops
could not well be utilized on the wood
n boards these innocent articles were
suspected. I believe the off
lals took them to be boomerangs of
lovel and peculiar description, and the
Vhole box was consequently detained
or further and fuller investigation. /
'eiieve they sunk it in deep water and
ent down scientifically disposed diver
inspect it in safety. My friends got
helr croquet set eventually, but the !
ails bore marks of careful testing:
hose officials had felt sure they were
combs, and had done their very best
o convict them of containing dyna-
Journal.