The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-01-01
By HILDA RICHMOND

A visitor looked on with interest as
a group of little children played a
game with marbles on the back of an
old map probably thirty inches
square. 1t was map of a state,
mounted on heavy cardboard. Having
hung on the wall until old and faded
the center bulged out slightly, and
there were some other defects though
the surface was not broken. Each
child had six or eight common
marbles, "glassies" they called them,
and by laying the map face down on
the floor and fitting the corners dex-
terously they could make the flock of
sheep-the marbles-rush round the
edge, or huddle together in the mid
die at will Sometimes the whole flock
went into a stampede owing to some
child setting an elbow on the rim, ard
sometimes they tilted the broad sur
face in such erratic ways that the
sheep dashed back and forth and
round and round like mad. 1t was
great fun. even to the visitor, watch
ing the skill with which the older
children could keep the flock together
and moving.
The mother Of the children said that
she and her husband had always en-
couraged the little ones to invent their
own games. In summer they made
little dams in the brook that flowed
through the back yard, floating chips
for boats on the water as it rose, and
then with one grand gesture opening
the middle of the dam to let the ships
crowd to the waterfall. The first boat
to reach the opening won the race, OF
course.
"They like their own games better
than toys from the store, in many in
stances" said the mother. "Some Of
them are crude, but the fact that they
thought of them and with a little help
constructed the things they use to
play with brings them real delight"
"When | saw them racing down hill
on that old barn door for sled | was
afraid they would hurt themselves" J"
said the visitor, "but Jack understood
his steering gear and pulled hard on
the strap lines and landed his crew
safely at the foot Of the hill"
'"Their grandfather sent a new and
shining sled at Christmas" continued
the mother, "but they like the big
door better because they can all pile
on it. On Sunday, they pull little Dor
othy, seated on the fine new sled, To
Sunday School, but on week days, it
stands on the side porch most of the
time. They even persuade me to join
them on the barn door occasionally
and rush to the foot of the Mill. Some
how they seem to get more fun out OF
anything they think up or make them
selves"
Come to think of it," said the Wis
itor, "there are some children III our
neighborhoOd who get more enjoy
ment out of the remains of an old
auto when they visit their uncle than
they do out Of expensive toys. They
have little tricycles and wagons to
play with in town but when they can
go to the country and play with that
old wreck of a car and push or pull it
around they shrek with joy"
"Our children call their games
homemade games, and we encourage
them to think up new Ones" said the
hostess. "Just now they are working
on wonderful set of sand sifters
made out of old wire screen, a dis
carded colander and few other
1hings. They spill lot Of sand and
have great deal Of trouble arrang-
ing their sits as they call the
scrs ems, but hat fun they do have. -