Evening star., 1940-02-25

long since Deen IOfgOtten he WdS just
1 somebody who was standing around in
the Knickerbocker Alleys in New York City
on the day. just hundred years ago. when
the first officially scored bowling match on
record in the United States was going on. But
he was a bowling enthusiast, and he an
nounced loudly to all and sundry. "You mark
my words, this is just the beginning. This
sport is going to grow"
He was dead right, and also dead wrong.
When he said, This is just the beginning. "
Ike was talking through his hat The beginning
of bowling goes all the way back to the days
when our prehistoric ancestors rolled rocks
around for pastime But on the subject OF
growth, the bearded man understated the
truth. suspect that he would have guftawed
unbelievingly if somebody had told him that
by the year 1910 some twelve million people
in this country would be bowling - more
people than play golf - and that two thou
sand or more would be engaged in bowling
tournament - the worlds biggest annual
sports event.
The tournament - the fortieth annual
tournament of the American Bowling Con-
gress "Opens in Detroit on March z. And
before it ends, on April %. more people will
have taken part in it than have ever con-
tested in any session of the Olympic Games
Clerks and bricklayers, bakers and bankers,
bookkeepers and lawyers, these men are not
the aristocracy of American sport; they are
its democracy. And they have one thing in
common: keen delight in rolling ball
down an alley and watching the tenpins fly.
is, as suggested above, a variation OF an
old, old urge. Through the ages men have
played at skittles, Dutch rubbers, cloish, log
gat, skayles. boceie and many another game
that involved rolling spherical object at
something else. Almost every country has had
its particular form of the game.
In England, in 1866, Edward III got wor
ried because his people were spending 50
much time bowling. He was afraid they would
neglect their archery practice. and thus would
not be useful to him as soldiers. So he had
Parliament take steps to curb the game.
Under Henry VIII stronger steps were
taken, and an act passed making it breach
of law for anybody "for his or her gain,
lucre. or living, to keep have, hold, occupy,
exercise, or maintain any common house,
alley, or place of bowling
But those who could afford private facili-
ties went right on bowling. Sir Francis Drake
was so engrossed in game behind the Pelican
Inn at Plymouth Hoe on July 10, 1888. that
when Captain Thomas Fleming brought
word that the Spanish Armada had been
sighted, Sir Francis refused to let it interrupt
the game There is time to finish the game,
and beat the Spaniards afterward." he said.
j HIS English game was what we know now
as lawn bowling. or bowling on the green"
There was nothing to knock over - just
little ball called the jack at which to aim,
the idea being to get your ball nearer the jack
than the other fellow could. The game is still
played in this country, and there are about
eighty organized lawn-bowling clubs; but
compared to the mighty army playing the
modern American game, the lawn bowiers
are just corporals guard. Psychologists say
it is a great outlet for the emotions to knock
the Gathering pins down. Maybe that's why.
1t was the Dutch game of ninepins that
was the direct ancestor of our game. They
brought it when they came to Manhattan
in 1923. In fact, one of the little parks in
downtown New York is still called Bowling
Green. And seven towns in the United States
have the same name.
Even the Dutch game was only remotely
similar to modem American bowling. They