The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-13

to hit it he lost the marble he had
thrown
There were still other games, but the
Republican confesses that it may be
somewhat rusty on the various modes OF
play. We have a vivid memory, how
ever, of a swapping game in which you
placed a marble, an agate, or "baster
between the thumb and forefinger, and
snapped it along the ground to hit some
other marble, agate, or "blaster' There
were all kinds of boys and all kinds OF
thumbs. Some boys could get no more
snap out of their thumbs than they could
out of bale of hay; other boys had the
faculty of making their thumbs work IKE
a steel trap when the bait is nlbbed
The steel-trap thumb was a wonder, ana
it generally made its possessor a capitalist
in no time.
We wish to pay tribute to marbles as
one Of the 'dandiest" of juvenile games
1t is a pure game of skill calling for a
steady hand, good eye for distance, and
a cool head. If your boy is expert at
marbles you can fairly be proud qf MN
because of the qualities which he as
plays, but at the same time, it might
be well to investigate his case.
How about playing for keeps? That
is what we were coming to. There IS
it must be admitted, a shadow over the
great game of marbles The shadow has
always been there Marbles cost money
and when boy plays for keeps he gam
bles. Here is a moral issue that eacn
spring agitates the maternal and the
paternal breast. There are mothers
around town to-day who are asking OF
it is not very wrong to play for keeps
and really it is serous question WneH
one considers the very impressionaoe
quality of the juvenile mind. As the re-
ligious press does not bear heavily upon
this detail of home training, it may oe
we'll for a daily newspaper to express
its view of the subject Playing lol
keeps is wrong, and nothing will ever
make it right And Thomas Is pdu
boy when he does it.
In a former generation of marble play
ers, which we happen to know aooD"
there were always two groups OF ooy@
the boys who played for keeps anu l's
boys who played for fun. The boys WHY
PLAYED for fun followed the rule that ea,.
player. at the end of the game, sho.u
take back all the marbles with Wnl,u ~
entered it. The only playing for &C.,
those boys were guilty of ~as W.
acorns. which were to be had 10y '
bushel and possessed no money N'I''
OF course they were the good 10y
but in those days they were not unknown
and their existence was evidence OF '"-
fact that in a large number OF no."
there was moral atmosphere ""'
made inclpient gambling "a violation W.
moral law. In those homes the stal''
was held high and the boy. In Nlo.'.
II. knew that he was defyins phI
ideas Of right and wrong.
Has there been a change within me
generation IN this respect? II g. said o. u
nowadays the group Of good boy
largely disappeared from the marble
mess. and that playing for keep
become universal among boys il'..
sorts of homes. II that be true. i'
CUES % moral degeneracy amonf
..ru boys. 20 FAR 81 the gambllrs i
is concerned. We refuse 20 believe
ever. that the boys ~ to-day ,
u,orse bob thls respect than thrr
before them. ~ ls tle pfHr'ni''
have cotton up ihia story t1lt
for.fun boyr have sprffndefrl l
..at n.yer como. ia us hope. nI..
nlay-for-keenH bon con claim 800
81 altogether fhsr own