Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-07-21
PITCH QUo|TS?
HARDING DOES
President Fond Of oId-F astaonedY
Game Of Horseshoes.
hope. FOR new POPULARITY
National Association Of Hor...as.
Pitchers Expect Revival o. the
Sport Because Of Presidents inter.
est-Exseutlvs May Indulge In
Pastime In White HOUSE Yard 70
Rseuperats From Strain Of Running
the Country. \

Pastims In White House Yard 10
Rseupsrats From Strain Of Running
the Country.
The reports having gone forth that
President Harding is very fond Of the
game of Quoits, or horseshoe pitching,
that he has Joined a national organi-
cation Of horseshoe pitchers, and that
he may pitch horseshoes In the White
House yard to recuperate from the
strain Of running the country, the
friends Of this fine old American game
hope that 1t may achieve new popu-s
larity. Il d
There is a tendency in this country
to follow the lead Of the President In
matters Of sport. Mr.. Roosevelt UNI
doubtedly did much to popularize the
study Of birds. and also he helped
probably by his example to swell the
army Of American hunters. u 81: Ss
Although the game is played In
England and Scotland 1t is Indigenous
to the United States and may be re-
garded as 100 per cent American.
Furthermore, It smacks strongly Of
that America Of yesterday, to the
spirit Of which we are trying to re-
turn-tl,e America OF peace, content
ment, nornalcy-an America supreme
" self-satistied in the belief that It
IL the greatest and most perfect ma
ton on earth. America dOzing In the
warn, sun OF prosperity untroubled by
Its relations with the rest of the
world. Il
A Sport Of Rural Districts. =
Horseshoe pitching had its origin In
a thousand little crossroal towns,
where, on summer evenings, well-fed
farmers gather under the tree in front
Of the blacksmith shop. For the most
part they sit and smoke and talk.
They are not restless meh. They
never play tennis or golf or anything
else strenuous, because they get plen-
ty Of exercise pitching hay and digging
potatoes. But now and again the splr-
1t Of play strikes them in a mild and
friendly form. Old horseshoes are
lying all about. Two pegs are driven
into the ground, and soon q game is
In progress. It is a good.natured,
easy-going game. Contested points
are decided finally BY an umpire
armed with straw. There Is no
hard feeling, no Precipitation, no ex.
element. It is the typical sport Of
swell-fed, easy-going. coinplacent folk.
One can imagine q man with ,rev0lu-
tionary thoughts In his head playing
"A fiery game Of tennis. but one cannot
imagine him playing quoits. tits not,
In fact. q game calculated to appeal
to any man who Is leading an excit-
ing life, whether It's excitements are
chiefly intellectual or chiefly physical.
Its pleasing but monotonous move
sments, and mild CRISIS are diverting
only by contrast with daily tasks even
more monotonouss II belongs In the
same school Of things with the DID
swimming hole, the country fair. the
church sOciable.
It traces Its ancestry even further
back to the days Of husking bees and
quilting frolics. II 10 associated with
the smell Of wet blatk earth and
growing corn, with the long stu cotln-
try evenings when frogs and crickets
sing, with simple tasks and peighbOr-
" feelings, with a fried chicken din
ner on Sunday and good soothing
sermon and q long nap n the ham.
mock on the front porch. i belongs
{ to the good old American school Of