A LITTLE BOYS' GAME WITH A BALL. 651 



Perhaps the first thing that boys in their games ever did with 

 a ball was to hit other boys with it. At any rate, their games in 

 my time have been made of such simple elements as the effort to — 



1. Hit somebody. 2. Hit a target. 3. Hit another ball, as in 

 marbles. 4. Catch the ball. 5. Bat the ball. 6. Run to a goal, 

 or out of reach of the ball, before being hit or " crossed out." 

 And, of course — 7. Prevent the enemy from accomplishing any 

 of these things. 



Ball-games are products, and pretty good illustrations, of the 

 process of evolution. Hence it is fitting to proceed in their dis- 

 cussion as Nature proceeds in evolution — from the simple to the 

 complex. We can beat Haeckel at this. He can not bridge the 

 gap between life and not-life, but we can go back of all ball-games 

 to a primordial ball-playing which is not a game at all. When a 

 number of boys engage in indiscriminately hitting one another, 

 they often enjoy the excitement, but they are not playing a game. 

 They begin to play a game when they introduce forfeits, or re- 

 wards, or both. 



The commonest forfeit is that of the right to play — that is, the 

 player who misses is u out " for the remainder of the game or inn- 

 ing. The moment this was introduced, what was called " sock- 

 ball " became a real game. There were no bases, no bats, no any- 

 thing except a lot of boys, and a ball with which they were trying 

 to hit one another. But if one threw and missed, or his ball was 

 caught, he was out. When all but one, or an agreed number, 

 were out, the game was ended, and a new one was started. Of 

 course, the last boy could not be put out, for there were no players 

 for him to throw at and miss. He won the game, and his reward 

 was the first throw on the new game. 



The game of "hole-ball," or " wibble-wobble," retained these 

 features, and added a hole in the ground large enough to nicely 

 hold the ball. The reward of the winner was not the first throw, 

 but the privilege of placing the ball in the hole and naming the 

 first thrower, who had the advantage of a throw before the play- 

 ers had time to scatter — for, of course, they all stood close by the 

 hole until the name was called, each thinking it might be his own. 

 It required considerable alertness to be ready to instantly do 

 either one of two things — seize and throw the ball, or run away. 

 Faculties were called into exercise which, if duly cultivated, help 

 to make success all through life. They are the faculties needed 

 by the general, who may at any moment be forced to fight or 

 forced to retreat. As the game proceeds, the players come back 

 to the hole every time one goes out on a miss or a catch, and the 

 one who is missed or catches the ball puts it in the hole and names 

 the next thrower, and so on until all but one are out. The hole 

 serves constantly as a base of operations, and the player who at 



