The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-02-12
GAMES OF CHILDREN
SURvlvALs, AS A RULE, OF ANCIENT
RITES AND CUSTOMS.

sHopscOtch" Originated In the Old
Myth OF the MInotnur's Labyrinth.
1t is a fact that English boys and
girls in their plays and pastimes are
the unconscious keepers of the archaic
archives of our forbears Children are
instructive conservatives. They play
the old games and repeat the old
rhymes century after century with lit
tie if any varia ton.
Blind mans buff for example, a
survival of the rites peculiar to the
worship of Odin. the sightless deity, is
played today exactly as it was played
1000 years ago.
So, too, is tag" which was original
ly fragment of a sacred pantomime
or miracle play, portraying the old, old
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
hideous custom which decreed that
living child must be sacrificed to the
god of the structure ere it could be eX-
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 cIasped 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.
Bricks and mortar Will mold away"
Build it up with penny loaves, with
gold and silver, set man to watch all
day, set 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 a day,
with fair lady"
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
dFen cry in unison while racing under
the arch: Goats, oats, OATS May the
good God prosper your
Here we get a 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, ana 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 Uai-e-5dl myth of the
Minotaur AfterTa-d Oh tho introduce
abandoned, to be replaced by the
ground plan Of Tie basilica, the earliest
Christian church
The play ers divided il in seven parts,
as they believed heaven to be divided.
and placed paradise in tie position Of
the altar. tie inner sauctum of their
earthly church The whole game came
then 10 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, 'parad.so' or IS equivalent.
Well worship. one of thu earliest and
most widespread OF religious cults. is
symbolized IA many games, notably
in the one who're the children sing:
"a. Draw d pei Of water
For ladys 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 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. 1t 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-
shippers.
1t is the same with almost all the
genuine old children's games. Every
where can be traced degenerate, frag
mentary surviyals of the social life,
ceremonies and religious practices of
our early ancestors.
Here we 90 round the mulberry
bush' for instance, is a survival of
tree worship "Cat cradle" played prac-
tfcaIly by all savage and civilized peO-
pies the world over, has its hidden
significance Of horrii rites. II IS q COM
monplace, the important part played in
black magic by string. cords and knots.
But it is the 50 called matrimonial
games that throw the most lurid light
on the social mauners and customs Of
our prehistoric savage forefathers.
Here we come gathering nuts in
May symbolizes that earliest form of
sexual union, marriage by capture. In
this game, as played to this very day
on many a British village green, there
enters absolutely no element of love or
courtshiD The object of each male