Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-03

The cloud of obscurlty that hangs over
the origin of golf is murky and yellow.
Little rays of sunshine CLEAN through
occasionally. Clean No. 1 seems to have
come through around the 800 b. C.'s. Plu-
tarch sandwiched a description of a game
like golf between some of his Odes to
Spring.
II was walking one day in the outskirts
of Athens with my little woolly dog, !"
says Plutarch, when suddenly 1 fell
through a hole in the pavement. Not
hurt 1 looked around and found myself
In an old vault. In one corner l found
the tomb of Thucydides, once a war cor
respondent of the Athens Evening Gazette
and later a famous general. / stumbled
around in the jewelry and other junk
with which the vault was Uttered and
finally came on piece of parchment.
took 1t to the light, sat down on an old
gas stove and examined it. 1t was a
letter written by Thucydides while he was
a general to his cousin. Elpinice, about
4O4 b, C. 1 here set down the original
Greek text of the letter, as I do not
think the language will change with the
passing years. 1t said:
M'cousin Elpinice - Mebbe things
wasn't some slow on this here island for.
a couple weeks But they amt no more.
Yesterday me and some of the gem
erals was sittin' around a suitcase
shootin' a frame of penochle when we
hears great howdy-do outside 1t gets
SO loud we finally goes to the tent flap
and gets look. Me men was yippin' and
battin' things around like they was
plumb nutty They was all in little
punches, yellIn' and hghtin and calm
names.
Here, here. what's it all about?'
says, walkin' over. Then they quits
fghtin and tries to tell me-
- tC1na hu n 90
dishpan, wraps 1t in a woolen sack,
throws it on tho ground, and hands me a
old duh scimitar.
What's the idear7' says, getting
peevlsh.
He points out buncha puddin' pans
spread out in the distance
See them pans,'" he says, well the
idear is to whallop the ball into that one
over there and then this one till you put
1t In 'em all. yer honor. The fewer shots
the better Have a shot.
$50 I whallops her one. She goes into
the pan right off an all the boys begins
to whoop.
"'They amt nothin' to it, I says.
III play you so leptas a hole,' says
a duke standin' near.
You're on I says, and, throwin' Off
me toga, l bitches up me jumpers and
goes him. They was 21 pans. 1 seen the
duke had been praeticln'. cause he was
winnin' all me coin. Comm TO the last
pan. seen had an easy shot to win.
An even thou on this hole. yells.
He takes the bet.
"All the boys was hollerln' and crowdin'
around.
II, seen all me money comm back with
me last shot and takes a careful solIint |
from the sock to the pan. Then / digs me |
toes In the sand and shoots. Ding-bust II.
L jumps in the pan an rolls out. Right |
away some guy gimme the haw-haw I |
5raos a battle ak and trims this guy even |
Z didn't trim the duke. But you oughta |
.ry the game Elpie, It's great So long. |
An et ly. THUCYDIDES"
when l finished reading" continues
Il earelessly rolled the manu- |
icript into torch and lighted a cigar
'tte with 1t. But thinking 1t over. per
iaps there may be something in the game
lfter all.
They say wad OF thundershowers have
'roken over a-many OF the local links
ateiy' anyhow, little sunny. ripping
mirrors or casual water are to be seen on
III nands these days, and the question OF
whether they should be treated as friends
Y enemies Is continually coming up. Bur
asual water bears the same relation 10 a |
of links that measles do 10 a chiId-it a
matter of course, (This is a pun. IL anv
riend should climb over the fence ana
SKI
This Is what the statute tables have to
ay IN the matter: Casual Water Is any
emporary accumulation Of water no mat
eF how caused, provided Il Is not one ar
he regular hazards OF the course n tbe
asual " Is IN a hazard, the ban Is
ropped no nearer the hole for loss OF |.
troke; II cas-. ". Is In fairway, drop ban |
fthout penalty two club lengths from