Milford chronicle., 1932-04-08
GLENDALE
Scenes OF Long AgO-NO. 16
Public Square, GeOrgetOWn-NO.

Public Square, GeOrgetOWn-NO. 3
The boys in the early days used to
make good use of the public square
as a playground. There was no i'm
provement at that time, and the boys
after the school hours were over
and after they had eaten their sup
pers assembled themselves in the
public square and from six o'clock
p. m. until 1880 p. m. engaged in
those innocent plays which were
known to the boys living in those
far away days
One of the principal plays was
called sally" and was entered into
with zeal by all those who took a
part. There were two roads passing
through the centre of the square,
one from north to south and the
other from east to west; one of these
roads was the dividing line when the
boys were engaged at play. Two of
the boys were selected to choose
sides which was done by the tossing
Of coin or using Il stick in the
overland method, which gave to the
fortunate one the first choice, and he
generally selected the swifest run
ner in the tOwn-the next best run
ner was selected by the boy repre-
senting the opposite side, and so on
until the crowd of boys had been
chosen and placed in position one
ON each side Of the road selected,
when the fun commenced. The boys
stood ready as the swifest runner
sailed forth i'm the front of the op-
pOsite side which then put their best
runner to catch him. If he succeeded
i'm touching him before he reached
home, then he was a prisoner and
was compelled to march back with
his captOr and he impOunded until
the end of the game. Thus the play
would go on until one side or the
other had succeeded in capturing all
the hOys composing one of the Op-
posing sides, when the play was de-
Cided ended.
The play generally took about an |
hour and half and was a wonder |
ful exercise for the boys.
AS the town clock struck the hour |
of eight p. m. every boy would Eus- |
tie for home as this was the hour
when they were expected home to
study their lessonG for next day and |
besides in those days the teachers of |
the public schools would be around |
town and if they caught boy after |
eight o'clock he had to come next |
day TO school with very good excuse |
or be kept in during several recess
es and if lie told an untruth then a
good sound whipping followed.
These were the days when teach
ers looked after their scholars when
they were out of school rs well as
when they were in school.
How would it do in these days for
a teacher to correct scholars for
acts committed when out of school? |
Perhaps. if they were allowed to do
so. we would have better class of
boys.
So the old square has seen some
bitter struggles among boys To see
who was the best in the many plays
which they engaged in.
Wrestling was often engaged in
and the losing party generally took
his defeat in the best of humOr, as
the fall on the sand in the square
did not hurt much.
The boys used To have big times
after large snow had fallen which
was common in those early days
They would assemble themselves On
the square and commence to roll up
immense balls of snow, of which
they would make snow men on builC
snow forts and then choose sides,
put one side inside of the fort, leaV-
ing the other outside to try to cap !
ture it. Many a boy left the scene of
conflict with sore heads and batter
ed limbs, but as they said it all went
with the play and no one ever dis
played any i'll feeling.
The public square was used by
boys in flying their kites They made
their own kites, used shingles split
out for the cross pieces and a news
paper pasted over them, and a tail
made out of pieces of newspapers
tied on a string. The boys i'm those
days were satisfied with what they
had and had more fun in flying those
cheaply arranged kites than the boys
Of these days do with kites costing
a great deal more money. Boys of
the early period learned TO depend
on themselves and a boy nine to ten
years of age could build rabbit and
bird traps and could set snaYes in s
he woods to catch rabbits or other
game. 1t required some art to set q
snare correctly and if the boy was |
not careful and held on TO the bent /
lVer saplinS tight with one hand,
while he set the snare with the {
other hand, he might get blow un-
Ter the chin from the sapling which \
you'd rake him see many stars. a
More SoCn !
Depression
When will this country of ours see
he end of the depression now exist )
ng?
The newspapers IN large head '
ines predicts that the end is near l.
~, but the circumstances now exist G
ng don't seem to correspond with o
heir predictions. The country dis a
riots are feeling the depression v
1Ore than ever. The farmers with c
most of their crops on hand raised q
asst year, say that there is no sale
T. any price, and also they have