New-York tribune., 1899-06-11
vvOpK TPIRJTNE ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT-

,,roo,s FOR tbeir feet are perpetually beating
he rhythms. and their ears are open TO eaten ,
the slightest variation OF tne husiC, s,ions .risi'
NAV express the melody by their motions.
Another musical game. and the last we % hceu
allude to among the Greeks, was the Ho"e'
game, which was played VerJ ihucn III t,,1
ner in which our country dances are per ~ l.
The girls arranged themselves on one slue III III d
long line the youths and men on the otheI' i ino
former held flowers principally roses anu W
lets-in their hands. and, thus equipped, the l"o
lines Of players danced up to one another III
time to the music. The youths and men on
coming close to the line OF their fair ViS-a-'ls
sang:
Where are my roses? And where are my vio-
And where is my beautiful parsley too?
In connection with the intrusion Of the parsley
most unromantic Of herbs in our conception -
among the pOetica violets and roses, we must
explain that parsley was with the Creeks
very different plant-or perhaps we shouId sdy
a plant held in very different esteem-frOm
what it is with us. 1t formed the crown OF the
conquerors at many Of the national games,
such as the Olympic and Isthmian. And the
young men. in asking the girls for parsley were
in fact requesting them to wreathe crowns Of
conquest or of favor and place them upon their
heads.
Such were the words then with which one
side Of the players to speak. challenged the
others. And it was left to the girls to reply
Here are your roses. and here your violets;
And here is your beautiful parsley too.
one of the maidens here handed a flower or a
parsley wreath to her lover, with which, well
cOntented, he and the other men retired with
dancing steps to the time Of the music, while
She, overwhelmed with confusion, retired with
the maidens.
This approach and retreat again repeated
often as girl had anything to give, or as
long as girl was left whose fayOrs, typifed by
the flowers. were as yet unbestowed on a
lover What shyness, what bashfulness! what
timid reluctance. at times blOssOming into the
most desperate courage, did this game not sug-
gest and evoke The musical measures of the
melody were meanwhile of a most intricate and
elaborate nature, so that the most ardent lover,
the most timid and bashful maiden, must not
forget the steps for all his ariOr her timidity
and must ever remember that this pretence Of
wooing and making love was not an actualty
but only musical game.
A CARNIVAL IN THE CATHEDRAL
Musical games Of still more extraordinary
description meet us somewhat later in history
that Is to say, passing from the time Of the
Greeks and coming to the early Middle Ages
most grotesque form of the ball dance-utter-
ly ludicrous and with not the vestge of pre-
tence to anything artstic-was commonly prac-
tised in the cathedrals @ of the early medieval
times on Easter Day, after the long austeri-
ties Of Lent were over the cathedral became
the scene of carnival. large ball was SOL
emnly given to the dean of the cathedral
at the conclusion of service on that festival
ana directly the organ struck up the closing
voluntary the dean threw it to the nearest
CIOIISleI VINO AT once DuZZed il TO another
ana he TO a third. until, what with the excite
ment and the disorder which the game occa-
stoned, the whole church became a scene of
confusion and uproar
Even the Archbishop of the diocese" says
the writer in the "Acta SanctOrum" from whom
we are quoting. did not disdain to handy the
DaIl about, if he there: and meanwhile
the choir boys were leaving their places in the
StalS ana ltaping and bounding all about the
Chance, the elder clergy also joining in and
loounS 1t to the sound of the organ"-which
exactly authenticates the scene Of confusion
ana Srotesqueness which we described this
species or the ball game to be.
Ahother very favOrite musical game Of the
same epoch was the burial Of the alleIuia odd
ana profane though this ceremony NAV seem
II was yet gone through with great gravity and
edihestnesS. and was greatly enjoyed bv the
ohIookers. although generally speaking they
VIZ NOT allowed to participate in the game
IL TOOK place i'm the churches in the Middle
ages on Septuagesima Sunday. After the bless
lnR All the boys of the choir came down the
CnurCh' some whipping tors which the word
<NIeIuId was written. others carving turfs
vi Nhch the name was cut. Followed by the
congregation they proceeded TO the church.
Edrd ana buried the tops and the turfs with a
Siedt zeal or grotesque horsepay which we
should deem irreverent. but which in those
uaSS was esteemed excellent droery And with
thIS odd pendant TO our list we close our ac-
count OF the musical games.