Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-01-19
FRENCH GAME THAT Is NEW.
II is Called Shuttlecock Tennis and
Has Many Devotees in Paris

Has Many Devotees in Paris
What bids fair to become an active
and vigorous rival to the now almost
national game of golf has appeared in
Paris this season. and Is now enjoy
ing almost absolute supremacy In the
way OF outdoor sports among our
French cousins.
At the beginning Of last spring,
when the weather was such as to in
vite and encourage outdoor sport
some few of the extremists introduced
game called ''le jeu de Ia paume
volante, which can only be trans
lated as "shuttlecock tennis"
The game is built on the lines of
both its sponsors. but is unlike tennis,
as it requires no net. 1t Is played
on the smooth velyety lawns of sum
mer chateaux and among the will
lagiatures' OF the upper middle
classes.
1t may be played by two--"un jeu
1euy," as a sentimental Frenchman
puts it-or il may have four, six or
eight players. One ball is required
for each couple, With two the game
resembles nothing so much as the
old-fashoned. "battedoor and shut
tlecock;" with four or more players
il becomes more intricate.
rhe necessary outfit for this new
game consists of disks similar to a
tambourine, except that the rim is
solid and devoid of jlngling cymbals,
and solid little rubber balls, a trifle
larger than those now used for golf.
The players dispose themselves OPP
posite each other little over 100
yards apart, If two are playing the
game it consists in sending the ball
backward and forward. and catching,
posing and pitching it the greatest
number OF times without letting it
fall on the ground.
IF the game includes more than one
couple greater deXterity ls required, as
the players throw the ball crisis
cross. and one has to be constantly
on the watch to know which is your
ball coming among the three or four
crossing each other. AS in tennis,
every miss counts so many points
against the score and so many catches
so many in It's favor. The score may
be 100 or 200 or even 500 points, ac-
cording 10 the skill of the PLAYERS.
The disk is held by the rim and
used as bat to send the ball, and as a
racket to receive it. 10 the uninitiated
Onlooker ii appears almost impossible
to acquire the necessary deXterity for
the successful manipulation of that
disk and small rubber ball,
paume yOlantc is bound to become
popular among the rapidly increasing
number OF girls who are taking the
opposite stand TO the bachelor girl
These new girls are embracing en-
Enthusiastically all the fascinating pos
ing and languid graces of their grand
mothers, and with the introduction
Of 1880 80 and 80 styles it is neces-
sary to a~opt the games which were
in vogue in those days. It is likely
to be popular for another reason also,
and that is that it can he played on
the lawn, before or after dinner, when
mndemoiseile has donned her dainty
lawns and organizes
As paume yolante is not so athletic
as either golf or tennis, aud capable
of numberiess pretty poses, the din
ner costume is suitable for the sport
So many girls have so tired Of the
short skirts and thick boots de rig
ucur for golf that the new game will
doubtless gain many adherents
THE bachelor girl has been 50 de-
r'ded In the papers said a paume en-
thusiast, and the men tthose who
have taken the troubled have SO eX-
tollej the beauties and attractiveness
of the u)d-time woman. that a tidal
wave seems TO have set IN in favor
ot the latter Therefore 1t is easy to
predict coming as ii does al the
turning Of the tide In favor Of every
thing essentially old-fashioneuy lemi-
nine. that the new jeu dc Ia paume
yo'aute viii be on the crest OF pom
uwrW among outdoor sports az not
very distant date New York Her
aid