Leading Articles in the Reviews. 



465 



SPORT AND HUMOUR. 



GAME-PLAYING IN CHURCH. 



Mr. G. R. S. Mead, the editor of The Quest, 

 contributes a notable article on "Ceremonial 

 Game-plaving and Dancing in Medieval 

 Churches." To modern minds, any mi.\ture of 

 realism and religion is undesirable, but our 

 forebears were very human and more imagina- 

 tive than the present sedate generation— hence 

 their adoption of many picturesque observances 

 which, unfortunately, are now things of the past. 

 One of the best known ecclesiastical games 's 

 that of Pelota, which is thus described : — 



The canon who bad been most recently received stood 

 readv, holding his ball [felotle) in front of his chest, in 

 the nave of-St. Stephen's, about one or two of the clock 

 in the af;ernocn. He then presented it formally to the 

 dean, or to the senior dignitary present, who put what 

 is termed the poke of his amice over his head in order 

 to manipulate the ball with greater ease. When the dean 

 had ceremoniouslv taken over the ball, he supported it, 

 as the canon had done, on his breast with his left arm. 

 And thereupon he immediately caught hold of one of 

 the cani.ns by the hand and began a dunce, which was 

 followed by the dancing of the other canons in a circle 

 or in amither mode. Then the sequence " Praises to the 

 Paschal Victim" was chanted, accompanied by the 

 ortjun, in order to make the singing more regular and 

 more in time with the dance-movement. The organ 

 was within hearing of the actors or executants, as they 

 played tlieir parts at a place in the nave where, prior 

 to i6go, was to be seen a kind of labyrinth, in the form 

 of several interlaced circles, as is still the case in the 

 cathedral of Sens. But the finest part of the proceedings 

 was the 'circulation" of the ball, that is to say the 

 passing of it from the leader of the company to the 

 several players, and repassing of it back by them to the 

 president, who was probably in the middle of the ring 

 clad in all his distinctive vestments and ornaments. 

 Mr. Mead also describes at length the ritual of 



" The Whipping of .Alleluia, Ihe Pcrcula of 



Naples," etc., and gives many references and 

 authorities which tend to show that these cases 

 were by no means isolated or due to peculiar or 

 local conditions. 



Many investigators hold that these ceremonies 

 were in a large measure survivals of old folk 

 customs and adaptations from pre-Christi.in 

 religions, but Mr. Mead thinks that these games 

 " should have their heredity traced to a tradi- 

 tion within the Church, and that, too, from early 

 times." The probabilities are strongly in 

 favour of the former theory, although altered to 

 meet the exigencies of primitive Christian ritual 



of the English shooting-man, should, by way of 

 repentance, read " The Debt of the Naturalist 

 to the Sportsman " in this month's Baily's 

 Magazine. The writer does not trouble to defend 

 the particular pains and penalties inflicted on 

 the lesser creature, but views the hunter as 

 the presiding genius to whom nature herself is 

 somewhat indebted. Thus fish, rats, and frogs 

 would have a poor time were it not for the 

 kindly interference of the sportsman ; and as for 

 birds, well, these simply couldn't exist without 

 the fostering care of the man with the gun. We 

 gi.ve the author's argument for what it is 

 worth : — 



There is no doubt that the occurrence of some rare 

 birds in the Midland counties is to be attributed to the 

 hold which foxhunting has on the country. 



Thercj are fewer gamekeepers and gardeners here than 

 elsewhere, the coverts are kept for the foxes, and in the 

 spring-time while the vixen is laying up her cubs the birds 

 are nesting in undisturbed quiet in the thick hedges and 

 trees of the fox covens. 



Then where fo.xes are other vermin, stoats, rats, and 

 weasels are kept in check, and these are terrible foes to 

 the nestlings. Altogether the fox is a most useful friend 

 to the naturalist. A really well-managed fox covert is 

 Ihe best of sanctuaries for wild life. 



The general conclusion we must come to is that sport 

 in general is one of the best allies the naturalist has, and 

 could we imagine an England without sport, we might 

 have a land as birdless and songless as Italy and parts 

 of France are to-day. 



THE SPORTSMAN AS 

 I'RESERVER. 



Thr sportsman has been terribly maligned, 

 and many who have repealed the " let's kill 

 something " anecdote, as representing the ideal 



THE ORIGIN OF BILLIARDS. 



In Windsor for October, Frederic .Adye de- 

 scribes the evolution and progress of the game 

 of billiards. He says, though probably not so 

 old as chess, billiards is certainly a game of 

 great antiquity. Its derivation is said to be 

 from hal and yard, a stick. It is in no way 

 akin to cricket, but certainly to croquet. An 

 old print of 1710 represents a game of billiards 

 with the ball being driven through arches stand- 

 ing on the bed of the table. Carr and Kent- 

 field appear to have been the earliest claimants 

 of ch.impionship honours. The first-named 

 (lourishid about 1825. Carr achieved his repu- 

 tation by means of the side twist. The magic 

 of this was attributed to the chalk that he used, 

 and he made quite a good thing by grinding up 

 some fine chalk and retailing i| in pill-boxes at 

 js. ftd. a-piece. Kent field lived until 1873, and 

 remained champion imbeaten till his star paled 

 before that of John Roberts, the elder. Kent- 

 fielrl made great use of the spot stroke. His 

 highest all-riitind break was iqh. The improve- 

 ment in .-im.itetir play is said to have been great. 

 Once there was hut one amateur in the entire 

 country credited with a 100 break. Now double 



