The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-04-12

lege matches: not to mention the
women's out of door clubs for riding
and walking, now so fashionable: and
the participation of girls in golf. ten
mis-, and basket ball, all of which
were unknown pleasures to American
women even 20 years ago.
q, Some Old Baseball Rules.
AS to the improvements made in
baseball since the sos, they have
Simply transformed the game from
an outdoor exercise for fun and frolic
into a grand, manly sport requiring
the highest degree of physical and
mental ability to excel in 1t. By way
of illustration. I give below the code
of playing rules which were In use
in the sos:
First Rules Of Baseball
Section 1.-The bases shall be from
''home" to second base AZ PAGES: from
first to third base AZ PAGES equi-
distant.
Sec. 2--The - to consist Of FL
counts or aces. at the conclusion
an equal numb Of hands must be
played.
Sec. 3.-The ball must be pitched
and not thrown from the bat.
Sec. A ball knocked outside the
range of the first or third base is
foul.
Sec. 5.-Three balls being struck
at and missed. and the last one
caught, is a hand out; If not caught.
is considered fair, and the striker is
bound to run.
Sec. "a ball being struck or
tipped and caught either flying or on
the first bound is a hand out.
Sec. IA player, running the
bases, shall be out, If the ball Is in
the hands of an adversary on the
base. as the runner is touched by it
before he makes his base-it being
understood, however, that in no in
stance is a ball to be thrown at him.
See S.-A player running who
shall prevent an adversary from
catching or getting the ball before
making his base is a hand out.
Sec. 9.-If two hands are already
out. player running home at the
time a ball Is struck can not make
an ace If the striker is caught out,
Sec. 10-Thre hands out. all out.
Sec 11.-Players must take their
strike in regular turn.
Sec 12-No act or base can be
made on a foul strike.
. Sec IA runner can not be put
Tout in making one base. when balk
is made by the pitcher,
|. Sec. 14-Rut one base allowed when
sthe ball bounds out of the field when
struck.
! 1t will be seen that there are no
@rhdrges in the code as to the size of
the ball or bat. But there was one
important change made from the
game of FOUNDERS" or town ball,
in vogue in the '40s, and that was
the repeal of the old rule which put
out a base runner by throwing the
ball at him. Another change, too,
over the town ball" rule of the sos
was that of changing the form of
the field to diamond square instead
of he oblong of town ball"
Popularity OF Baseball.
The last important question is as
to whether the game is faster" now
than in the earlier period of It's pro-
fessional life'
I'nquestionably it Is. The reason
IL Is so Is because the opportunities
for strategic skill in playing the
game have been largely increased for
one thing: as also have the powers
of the attack in the game over those
of defense; the pitching having been
greatly improved over that of two
decades ago.
The term faster refers chiefly to in
creased facilities for scientific meth
DDS and not to the fact that less time
Is required to play game to finish.
IT'S Up to the Rule Makers.
That the game could be made
faster" than It is now, even. goes
without saying, If the rule makers
could be made to realize how incom-