The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-13
THE BIRTH OF BASEBALL
rExT SATURDAY THE GAME WILL
BE FIFTY-0NE YEARS OLD.
How 1t Originated and Developed
from Recreation Into IA Business
with Professional Players.

Copyright, 1897, by Geo1rey Wililstoh Auriseie''
Next Saturday, June 10, viii be the fifty
first anniversary of the first match game
Of baseball ever played. The contest in
question took place at Hoboken. n. j., on
June 10. 1876. The game had originated
nearly nine months before. 1t had gradual
ly grown out of the old English schoolboy
game of FOUNDERS" Like man. according
to the Darwinian theory, baseball is the re-
suit of evolution. FOUNDERS gradually "eV-
oluted' into town ball" In the latter
sport, instead of bases, there were cor
ners." These We're unattended. and run
ners were put out by being hit with the
ball which was thrown directly at them
by the fielders. The ball used was, neces-
sariIy therefore much smaller and softer
than the baseball of to-day. Unlike the
rubber, yarn and leather spheres now IN
vogue, it was composed entirely of rubber.
In the days of which / write, number
of New York gentlemen were in the habit
of assembling on a vacant lot, then long
way out of town. and now covered by the
Madison-square Garden, every Wednesday
and Saturday afternoon, to play town ball.
At length some of them began to think
that certain notifications would greatly
improve the sport. Numerous informal DIS
cussions took place, and it was finally de-
cided to adopt the changes proposed.
Among these was the substitution of bases
for Corners" the adoption of a hard pail
with a rubber center wound with yarn
and covered with leather, the placing or
men to guard the bases, and having the
ball thrown to them instead of directly at
the baserunners. 1t was also decided TO
change the name of the sport from town
ball to baseball on account of the bases
forming so important feature OF 1t.
On Sept %, 1S45. the gentlemen who had
decided upon these changes formed tnem-
selves into an association, to which they
gave the name of the Knickerhocker base
ball Club, at the same time adopting the
changes above named in the game OF town
ball and voting that their new game should
thereafter be known by the name OF oase-
ball Thus our national game was born
and on the 23d of next September 1t Will
be hfty-two years old. 1t has undergone
innumerable changes and modihcations DUR
ing the long period that has elapsed since
it's birth, but it is doubtful if it has been
thereby made any more enjoyable as
sport pure and simple.
Like weddings, the baseball club brings
many, and soon there were number of
these organizations in and around New
York. and the first match game, above
mentioned as having taken place on June
49, 1876 was between the Knckerbocker
and New York clubs. 1t consisted of only
four innings, the rule then being that the
club first making twenty-one runs in even
innings was the winner. The gradual
growth of baseball from New York to other
parts of the country was very slow, though
to their credit be it said that one or two
of the metropolitan papers did all in their
power to foster the sport. This was notably
the case with the New York Sunday Mer-
curry, whose proprietor, Mr.. William Cauld-
well did so much in that way that he may
not inaptly be styled the father of the
game. Town ball continued to be played
in other parts of the country, and its vo-
taries seemed reluctant TO substitute base
ball for it.
It is remarkable that baseball was not
introduced into PhiIadelphia-only ninety
miles from New York-until 1860, fif-
teen years after it's birth. In that year
the Olympic Club of the Quaker City, which
had been organized in 1898 to play town
ball, and had done so ever since, decided to
thereafter play baseball instead. The first
match game of baseball in Philadelphia did
not take place till June II, 1860, and was
between the Equity and Winona clubs.
SPREAD OF The SPORI-
A striking proof that westward the star
of baseball, as well as that of empire,
wends it's way, is found in the fact that
the first match game of the national sport
in San Francisco took place on Feb. %,
1860, three months prior to the first match
in Philadelphia. Baseball was not played
in the New Englapd States until some five
or six years after its origination, and then
only in such modified form that it was
known as the New England game" TO dis
tinguish it from the game played by the
New York clubs.
The originators OF our national game
were gentlemen who played baseball merely
for recreation, and would have held in very
low esteem any man who had sought to
transform it into a business or means of
getting a livelihood 1t was their intention,
as well as that of other generations of en-
thusiastic ball players who followed them,
that baseball should be purely a gentle
mems game.
AS clubs multiplied throughout the coun-
try, it became necessary to establish some
general organization, having authority to
control and regulate the interests of the
sport. to make such changes in the play
ing rules as might from time to time seem
necessary, and in every possible way to
protect and improve our national sport.
To meet this necessity there was formed
the National Association of Baseball Play
ers, in which any club entitled to mem
bership with the privilege of sending dele
gates to the annual meeting. The playing
rules adopted by this organization were the
standard ones for the game, and were re-
spected and adopted by all clubs, whether
members of the association or not Almost
the first rule adopted by this national as
ISOLATION was one most positively debarring
from membership and rendering liable to
expulsion any club in which there was a
man who played baseball for hire or emolu-
ment OF any kind, the object being to make
and keep the sport purely a gentlemen's
game.
The result of this was that baseball -four
ished between the years 1866 and 1871 to an
extent that has never been known before or
since. The number of clubs was literally
legion, and in every large city a great
number of matches was played daily The
grounds We're usually upon some vacant
lot or common. and were free to ALL no ad-
mission fee being charged. AS conse-
quence. the crowds at these contests were
enormous. from ten thousand to twenty
thousand people being by no means an I'M
usual attendance. In the city of Allegheny
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