Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-01
GAME OF ANTIQUITY
POLO WAS PLAYED IN ASIA IN
THE TENTH CENTURY.
The Emperor Akbar Was Like a
Golf Maniac-In India and
England.

From the Rider and Driver.
Just when and where the first game of
polo played is not definitely known,
but 1t is well known that I'm the early part
Of the tenth century the game was played
in parts of Asia, principally I'm Persia. In
dia and Japan. In the latter country.
where it was undoubtedly played in the
sixth century. there is a tradition that the
game was known to the people 600 years
before Christ
Many old eastern writings make refer
ences to the game under the Persian name
of chaugan
Among the early patrons of the game
some of the more distinguished were
Harun- Alraschid, the Amir Masud of
Ghazni, the Emperor Akbar and the Shah
Abbas, the Persian monarch. The latter.
great patron of the game evidently found
1t great relief from mental labor to gall
lop about on a wild little pony and
deavor to hit the chaugan ball harder and
oftener than any of his courtiers.
The plains of Agra furnished a great
polo ground for the Emperor Akbar, where
three centuries ago he might have been
seen within quadrangle formed by how
dahed elephants and squadrons of horse
men playing chaugan with his cOurtierS
| on. the present site of Tai. The sticks
they played with were topped with gold
and silver, and when a stick broke the
pieces became the property of those who
picked them up. The emperor must have
been quite an enthusiast upon the game,
for it is recorded that frequently on dark
nights he went out upon the plain and play
ed for hours. using blazing wooden balls
that seethed and spluttered as they bound
ed over the ground.
Polo probably first played in Europe
by the Greeks in the twelfth century, for
a ByZantian historian tells us how the
Greek emperor, Comnenus took a crop
per- while playing chaugan match.
Polo I'm India.
In India chaugan was played for ages In
Munnipore and the valleys of Thibet be-
| fore it was taken up by the English. It
| is probably from this place that the game
derived the name of polo, for it is proba-
| bly, a corruption of pull, the Thibetan
| name for the game. In 1859 ]. F. Sherer,
a lieutenant in the English army, having
become interested in the game from seeing
| it played by the Munnipories organized a
| European polo club in Cachar, and by play
| ing exhibition matches soon started the
game among the young officers and mer-
chants of his acquaintance. 1t largely
through the efforts of Sherer that polo be-
| came popular in Calcutta, where in 1864
| he was rendered a great dinner in recog-
milton of his services. He has since been
| justly called 1.-The father of polo" Tho
game has since spread throughout all In
dia and is played from the Himalayas to
Ceylon, and the great tournaments held
yearly al Murat and Umbala. which ara
attended by large and appreciative thrOngs,
are strong evidences of its popularity. Nor
| is this popularity confined TO India alone,
for polo Is played today in almost every
civilized country in the world.
Introduced Into England.
The way in which the first game of polo
came to be played in England is as fol-
| lows: A number of young officers quarter
| ed al Aldershot were sitting in tent after
lunch when one of their number, who had
| been reading a newspaper, suddenly inter-
rupted them with: Listen to this. boys"
and then he read aloud an account of a
game of polo played by the Munnipories
THAT must be a great game said one;
let us try it. Suiting the action to the
word, he ran out and ordered the horses
| to be brought, while the others supplied
themselves with hockey sticks and a bill
Hard ball. With this crude outfit and upon
big horses was the first game of polo play
ed in England. 1t was soon evident that
the game could not be played successfully
upon tall horses, and ponies were brought
from Ireland for polo purposes Other reg
iments took up the game until tourna-
ments became quite common. Large clubs
were started at Lille Bridge and Hurting
ham, and the latter place is still the favor
lite resort for polo players in England.
Different Methods.
There various methods of playing,
but, with the exception of that in use by
the Japanese, they are all very similar in
tIeii eSScItidi ledluIeS anu, dltn9ugn Inc
rules and implements have somewhat
changed, the game is practically the same
as it was centuries ago.
In the japanese game each side IS given
a certain number of balls and the side
which first succeeds in throwing all of its
balls into a net bag at the end of the field
WINS. The PerSianS use malet and wood
en- ball, with stone goal posts let into the
ground at either end of the field. The
Greeks substituted stuffed leather ball
for the wooden one In Thbet a ball made
from a knot of willow wood is used, and
this is knocked through stone goal posts
with sticks, the handles of which are OF
almond and the heads of tough birch. The
MunniporieS, who are trained to the game
from childhood use cane handles in their
mallets, and the ajah of Munnipore, who
keeps trained team of players for his
own amusement, has q planta ton for the
express purpose of growing these cane
handles.
In England white cricket ball was first
used, then an India rubber ball, but after
numerous experiments a willow ball was
found to be the best. The goal posts are
made of papier- che. bound with wire,
and have a diameter of nearly foot at
the base
OF ponies a great many kinds are used;
Arabs, Barbs. Syrian, Indian, small thor
oughbreds and AngioArabs are probably
the best, owing to their superior intelli-
gence and sure-footedness, but for speed
and gameness there are none to be COM