Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1897-07-22
HOW RUSSIA AMusss ITSELF.
Has No knowledge Of the Healthy
srEts-saxon Games.

Unfortunately youug Russia has not
the fainics, giimmering Of knowledge
% the practice or even % the existence
u such things as football. cricket. fives.
r.lckets. golf. athletic sports. hockey or
any other Of the numerous pastilnes
. hich play 50 important part In the
life q every schooIboy in this merry
land Of England. Therefore there !.
no question. for him. 81 staying behind
1t the school premises after working
hours. ia order To take part in any
game. lie goes home. that much Is
certain. most OF his time Is loafed
away-that. too. j. beyond question.
lie may skate z little. perhaps, In the
Niater, II he happens to live near
skating pond. bot he will not 20 far for
IL: aad Ia the summer. ~ ich j. holiday
time for him from June till September,
be walks up and down the village
street. clothed in white calico garments
or plays cup and bah in the garden.
fishes a little, perhaps. in the river OF
pond II there happen to be one. aud
lazies his time away without eNcrtion
OF late years "lorfeuecce." us lawn ten
MS j. called in the czar's country. has
been slightly attempted: but il IL not
really liked; too many balls are lost
and the rules Ct the game have neyef
yet been thoroughly graspsj. ! quar-
tette OF men will occasionally rig NJ
their net, which they raise TO the height
Of about ~. feet. and play species OF
b5ttle,ioor and shuttlecock over il uu-
til the balls disappear; but it is scarce
~ tennis. rs a matter OF fact. Rus
sian generally rushes at the bali and
misses it. ON the rare occasions whcu
he strikes the object. he does 50 with
so much energy that the bail. unless
stopped by the adycrsary's eye. or his
partners. disappears forever into "the
blue" Croquet is mild favorite
too; but it is played very ianguidly anG
unscientifcally.
Well do | remember scene at the
custom house some ycars-a good many
years. fear-ago, | was a schuulhoy
at the time, and had arrived from Eng
land in order to spend the summer haIi-
days in Russia. Among my impedi-
menta was a box OF eroquct parapher-
MALTA which 1 had been commissioned
TO bring out for an English resident
NJ that time the game was as vet un-
known to the country, and the custom
house authorities on opening the box
retreatcd in horror and alarm when
they beheld its awc-inspiring contents
Instruments Of assault. bombs. mys-
FERROUS weapons of every kind were
contained in that awful box: not one OF
them would go near il! Amid excia.
nations OF warning and horror. drew
forth one of the bombs and placed it
upon the ground; then a second; TO III.
accompaniment of cries of terror an,
Consideration | took from the case
terrible weapon known to e.oauet
players as malletJ. and to the mex
pressible alarm OF all present / com
menced a little exhibition game of Gro
quet upon the floor of the custom house
in order to demonstrate the uses of III,
various implements. Is the hoops
could not well be utilized on the wood.
en- boards these innocent articles wer,
graveiy suspected. believe the oil.
Gals took them to be boomerann,s of Z
novel and peculiar description. and the
whole box was consequently detained
for further aud fuller investigation.
believe they SUM it in deep water anc
sent down a scientifically disposed diver
10 inspect It in safety. My friends got
their eroqust set eventually. but the
balls bore marks of careful testing.
those officials had felt SURF they w~rt
bombs, and had done their very best
to convict them OF containing dypa.
Journal