The sun., 1917-09-30

This chapter appears IN the pub
Hahcr's prospectus Of a forthcoming
'eork. "Thc Fdd as il Kcy TO The Soci-
analytic Interpretation OF socim Ms
tory" BIZ !. Eihcibcr, yones. 4. r..
Wdntob.) ID. Sc. J.. II. ~. tPmblishcd
by Costcr. CoTfon f C9. Fort Smith.
arkansas: Northern Hem isphcrc, W.:
A. d. 2417)
CHAPTER XVIII.
SIGNIFICANCE or THE RISE AND FALL Of
PING PONG. WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
A TYPICAL and instructive e.:
~ ample of the pscudo-pcrcv:'i
but actually somewhat mc.-
torious fad or craze Of post-mediavol
times, bcancd cold almost overnight by
tire morbid dread OF the appear. nee of
effeminacy which was major sym.-
tom Of the crowd hypochondr!asis Of
Anglo Saxon society i'm the period
which closed with tie Great War. IL
afforded 10y the brief annals Of ping
pong.
This pastime reigned and waned
within the last year o. the nineteenth
and the first Of the twentieth century.
Especially nifty does the scientist find
II as a subject for study In view of the
fact that Ping Pong, fully recon-
structed from historical research. Is
again at the present time in high favor
with persons Of all ages.
an incontrovertib,e cinch that the
practice Of ping pong. so frequently
mentioned in old newspaper files and
other archives. was a game instead Of
n Shinto prayer rite borrowed from
some fashionable cult Of Oriental mys-
tics. Like all other active games of
that time Of imaginary invalids. with:
but one exception. 1t was a thin;y dis
guised mode Of taking physical ex-
ercise.
(The exception. Poker, seems rather
In symbolism to have expressed the
speculative side Of tho North Ameri-
can kale-grabbing tendency; Poker
was performed in freezing weather
and consisted. as the Rev. Arthur
Arlington ("Lost Ritual Games" PIP.
246-2511 tas shown, in the hurting of
small disks. their colors borrowed from
the national emblem, at a pot placed
at the centre Of a table. Many shark
experts at Poker preferred to play
from the top Of stony declivity. or
bluff)
For taking the ping pong exercise
also q table was required. In the
lower castles 1t was commonly the
~l..A
except breakfast. were served In tie
higher castles this meal appears uni
formly to have been taken before ris-
ing, in the hay.
Prof. Zollingcoofers original theory
that ping pong was Sractised during
the meal and that the object was to
bunt the ball about among the dishes
without sending 1t into any of them
end the primary purpose was immedi-
ate aid to digestion. is now quite def
nitely canned as bunk. We know that
the dishes were first removed by a
servant (known as the beanslinger)
or by members Of the family. after
which q net was placed and ping pong
!ndulged in.
But in circles where the cost Of ap-
raratue was no object and where the
domicile afforded room. as in the fash
ionable clubs and some saloons. spe-
cial table was provided. Specimens of
this table are preserved in the British
Museum. They measure little less
either way than three metres by LES
and are of light and portable con-
struction. over such tables the play
reached its highest development.
HistOrtr s;nn~ Revived.
It remained for Ralph Waldo Per-
kins (2176-2262) to work on. from the
researches of the historian Simkowicz
the exact technic OF the pastire. Per-
kins, by special license, obtained q
table from the Museum and had il
conveyed to his home In Mayfair ii
midnight. This precaution was
prompted In part by Difference Il
the popular prejudice against scientif1c
vandalism in tamper.ng with the
relics. partly by some studies of old
archives had lcd him to suppose must
inhere i'm the game.
In the dead of night. attended by u
physician who had been sworn to Sc