New-York tribune., 1899-06-11

Iithv epjgrammatic song-was next sung by
some of the company. Then, Every pouy , -
ready" he says, and the young men are 'oeins ois
the line And here is the girl WIN hei Hut I,
striking I'D a Carian song and another girl VIII
be here in moment with an Eastern harp' 10
join her. ,,
Now the players have filled their cups ana
they begin throwing in turn. And as each
throws he pronOunces the name OF MS lduy
love Here's for Glycera" Ihis one lor
Scioner' This throw for Cailistium: mere
goes for Phanostrata"
And how do they manage to throw it 50
cleverly. and how do they hold II! ASKS a
novice of a bystander. why, you must crook
your fingers round the cup, like Hute-player
holds his fingers round his flute. Then pour IN
a little wine-not much. And then let fly"
YES, but howe"
why. look herc-in this way"
"Oh Neptune! what height you throw IT.
In private houses this musical game was
played for prizes. In Athcn@us's banquet we
are told that the prize of one cottapos "nicH
be describes was three ribbons, five apples ana
nine kisses And kssas were a very general
prize it seems. For in the comic poet Cratinus
a guest coming late to banquet Is mace ~
say: "Hooa! hear the sound ot kiSslhs, 81 4
suppose the cOnquerOr of the cottaoos Is Set-
ting his prize"
THE BALL DANCE.
Next in celebrity and popularity to the Gotta
hos was the ball dance-a species OF Deautlui
game which has entirely vanished from huihaI
memory The balls were made OF scarlet of
rmrplp leather, ana nlled WITH Ioul vi l'"'"''''
grass. wool, fg-seeGs or sand Ihey were
small and the object of covering tnen WIN WIN
such a bright color was that they mlght na'l
and look bright in the SUM- ana De easily SCI"
when they were thrown.
The players were generally girls, dressed III
the Dorian costume, which can best De repro
duced To the fancy by remembering the aItIfg
of Diana in the wc-known group OF her ana
tba stag Their dress was short barely reach
ing 70 their knees and their arms were pare
the dress being fastened at the shoulder with
gold silver studs. ,u l.,
They stood at angles-sometimes however IN
tvo side ,s-and on the beginning OF the music
which was contributed by a lyre-player VINO
sat on a seat near. they began 10 weave hIl
sorts Of fanciful steps in time ana measure "
the melody.
Then the ball was taken by the leader Of the
game and thrown To one OF the girIS' % WHO
caught it while she was dancing. IL FosSIoie
while her feet were both off the ground. ana al
most Immediately flung ii to another, VINO re-
ceived it and dispatched it in similar man man
ner This bounding and throwing comnuh'Cdt at /
ed an aspect of the most airy hShtnesS 10 lhe
game edualled only. we imagine, by that COM
mon spectacle of the modern ballet, when a
dancer whose belt has been previously at
Tackled to a wire is caught up alott as II Sht
we're flying The same feeling OF AIRY grace
must have been communicated to the Freeh
spectators when the girls were at the pan
dance-bounding high in the air, catching the
flying ball as il futtered through the SKY, ana
never seeming to touch earth. except but for
moment during the whole of the play.
ODYSSEY and according to his account the pail
was sometimes flung so high in the air that II
was almost lost to sight. When it appeared as
a speck from ClOudland the player whose turn
II was to catch it seemed to rise to meet IT, ana,
taking il. tossed the ball once more To the heaF-
ems that it scared about like hird Alter
nately with this. the players standing closer
flung the ball from to the other with such
lightning like rapidity that it made them dlzZy
to look.
when we consider that during these intricate
movements and complicated figures there was
constant stream of music swelling on ana never
stopping. and that every step taken IN the game
was To the measure Of a musical bar. we must
confess how much enhanced must have been
the beauty Of the game to the eyes OF onlookerS
and how marvellously smooth and Symmetrical
must have been the actions OF every one Ihdl
played it, Sometimes" says a Greek author
they would throw the ball from one to the
other at short distances. And then they must
use their hands alone But at longer distances
they might use their arms to iling IL WIN
standing easily but firmly in one spot: ana arch-
ing their bodies in a thousand graceful feXlons
to catch the bouncing ball.
Nauscaa one of the heroines Of the Odyssey
danced the ball dance on the sea shore in
Phnacia. which is the modern Corfu me
shore was yellow. and the bright blue sea. like
a sheet of sapphire surrounded it. Nausicaa
was kings daughter and she played the game
with golden ball Those who played with her
her handmaids and attendants She was
tall girl, exceeding them all in height and
beauty and majesty. And her poses in the ball
dance were like those of Diana herself. as she
treads the heights Of Taygetus, hunting the
bOars and swift-fOoted stays
THE PANCRATIUM
If we pass now from the games Of girls to
the festival of the olympic games. where men
COntended for the prize of victory we shall
find that even here the favorite pastime OF the
musical game" insinuated itself and that the
athletes performed one most popular exercise
of this character which was in very great favor
with all the spectators. This was the Pancrati-
um. as IL was called. which was mixture of
boxing and wrestling. every blow being de-