The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1905-04-14
BASEBALL'S EARLY DAYS
BEGAN IN NEW YORK AND WAS
FIRST PLAYED IN 1912.

A. G. SpaIding Recounts Its History
Developed From One OIL Cat-How
Professionalism Came In-The
{, Cloud of Gambling and the Reor-
sanlzaton by William A. Hubert.
In an address before the Young
Mems Christian association training
school at Springfield, Mass, recently,
A. G. Spalding, the foremost authority
on the subject in the country, spoke
upon "The Origin and Early History
of Baseball" His talk contained much
heretofore unpublished history, and
is reproduced in part as follows:
While there is more or less of a
family resemblance in all games of
ball, | consider baseball quite as much
American in it's origin, development
and evolution as cricket is of English
origin, both being recognized as the
national games of their respective
countries. Some authorities claim
that baseball came from the old Eng
fish juvenile game of Founders, but
am decidedly of the opinion that it
was natural evolution from the old
Colonial game of One Old Cat. One
Old Cat was played by three boys-a
thrower, a catcher, and batsman. The
latter, after striking the ball, ran to
goal about 80 feet distant, and by re-
turning to the batsmans position
without being put out, counted one
run or tally
New York City may properly be
called the home of baseball, for it was
first played in that city in 1912, but
in desultory sort of way, and with
out any organization or printed play
ing rules. In 1916 the first baseball
club was organized in New York City,
known as the Knickerbockers, and
this club formulated and published the
first rules of the game in that year.
Five years later the Gotham club of
New York was organized and in 1854
the Eagles and Empires of New York
came into the game, and matches be-
tween these clubs were played on the
Elysian Fields of Hoboken, N. j., and
attracted considerable public interest.
The Knickerbocker club continued to
make the rules of the game until 1857,
when convention of ball players was
held in New York City, which result
ed in the permanent organization, in
1858, of the National Association of
Baseball Players, consisting of %
charter club members, all from New
York City and immediate vicinity.
This original association made the
playing rules and governed the game
until the first National Association of
Professional Baseball Players was or
ganized, and since that time the pro-
fessional element has formulated the
playing rules and governed the game.
Baseball clubs continued to multi
ply quite rapidly from the organiza-
ton of the National Amateur Associa-
ton in 1858, to the breaking out of
the civil war in 1861, but the game up
to this time was confined almost en-
tirely to New York City and immed-
ate vicinity. The New York soldiers
introduced their new baseball game
into the army, and it soon became
favorite camp pastime in both arm.
les. While those two magnificent arm
les of the north and south could not
agree upon national policies Of gov.
eminent, both could agree on baseball
and at the close Of the war the sol
diers of both armies carried the game
to every town and hamlet in the
United States, and in 1866 baseball
became a Juror throughout the coun-
try. So it will be seen that baseball
has its patriotic side, and was one of
the direct results of the civil war, and
the game can date its birth as the ma
tional game of the United States from
that war
81 am indebted for my first acquaint-
ance with baseball to a disabled Illi-
nois soldier returning from the war
in 1863, when, as a lad of thirteen, |
listened to his account of the baseball
as played in the camp, and under this
old soldiers coaching | became
member of boys club in Rockford,
ILL.,, which l believe was one of the
first baseball clubs organized in the
west. From 1866 to 1870, baseball
clubs sprang up everywhere, and the
rivalry between cities became in
tense. The National club of Wash
ington was the first eastern club to
make an extended trip through the
west, in 1867, and met with only one
defeat, and that at the hands of the
Rockford club, of which l had the
honor to be the pitcher. The result
of this game was the indirect cause of
my afterward becoming professional
player.
every effort was made at this peri
cd to keep the game on an amateur
basis, but the rivalries between cities
became SO intense, and the demand of