Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-02

porting the games for the Times and other
papers l carefully studied the game ITSELF
and soon began submitting amendments to
the rules, generally in the form of sugges-
tons through the press. My first effort in
this direction was in the shape of new
method of scoring the game. ,s
After the organization of the first Ma
tOnal Association of Base Ball Players In
1853, 1 was invited by Mr.. Cauldwel to at
tend the meetings of the rules committee of
the association, and / was able. to make
suggestions in the way of sundry amend
ments, on account of my experience of the
game gained While reporting it.
"A little while later l became a delegate
to the conventions of the association. and
was given a place on the rules committee
l was elected its.ehairhian and from then
on until the association gave way to the
first National Association of Professional
Base Bali Players, IN. 1871, I had consid-
cradle to. do with framing the rules of the
association.
During this period I suggested the
scheme of forming state associations. This
l did in order that the national conventions
might not be too cumbersome to handle
eXpeditiously on account of too great
number of delegates. You See In the six
ties the number of clubs all over the coun-
try increased prodigiously. To have each
club send delegates to the national conven-
ton would have been detrimental to the
best Interests of the game: there would
nave been too many different opinions
ciashng. So / conceived the idea of state
associations which, instead of individual
clubs. were to send delegates to the con-
ventions of the national association The
scheme worked nicely, but even then the
delegates were numbered by the hundreds.
Why, when the national convention was
held in the old Chestnut Street Theater
In Philadelphia the house was filed with
the delegates from the different state asso-
Citations. That gives you an idea of the
rapid growth of the game
How He Received the Name.
"And do they call you the father of the
game for any additional reasonT'
We'll when the majority of the amateur
clubs throughout the country came to be
amateur in name only. and were paving
their players good round sums of money
In devious ways. I saw that something
would have to be done to save the game
from alsrepute So Mr.. N. E. Young and
myself virtually organized the National
Association of Professional Base Rail
Players in New York in March. 1871. Al
that time 1 was base ball editor of the New
YORK Clipper, on which paper worked for
thirty years, beginning in 1857 This first
association of professionals lasted for five
years, when another reform wave this time
to do away with rowdyism, resulted in the
pirth or the National League of Professional
Base BAH Clubs.
SO that is why you are called the IA
ther of the game?"
Well, l guess 1 have made suggestions
from time to time ever since 1871, and
sometimes my advice has been asked bv
various officials of the leagues and asso-
Citations, and l am glad if my services have
been of any benefit And now l guess
you've got the whole of why they say I'm
base balls father. But / want Won tn mn.
derstand that the game never had father.
All or any one else has done has been to
develop what was a field exercise long be-
fore we took serious note of IT.
The Origin of Base Ball.
And that brings US to the origin of the
game said
. And that" replied Mr. Chadwick. Wig
orously, with fire in his eyes, was the old
English game of FOUNDERS
L know that there are quite number
of persons who hold that base ball is not
evolved from this old English juvenile
pastime- My young friend, Mr. A. G.
Spalding, is one of those who declares that
base ball is of distinctly American origin
and he dates the birth of the game from
the organization of the original Knicker-
booker Base Ball Club of New York city.
September %, 1915, at which time 70
quote him. the first playing rules of the
game We're formulated and published bv
that club. In the same statement Mr.
Spalding also declares that base ball came
from the old colonial game of one-old- cat,
10 make an adequate reply to Mr. Spald-
ing 1t Is necessary to review briefly the
history of sports in America from the time
of it's discovery
"At that time the only game or hall
played on the continent was that of la
crosse, an Indian game pure and simple
Inc second ball game to be PLAYED on
American soil was cricket, the first match
game being played on a field located near
what Is now Fulton Market, New York.
In 11al This was the only ball game,
other than that of lacrosse known 10 COL
onial times. If the records are to be be-
Heved- and don't how we can we'll
afford to discard them. AT this time the
game of FOUNDERS had long been familiar
to English schoolboys, but not until the
early part of the nineteenth century do we
find 1t being played in this country in a
modified form, in New England and PhiIa-
delphia.
Old Clown Ball"
I'm both Of these localities this game
was called town ball. In FOUNDERS. as
originally played in England played 1t
there as a child in Devonshre-the field
was In the form of square, and In order
to put out the runner 1t was essential to
hit him with the ball while he was running
between bases. These were the two dis
tinctive features of town ball. as any one
who has played 1t, or seen 1t played, can
easily recall. The diamond-shaped field
was not known until it's introduction by the
old knickerbocker Base Ball Club. wears