Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 May 1878 — The “National Game.” [ARTICLE]

The “National Game.”

lor the next few months the American people will be frequently and forci bly reminded of the so-called “National game.” Until the middle or latter part of June Congress will receive a share of but after that there will be no reason why the public mind should not be wholly devoted to baseball. The forty or fifty young men who compose the “ league clubs” should feel highly flattered at this state of things, and it is to be hoped will feel a due sense of responsibility as National representatives. It is quite true that in some respects they fall very short of representing the National intelligence, but in the matter of pitching, batting, catching, fielding, etc., they are undoubtedly pre-eminent, and will probably be the bright, particular models whom the youth of the land will spend their summer vacation in trying to imitate. There will be some broken limbs, a large' number of disjointed fingers, and not a few fractured skulls, but these are insignificant compared with making progress in the National game. Base-ball, like other manias, is exclusive in its nature. Aspiring to be recognized as the National game it discourages all other

ball gamut as irregular and illegitimate. Occupying the whole field, it leaves no room for others. In former years there was a variety of these, and if they were not played with as much science or jockeying as base-ball is played with now, they st least furnished jolly good sport to the youth of the last generation. Elder readers will easily recall some of these. There was the simple game of "two old cat,” in which the ball passed back and forth Itctwcen two pitchers and two strikers, the pitchers being also catchers. There was not much room for fine fielding or jockeying in this game, and we never heard of any pool-selling in connection with it; bnt it was an honest, enjoyable old game for all that. “Three old cat” was the same game played on a triangle, the ball passing round and round, and all hands alternating at the bat, as they caught in or got caught out. Then there was “ bull pen,” in which there was no batting except on the body. The ball passed from hand to hand until it got hot, and then some fellow was " soaked” with it in a way he despised. “Runaround,” or.it was sometimes called, base-ball, was the nucleus of the present game of that name. There were no regular “ nines,” but sides had to be chosen. This, after the leaders were selected, was generally done by one of them tossing up a stick or ballclub, which the other caught, and then each one placed his doubled hand over that of the other, alternately, until the one who caught the end of the stick had first choice. If he could catch it by a very small end, but tight enough to throw it over his head, that was enough. The pitchers and catchers were selected by common consent or acclamation, and in that, as in other matters, universal suffrage did not always put the best men in office. Sometimes a lazy fellow who wanted to play, but did not like to run after balls, would set up a claim as pitcher, which would be recognized without much questioning. The playing was not very scientific, but it furnished good sport. The game could be learned without a teacher, there were no big salaries paid, no leagues, no admission fees, no poolselling, but it was a brave old game, notwithstanding. There were other games of hand-ball, not to speak of foot-ball and hookey, or more popularly “shinny.” These filled an important place in the sports of former years, but they are rooted out and displaced now by “ the National game,” with its complicated rules, its fearful and wonderful vocabulary, its high-salaried players, who make enough during the summer months to enjoy a whole winter of obscurity and idleness, its professional umpires, captains, managers, etc. All this goes to prove that times change, and that we are a progressive people. The youth of the last generation thought they enjoyed their simple games, but they didn’t. The right way for people to play ball is to hire a few muscular chaps to play for them, and then bet on the result.— lndianapolis Journal.