Birmingham state herald., 1897-01-03
AT ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSES. Some of the Aristocraeys Queer Amuse-

ments.
 London World.
 | It Is sign of the times nowadays that country house parties often cu1minate in mere romping. Under the old dispensa- tion, when the fair ones were looked upon as intruders who were admitted to shoot ing parties on sufferance, and were ex- pected to refrain from the nigh crime and misdemeanor of worrying the men when they returned to the house after a fatiguing day the evenings were short | dull and slumberous. The new regime | however, has altered all this. The la- | dies are there on an equality, and they expect to be amused. They still permit the men to go out shooting, because they do not quite see their way to changing that at present, But they follow about lunch time, and do their best after lunch to spoil the rest of the afternoons shoot in favor of Irritation under pretense of marking" However Tagged moreover, the men may be with the days tramp, that is no excuse for being dull in the evening. The ladies apa to be amused, and the least the men can do say the fair ones, after enjoying themselves in their odd way all day, is to be lively and entertaining in the evening. From this point of view music and conversa ton |Nhave no lasting power. Both are excel lenf in their way, but it is impossible to spend evening after evening with only this kind of amusement and not be bored by it. Then there are cards. But it
 is impossible for smart people to play cards without gambling, and many host esses will not allow this accessory-not because they object by any means Go the principle of the thing but because they are determined that no scandals, no quar- reling over money, or losing more than can be afforded, shall happen in their houses.
 The result is that at last somebody pro- poses drawing room games. which sooner or later must end in mere romping and ' sometimes in bad accidents Billiard buff, for instance, is favorite amuse- ment in lively circles, and as 1t consists in rapid chase of a woman by man, both blndfolded, over, under, or around a billiard ta ble, until at last, breathless and heated. they tumble by accident into each others arms it may easily be inn agned that such incidents as one of the performers rolling by mistake off the billiard able and alighting on some easily injured portion of the body, or knocking the head violently against some unsym- pathetic portion of the table in the ex- citement of the chase, are all quite pos sible, and have been known to lay the victim up for the rest of the visit. For these sufferers one would feel more com misseration were 1t not that it is their rampant folly which is to blame for their misfortune Another joyful sport which is usually included in an indoor gymk- hama is that of tobogganing down the
 
 purpose a solid oak or marble staircase is very convenient, and if it should be provided about halfway down with sharp bend, which will give the com- petitors an opportunity to exhibit their steering powers, with the alternative of being bumped rather violently against the wall if they fail to negotiate the diff ficuty, so much the better.
 The most scientific method of playing this game is 10 use a big dinner tray, and send the performers down in pairs of both sexes. This plan has the ad- vantage that it doubles the difficulty of steering, and therefore insures number of spills The spectacle of pretty young woman and her masculine escort rolling out head over heels and over one another, and completing the descent in that impromptu manner. is regarded as quite triumph of art and humor, not to mention good taste. Perhaps it is not surprising that this sport, too mas some times resulted in broken limbs and se- we're contusions. It would really not be very astounding if 1t occasionally led to a broken engagement as well. For some men are ESQ odd and. however amusing they may think this kind of sport when carried on by other mems girls" they might draw the line at par ticipation' on the part of their own fan cees. Foot ball is a pastime which pre- sents vast possibilities of enjoyment What can be fairer than the simple ar rangement that the ladies should be per mitted to hack or trip at. pleasure, and that the menshould only be allowed to collar the ladies Gin the Rugby sense of the word); and what more calculated to enhance the manly feeling of respect for the dignity of womanhood? It is ad- visable, moreover, where possible, that this game should be played upstairs in a long corridor terminating in two stair cases. The latter will be very convent ent for goals, and, moreover, will afford a fine opportunity for real devotees of the game after a sharp run up to goal and a hot pursuit on the other side, to fall headlong from top to bottom clasped in each others arms. On the other hand, there is the bally-rag pure and simple. It may be urged that the difference be- tween the sports mentioned above and the bally-rag must require an experi- enced eye to detect But the fact is that the essence. of the bally-rag is that it should be the outcome of the moment and be governed by no rules whatsoever It may take the primitive form of cush- ion fight; it may develop into war dances, wherein the high kicking practiced at the "halls" may be deftly blended with the reels so dear to. the gatherings" App pie pie beds'' and "booby -traps may be | another expression of this phase of feel ing, and great sport may be derived by mixing up all the boots, or transposing rthe positions of a masculine and feminine, wardrobe.
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