The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-05-31

knoWA They did not call the Behesh
OF our great sport baseball" nor did
Il much resemble our play Of to-day
yet Il held the vital spark OF the game
that has won Americas heart. Not
much II known OF the earlier games
except that they existed. Il Is only
Of the immediate ancestors Of base
ball. FOUNDERS" and town ball, that
definite history exists. Even where
and how they split from the ancestral
game and their cousins. cricket and
football. IA not known. For the past
century or more. however. the present
game Of baseball has held strong re-
semblance 10 IT, form Of to-day.
Il was queer baseball that our knlek-
erbockered great grandfathers played
In the old colonial days. They would
sport In the meadows beside the towns.
playing with unhandy balls of yarn
that some good wife had stitched over
with cloth. The surroundings we're
queerer. n they lived 10 the western
reserve Of Ohio. or In the Lake Cham
plain country they might keep their
matchlocks piled IN corner % the
fence. ready for an instant change
from gayety 10 deadly hght against
murderous redskins But an the men
~ 1850 and 1860 took their pleasure
With gay hearts and free minds. glad
20 relax from the steady drudgery OF
farming
Later. when the youth and flower
OF the land lived upon the commons
and the muskets were piled Ia the little
town halls Of rough brick. the men Of
T6 stlll sought diversion from the
anxiety ~ a threatening situation In
the old game % "rounders" They
played Il ~ English children. and even
English princes Of Wales played u on
the commons Most often 10 the or
derby New England villages Of that
day the mar.et-place and forum filed
the gap between the spick and span
white meeting house with its inyari-
able high green blinds and sharp-splk-
cd stesple o. slate. and the town hall
In the Struggling farmer villages %
New York and Pennsylvania the mild
shOrthorn cattle. with great nlnging
Of heels. aed from their grazing AZ the
Invasion oi the players % FOUNDERS"
Forther 70 the south. where the life
was more Of the plantation and lees
OF the town the games % the period
did not obtain much ~ a hold
Il was 10 New England and the mid
die colonies that FOUNDERS" was IN
greatest favor There VIA little ex-
actitude about the game A tree or
big stone served as base: there
might be- Ave. there might be- ak Of
them a pitcher stood out in the field
and tossed balls toward the hatsmen.
who welded bits Of srau'lIuF broom.
sticks 0r what not ont beyond the
bases playing fancy free. were three
or four do'd'rs. who d.d what they
could to got hands on tho balls as the
sticks Ehackei them Slowing them
out Their, Boz odd curves Altogether
DC was such an irregular game ls one
may SEQ the sIz-ycsroliH piay .n the
alley round the corner any day
The ball was o hank ~ yarn. and
even the smiths apprentices. with
their pre-emineut hlccps. could not
sxipo the mushy spher1id more than d
Jew dozen PAGES Catchers there Wer,
none. and so % was with basomen. Tn,
whole gathered crowd took turns al
o. clubbing. and by rotation the men
OF. 90 the green got chances 10 dodg,
from tree 10 big stone and from hil
stone 90 house corner ln the round Of
the bases That was an there was Of
fun or excitement 10 FOUNDERS th'
base running once a man was on th'
base the whole crowd helders. pitcher
and onlookers combined 20 put him out
What was necessary 10 this accom-
pllshment was merely that the bal
should touch him when be was on The