Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-21
FAST DAY PLEASURES,
Are Much Changed From What Tho,
Were Years Ago.
Horseback Riding Only Sport the Boys
Still Retain.

| Another Fast Day has come around
and it will, without question, be OBJ
served as have all those which have
preceded it for number of years.
There may have been time, years ago,
when the day was observed ac-
cording to the ideas which caused
it to be originated. Be that as
it may. the fact is very well established
that such is far from being the case
,, today. Indeed Fast Day now appears
| to be designed wholly for the purpose
of inaugurating the early spring sport
| ing season, and but little else, for it is
| upon this day that the sports of the
early part of the year. begin, as base
ball, track ami field and, as has been
| the case for several years past. the
| aquatic sports. canoeing and rowing.
But after all has been said and done.
( it is pretty hard to convince us work.
| a-day and rest and sport loving people.
| that the Fast Day of the present is in
any respect SO enjoyable as were those
| of our boyhoOd. Somehow, to us, the
! present day boy doesn't appear to get so
| much real joy out Of this. and for that
matter it is true of the other holidays.
as did we.
Now, it would seem as if the boys
aped the manners of the grown ups to
much greater extent and thereby let
the opportunities, which were so readily
and surely grasped by the boys Of
score or more years ago, pass by I'M
improved.
Many of the games, which were
popular in those days have completely
dlsappea red. except, perhaps. in a few
Way-back country villages and settle
ments. There was Duff" for one In
the days when the writer was young
gutter" as small boys were called in
that part of Maine where he lived, no
self-respecting crowd OF boys ever
thought of playing this exciting game
earlier than Fast Day, but after that
it was in season until snow came in the
fall, although after the spring term of
school closed and the swimming season
opened it was not played so steadily as
during the earlier months. Yet Duff
was the great big spring game in thos.
days and the season never opened ear
lier than Fast Day.
Horse back riding is the only one of
the sports of those days which has
really survived and is today a part of
y
Today, just as a score and two score
years ago. every small boy who can
secure the use of horse for riding pur-
poses will be out upon the back of a
prancing steed(D feeling as large as it
is possible for a small boy to feel.
TomOrrow-well, the least said about
that the better. Suffice it to say that
arnica and liniments will be duly APP
&oI Gel
1t won't matter a bit, more than it did
in the years which have gone, what
kind of horse the boy can get so long
as it has four legs upon which it can
get around. Any old plug will satisfy
the youthful ambition.
But today the boys. like their elders
go in more for baseball and kindred
sports. some even taking to golf.
though down here in Maine this is
rather rare. In those old days baseball
hadn't become the national game to the
extent it is today. To be sure. town
ball." and the old English FOUNDERS"
were played, but the boys didn't wait
for Fast Day to start enjoying them.
SO soon as the snow was off the ground
in the school house yards and other
play fields they began playing these
and scrub.
Marbles and top spinning were usual
ly INDUCED in prior to Fast day. but
the real season didn't begin until that
day. Now. but very few boys play
marbles and none understand the mys-
teries of peg top" Probably they en-
joy themselves just as well as did we
boys of the other days, but it scarcely
seems possible.