Norwich bulletin., 1914-07-17
PLAYING BALL
 IN ANCIENT AMERICA.
Old Indian Tribes of South America
 Had Similar Games.

'Pla-a-a-a-y Baw-aw-aw-l, !" is not as new an expression of popular fmpadence to have some one start something as some people may think Neither is playing ball for a living strictly modern invention. In fact thousands of years ago. way down in Yucatan. impatient crowds sat around in ball parks, yelled themselves hoarse, beat one another in the back. and threw their feather head gear into the arena in the enthusiasm of the mo- ment. just as we are doing today. Also there doubtless were Ty Cobbs whose skill in batting and fielding" was such that they could afford to hold up the management occasionally for a few more hundred jaguar skins a year by threats to quit professional ball and go to farming.
 Of course the game was not exact ly base ball. But the point Is that it was ball game, that there were reg ular ball parks-Or courts-and that there were professionals who played the game for what there was 'in it'' to them. Mayhap the medium of ex- change took the form of jaguar skins, pounds of cacao, fancy feathers. or what not, but it was money all the same. and they could buy with it at the club, or in the market place as the case might be: They had their pecu- liar systems of slang, too at least in some parts of the Americas, which, translated into English means about as much to us as ours would to them; all of which is brought out by Mir Frank lin Adams in his story 'Indigenous Games in Latin America in the July number of the Monthly. Bulletin of the Pan American Union, Washington. D. C. That the ball game is an ancient institution in the Americas may be gathered from the following:
 The ball game is indigenous to the Americas ParhanS IA Siv s,, habitants found true sport in catching the cocoanuts tossed from the tall palms-certain it is that several thous- and years ago the ball game had reach ed a high state of development in the 70 cities scattered throughout Yuca- tan. On clearing away the matted forests enveloping these marvellous ruins ball courts were disclosed near the most sacred temples, and from the elaborate hieroglyphics and picto- graphs ornamenting the walls, much was learned of the complicated char acter of the sport Centuries after the passing of the ancient Mayans came the first Spanish explorers who found that younger race in contiguous ter ritory, the Aztecs, had revived the old pastime into a national game, with stone God of Sport" beaming on every court.
 The peculiarity of these early games was that the ball, when in play WAS HOL LnTOWn W1Il the hand but struck by the hip. around which the player wore a protecting pad of leatn- CT. At each end of the court was a great stone disk with a hole in the center. and through this orifice the ball was driven before a point was scored. Very naturally a lively ball was used, since rubber trees dominated the forests.
 "Old chroniclers marvel at the skill and endurance of the players. for a game was seldom won under four hours of constant play. Such exhaust in almost constant action, were not for amateurs but professionals. Thus, from the Aztec word olh, signifying "ball'', came the word mollonqui, "one | who plays ball for a living"
 Another form of ball game is played | by the Indian tribes of the Cuduiary River region in the wilds of Brazil. A carefully, leveled field lies in front of | the malokas, or large communal houses, and daily, at o'clock, the men return ing from the days fishing or hunting, 1 indulge in the Sport-nOt a complicated game like that of the early Mexicans, l but one calling for a high degree of skill. as two balls are used by the players. who drive them with the hands toward their opponents Yellow tail feathers of the Yapoo bird are affixed to the rubber balls for accuracy
 The Araucanian Indians of Southern Chile play an ancient game with wood en balls driven by wooden clubs In a | clearing. 300 by T5 yards. hlclosed by 1 cut branches Of trees, these Indians play chueca, which greatly resembles la crosse or field hockey The game ] is played from childhood and the play CTS acquire great skill and the matches l draw large crowds. The game calls l for great endurance and while gener- ally played in or hour periods, l several days have been known to pass
 hafnra a dacision Ta& reached Dur