The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1904-02-12
GA MES or CHILDREN
tuRvivAle, A9 a. RULE, OF ANCIENT
RlSEs AND CUSTOMS.

RlSEs AND CUSTOMS.
sLondon BridEeo Posaesses m Ex-
ceedingly sinister SiEniAcance,a nd
ssHopscotchs Originated n the Old
Myth u the Minotasr's Labyrinth.
It ID fact that English boys and
girls In their plays and pastimes are
the unconscious keepers Of the archaic
archives of our fcrbears. Children are
instructive conservatives. They play
the old games and repeat the old
rhymes century after century with lit
tie II any svariat ton. d
Blind mans buff," for example,, q
survival Of the rites peculiar to the
worship Of Odin, the sightless deity. ii
played today exactly; as it was played
1000 years ago.
So, too is, tag" which was original
~ a fragment Of sacred pantolnime
or miracle play, poitraying the U.d. Old
story OF Diana and her nymphs. a.
In London bridge is broken down
we are treated to the entire ritual Of the
foundation sacrifice. that widespread
hideous custom which decreed that a
living. child must be sacrificed to the.
god of the structure ere it could be ex-.
pected to stand firm. 5.s5 s5.54 ,ss
First, it will be remembered. the chill
dren urge alternative measures. Lon
don bridge is broken DOWN. cry the
two leaders, standing with, uplifted
hands clasped SO as to form, an arch,
beneath which the other little players
race as if in dread. /; H. ., q
Build it up with bricks and mortar"
II the reply. 3,as III
Bricks and mortar will mold away"
Build it up with penny loaves. with
gold and silver, set man to watch all
day. set q Cog to bark all night" and
the rest of it. s4< =.
Then, lastly, the hands are unclasped,
the ''arch" falls, catching one. of the
players. preferably little girl, in it's
mock descent, after which all the chill
dren shout in unison: "Hurrah! Hur-
rah! Now twill last for aye and day..
with fair lady,. 4, #gA
An allied game is called threading.
the needle" A chain Of children pass
under an arch formed by the uplifted
joined hands of two other children, one
being eventually taken prisoner In the
usual way. Sussex children say this
'makes the wheat grow French chill.
dren cry in unison while racing under
the arch: Goats, oats, oats! May the
good God prosper your
Here we get relic of the immola-
ton of the meriah, or sacred sacri-
fetal victim, to the corn god Of the an
clients, custom once everywhere prev
alent, and continued until quite lately
at Benin city, in India, and elsewhere.
'Hopscotch" is an old game. Its germ
was almost certainly the labyrinth and
the well nigh universal myth Of the
Minotaur. Afterward, on the introduc-
ton Of Christianity, the labyrinth was
abandoned. to be replaced by the
ground plan Of the basilica, the earliest
Christian church. n.
The players divided 1t; In seven parts,
as they believed heaven to be divided,
and placed paradise In the position Of
the altar, the inner sanctum OF their
earthly church. The whole game came
then to represent the progress of the
soul from earth to heaven through va
rious intermediate states, the name
given to the last 'tcourt'' being inyaria-
bly, paradise" or it's equivalent. Is B. B. +.
Well worship, one of the earliest and
most widespread of religious cults, 10
symbolized in many games, notably
n the one where the children. sing
| Draw, pan Of water .::.;
| For, q lady's daughter. = &
| The seesaw movement Of the players
at the beginning Of this ancient and
still popular game sis intended to repre-
sent the raising Of the water from the
well. Next is announced the arrival Of
the devotee. my lady's daughter"
collecting flowers for decking the well
(shrine), making a cake for presenta:
ton to the god Tor goddess) of the well,
offerings Of jewelry, and so on. It can
be by no mere chance that a game
played by rustic village children today
duplicates step by step each detail Of
the ritual Of the primitive well wor-
shipers..
1t is the same with almost all the
genuine old children's games. Every
where can be traced degenerate, frag-