The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-01-17
SPALDING GIVES
 BASEBALL HISTORY Tells of Origin and Develop ment of National GaTe SPALOING BEST AUTHORITY Tells Much Hitherto Unpublished His. tory of the Evolution From Old
 Colonial Game of One
 Tom Cat.
SPALOING BEST AUTHORITY

In an address before the Young Men Christian association training school at Springfield, Mass, recently, A. G. Spald- ing, the foremost authority on the sub ject in the country, spoke upon The l Origin and Early History of Baseball His talk contained much heretofore un- published history, and is reproduced in part as follows:
 While there is more or less of fam | fly resemblance in all games or ball. consider baseball quite as much Amer ican in it's origin, development and eVo- luton as cricket is of English origin both being recognized as the national games of their respective countries. Some authoritie claim that baseball came froIl the old English juvenile game of .rounders' put I am decidedly or the opinion that it was natural evolution from the old Colonial game of one old cat. One old cat was played by three 1 boys-a thrower, a catcher and batsman. The latter, after striking the ball. ran to a goal about 30 feet distant and, by returning to the batsman's position with out being put out, counted one run or tally
 New York Is Home.
 New York city may properly be called the ] 3me of baseball for 1t was first played in that city in 1S42, but in de- sultory sort of way, and without any organization or printed playing rules. In | lS45 the first baseball club was organ ized in New York city, known as the | knickerDockers and this club formu- | lated and published the first rules of the | game in that year. Five years later the 1 Gotham club of New York was organ | ized and in 1854 the Eagles and Empires ] of New York came into the game, and l matches between these clubs were play l ed on the Elysian Fields of Hoboken, l N. J., and attracted considerable public | interest. The Knickerbocker club con l tinued to make the rules of the game ] until 1857, when a convention of ball play | er5 was held in New York city, which 1 resulted in the permanent organization, | in 1S5S of the National Association or | Baseball Players, consisting of twenty | five charter members, all from New Iork city and immediate vicinity. This origin al association made the playing rules | and governed the game until 1871, when | first National Associational of Pro- | fessional Baseball Players was organized, and since that time the professional ele- ment has formulated the playing rules | and governed the game.
 Multiplied Rapidly.
 Baseball clubs continued to multiply | quite rapidly from the organization Of ] the National Amateur association In lS5S | to the breaking out of the civil war, In 1861, but the game up to this time was confined almost entirely to New fork city and immediate vicinity. The New York soldiers introduced their new base ball game into the army, and it soon l became favorte camp pastlme In both | armies While those two magnificent 1 armies of the north and south could not 1 agree upon national policies of govern 1 ment, both could agree on baseball, and | at the close of the war the soldiers or | both armies carried the game, to every town and hamlet in the United States ard in 1S65-66 baseball became a furor throughout the country. So it will be seen that baseball has it's patriotic side, and was one of the direct results of the civil war. and the game can date It's birth as the national game of the United States | from that war.
 q am indebted for my first acquaint- ance with baseball to a disabled Illinois soldier returning from the war In 1862 when, as a lad of 13, l listened to his account of baseball as played in the | D., l ing I became a member of a boys club in Rockford, Ill., which I believe was l one of the first baseball clubs organ | ize. in the west From 1865 to 1870 base ball clubs sprang up everywhere. and the rivalry between cities became in- tense The National club of Washington | was the first eastern club to make an e.-tended trip through the west, in 1s67 and met with only one defeat, and that +ka olrfa ard rtf nf which I had the honor to be the pitcher l The result of this game was the indirect 1 cause of my afterward becoming pro- l fessional player
 Amateur Basis.
 | Every effort was made at this period to keep the game an amateur basis, but the rivaries between cities became so intense and the demand of the public | for high class ball so urgent, that 1t was utterly impossible to keep the game on a strictly amateur plane. Yelled profess sionalism became the order of the day. | and while the amateur status was in- | sisted upon in the rules. young men pos | sessed of skill as ball players were of | fered lucrative positions in commercial houses, with the understanding that they l could play baseball all they wanted to-; l yet a large part of their salaries was pro- vided by the local club or some of its enthusiastic members. This so-called | amateurism or yelled professionalism was
 in general vogue throughout the country, ! and it became so intolerable to players and club officials that 1t finally resulted il the organization of the National As sociation of Professional Baseball Play CTS in 1871. From that date baseball playing has been recognized as regu- | lar profession. and the game has since been under the management and control O. regularly organized professional clubs banded together in associations and | leagues
 Advanced and Prospered.
 ''The game advanced and prospered at l first under the new regime, but in the | early seventies a dark cloud gradually made its appearance on the baseball hori- zon. caused by the demoralzing in- i fnenees that always follow extensive | gam bling on athletic events or sports of | any kind. Every large city had its base ball poolroom, and nearly every grounds l had it's betting pavilion. Thousands of | dollars were wagered on all important