The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-05-25
EARLY UMPIRES
WORE SILK HATS
Baseball Has Changed With Years
National Sport as Played Now
Has Been Remade to Bring
Excitement.

ball was once the recreation of gen.
tlemen of standing, such as golf is
/ today? And that our national game
originated ia England? ..'~ -;
! In 1.-THE, BoSk of: Auterieaa: Pas
t.times,%:published in;ls66'by Charles
A. Peverly, we'll known J sporting
man of that period, a copy of which
has just been found, is much of the
early history of baseball.
"The game" he wrote, "originated
in Great Britain and is familiarly
known there as the game of round
lers."
It was game for teams Of five OF
more players, played with ball and
bats, or sticks something of the form
tof a policeman's truncheon."'
Instead of,a home, plate there was
a hole, about six inches deep and a
foot in diameter. Four other "sta-
tions" or bases were marked with
Epegs. 'E.-
There was a. pitcher, or feeder" J."
who served up the balls to the bats
man, who, when he hit the ball, leg
ged il for the first station, and as
many more as he could reach in
safety. ...
Meanwhile the opposing side tried
to put him out, either by hitting him
while he was running or by ground
ing' the ball, which consisted in get
ting it into the. hole. :. -.
The batter. could decline to strike
at any pitched ball, but should the
ball get into the hole or should he
miss twice, he was out. A circuit of
the stations counted one, and when
all players were out the other side
had its innings.
'The feeder is generally the best
player on his side, much depending
on his skill and art" said a British
account" The scouts should seldom
aim at the runners from distance,
but throw the ball up to the feeder
or to some one near, who will try to
hit or to ground, as seems the most
advisable. A caught ball also puts
the striker out.
On this foundation America built
its game of baseball. Rohnders like
everything else inherited from the
British fathers, did not exactly suit
the Yankee taste. An Americanized
form developed among the early COL
onists and their sons and, about 1850
suddenly gained great impetus
through the formation of baseball
clubs, which adopted strict rules as
to the times Of exercise, the manner
Of picking sides and the like.
Probably among the first of these
groups-the first of whom record has
been kept at least-were. those which
later became united in. the. Olympic
Ball club Of Philadelphia in 1888.
The town ball "circle" was only 80
feet in circumference as compared
with the $50 foot circle later intro
duced in the standardized game. The
players made their own bats and
balls, kept them at a garden on Mar
ket street and after each game sip
ped lemonade which the proprietor
brought out to them.
Such was the public prejudice
against town ball that the players
were frequently chided by their
friends for indulging in such "child-
ish" activities and the prejudice so
persisted that it was many years be-
fore any considerable number of per-
sons loaned their enthusiasm to the
embryonic form of recreation which
was slowly molding itself into the
national game of America.
But Philadelphia must yield to
New York the honor of having estab-
l:shed the game on a firm footing.
- In 1s45 Knickerbocker Baseball
club was organized. They claimed
for themselves the authorship of
baseball, though their conception of
it was widely different from that of
today.
This organization was an "exclu-
sive club in which membership re-
quired something more than ability
to play the game. Though a team