The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-05-23
"a ME @ 4 % Rem
sBaviVALs,AS a RuLE8 ANCIENT
RITES AND CUSTOMS.
Les Con IssitlEe Possesses an Es-.
cce1in=ls SINISTER si$nidcnnce- :,nd
,..ao - &C rcl:'' Originated In the ott'.
.:yrh OF the II7nosas:r's i--,o,- il,

..ao-..ccrcl.. Grs-t=S1scd In the OK.
.Eyrh OF the 1IInos.s:r's s--so,-i=s.',,
II Is !. fact that English boys ;,n,!
-s,.:s II t..ar plays and pastiE2es :l:e
tie. =l:..consGious Keepers Of the archaic
src:.;x-es CT our forbears. Children are
instructive conservatives. They play
the cid games and repeat the o.:
rhymes century after century with 1T.
tie if any vari;, tion.
blind mans buff" for example. Il
survival OF the rites peculiar to Tie
worship of Odin. the sieltleSs deity. IS
! played today exactly as it w:ls played
2.GUO years ago
So. TOO is tag" which was original
Is Il fragment of 4 sacred pantomilne
or miracle play, portraylnS the Old Ola
story of Diana and her nymphS.
| In London bridge is broken down
we are treated to the entire ritual OF the
/ foundation sacrifice, that, Widespread
4! hideous custom which decreed that Il
! living child must be sacrificed to the
god of the structure ere it could be eN-
pected to stand firm.
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 clusped SO as to form an arch.
beneath which the other little players
race as if in dread
..Build it up with bricks and mortar,
is the reply.
..Ericls and mortar will mold away
"Build it up with penny loaves, with
gold and silver, set Il man to watch all
day, set a dog to bark all night and
the rest of it.
Then. lastly, the hands are unclasped,
the "arch'' falls, catching one of the
players, preferably a little girl, in its
mock descent, after Which all the chill
dren shout in unison: ''Hurrah. Hur-
rah. Now twill last for aye and q day.
with Il fair LADY,
| An allied game is called threading
the needle" A chain of children pass
under an arch formed by the upllfted
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
| dre1l cry in unison While racing under
the arch: coats, oats, oats. May the
good God prosper YOU
Here we get 4 relic of the immOla-
| ton of the meriah or sacred sacri-
fetal victim, to the corn god Of the an
clients, a custom once everywhere prev
alent, and continued until quite lately
at Benin city, in India, and elsewhere.
.sHopscotch' is an old game. It's germ
was almost certainly the labyrinth and
the we'll nigh universal myth of the
AIinotaur. Afterward, on the introduce
ton of Christianity, the labyrinth was
| abandoned, to be replaced by the
ground plan Of the basillca the earliest
| Christian church.
The players divided it in seven parts,
as they believed heaven to be divided,
! and placed para disc 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 court being invaria-
| bly, paradise or its equivalent.
! Well worship, one of the earliest and
most widespread of religious cults, is
| synboliZed in many games, notably
in the one where the children sing:
Draw pain of water
For ladN's daughter.
| The Seesaw movement of the players
at the beginning of this ancient and
| still popular game is intended to repre-
| sent the raising of the water from the
| we'll Next is announced the arrival of
the devctee. my 1ady's daughter,
| collecting flowers for decking the well
| (shrinel. making Il cake for prcSenta-
| ton to the god Cor Goddess) of the We'll.
offerings of jewelry, and so on 1t can
be by no mere chance that . game
played by rustic village children today
1upIicat ties step by step each detail of
the ritual of the primitive we'll wor-
| Slippers
| 1t is the same With almost all the
| genuine old chldren'S games Every
| whore can be raced degenerate, fraS-
| mentarS survivals of the social life.
ceremonies and religious practices OF
our early ancestors.
Here we go round the mulberry
! BUSH" for instance is q survival OF
| tree worship. Cat cradle played prac-
| tically by all savage and civilized peo-
| pleS the world over, has its hidden
| significance Of horrid rites. 1t is a COM
monplacc, the important part played in
| lack magic by string. cords and knots
| But it is the SO called matrimonial
/ games that throw the most lurid light
| on the social manners and customs OF
! ou1. prehistoric savage forcfathers.
| Here we come gathering nuts in
| Nav symbolizes that earliest form of
sexual union marriage by capture. 1u
| N,;. nlavofI to this very lay