Evening star., 1934-12-23

Is like finding unliberated gases bubbing at the
bottom Of a much heavier drink. The old
games Of Christmas were all conceived WIN the
idea of men making fools Of themselves, but TINS
alone involves rather solemn preliminary
problem about whether they are fools already.
But the idea was that of the Saturnalia, or
dignity becoming undgnified. and that Is exactly
the difference between Saturnalia and Satan
ISM Solid and solemn city men, let us say
we're required to take part in the game OF honey
pots which involves sitting on the floor hunched
up in q squatting attitude at the risk OF being
rolled over, as If the fairies had indeed turneo
them into pots of honey instead OF leaving
them with the dismal distinction OF having
pots Of money.
ZONE great millionaire, equipped with the
- brain of steel and the will of iron which are
part of the apparatus Of his profession, might
none the less be required to play one of the old
nursery games He might be condemned to play
ing puss in the corner, instead Of playing pluto
crat in the corner, in whatever wheat corner
or milk corner he might be at the moment pene-
fting mankind The very rich uncle, commonly
empowered to fling his handkerchief IKE
sultan, would have the handkerchief tled rouno
his head in the game OF bllnomahs oun'
and would fall over chairs and barge into big
and hard pieces of furniture and experience
every such joyful activity to the good OF his
soul and the great and increasing pleasure OF
his poor relations.
The whole idea of these old childish games
was to make anybody look childish. and the
results were not only great fun but often really
funny. But if you had the antiquarian curiosity
to ask why there was this tradition OF people
being childish you would trace it back to q
tremendous, mysterious and even paraooNcai
doctrine that on this strange night even Goo
became a child
If we look at the games now generally sub
Tor nf
find the exact contrary We shall find that the
basis is entirely trivial, but that the tower OF
solemnty erected on that trif1e Is as enormous as
the Tower of Babel I would not make any
antithesis between golf and God, lest some OF
the most serious Scotsmen should be tempted 10
Genv their Creator But if may take the game
of golf as typical think it is fairly illuminate
ing type.
THE actual aim and origin Of golf Is to
put a very small pellet in very smal
pocket. There is nothing large or elemental
or imaginative about the materials OF the
thing; it is not throwing great rock into q
great abyss 1t possesses about the correctltuoe
of putting a pill back into a pill box. ana
rather less than the excitement OF blowing
pea out of a pea shooter.
That, + mean is what it is in itself. But
when we come to consider what has been mace
of it. we are faced with an array of awful and
which make me shudder even as touch upon
the topic. I see rising before me the grave
faces of three gray-haired Scots, as have
been on the links at North Berwick, and
know despite their expression that they cannot
be discussing Calvin or the shorter catecnism
or the metaphysics of Mr.. Macnobbin, that
bold young Presbyterian minister who has
studied Kant in Berlin, because if they were
discussing these things they would occasionally
smile As they never smile at all, know
they are talking about golf
Something of this may be put down to the
native solemnity Of Scotland but it is q grave
slander and error to suppose that people In
Scotland have no sense of humor Moreover.
It is quite as bad in England and imagine
everywhere else Nobody of course, would
dare to make game of golf, but nobody even
dares to treat it game. Nobody can be
sportive about such sport; nobody Il need
hardly say) would venture to be amused by
such an amusement. Nobody really enjoys 1t
as people enjoy a game, but above all nobody
forgets it as people forget game.
Did you ever hear gray-headed merchants
arguing for hours about what they ought to
have done in their capacity of honey pots
on Christmas day? Did you ever hear
wealthy uncle who had been blinded for blind
mans buff telling the other uncles that he
ought to have turned to the right. instead Of
the left and run after his nephew Jack instead
of his niece Joan? Did you ever behold q
ard-headed business man becoming q bore
before your very eyes. while he explained tnat
in playing hunt the slipper he once nearly got
the slipper and that it was not really fair
that he lost it?
NET there is no more real Intellectual i'm
! portance about putting ball in hole
than about capturing q slipper from crowd
of children. The natural destiny of game is