Lawn hockey is an excellent game and is really the old game of "shinney" or "shinty" played scientifically and with definite rules.

LAWN SKITTLES

From a stout pole which is firmly fixed in the ground a heavy ball is suspended by means of a rope fastened to the top of the pole. Two flat pieces of stone or concrete are placed on opposite sides of the pole.

The game is played with nine-pins, which are set up on one stone, the player standing on the other and endeavouring by hurling the ball to strike down a maximum number of pins. Usually he has three chances and the number of pins knocked down const.i.tutes his score.

LAWN TENNIS (SEE CHAPTER ON TENNIS)

A game of ball played on a level piece of ground, called a court, by two, three, or four persons. When two play the game is called "singles," and when four play it is called "doubles." The game is played with a rubber ball, and rackets made by stringing gut on a wooden frame. The dimensions of a tennis court are 36 by 78 feet. In addition to this, s.p.a.ce must be allowed for the players to run back, and it is customary to lay out a court at least 50 by 100 feet to give plenty of playing s.p.a.ce. The court is divided into various lines, either by means of lime applied with a brush or by tapes. Midway between the two rear lines and in the centre of the court a net is stretched, supported by posts.

In playing one of the players has the serve--that is, he attempts to strike the ball so that it will go over the net and into a specified s.p.a.ce on the opposite side of the net. His opponent then attempts to return the serve--that is, to strike the ball either on the fly or the first bound and knock it back over the net somewhere within the playing s.p.a.ce as determined by the lines. In this way the ball is volleyed or knocked back and forth until one of the players fails either to return it over the net or into the required s.p.a.ce. To fail in this counts his opponents a point. Four points const.i.tute a game except where both sides have obtained three points, in which case one side to win must secure two points in succession.

The score is not counted as 1, 2, 3, and 4, but 15, 30, 40, game. When both sides are at 40 it is called "deuce." At this point a lead of two is necessary to win. The side winning one of the two points at this stage is said to have the "advantage," or, as it is expressed, "vantage in" or "vantage out," depending upon whether it is the side of the server or his opponents, the server's score always being called first.

A set of tennis consists of enough games to permit one side to win six, or if both are at five games won, to win two games over their opponents.

LAST TAG

There are a great many games of "tag" that are familiar to boys and girls. One of the common games is "last tag," which simply means that a boy tags another and makes him "it" before leaving the party on his way home. It is the common boys' method of saying "good-bye" when leaving school for home. The princ.i.p.al rule of last tag is that there is "no tagging back." The boy who is "it" must not attempt to tag the one who tagged him, but must run after some one else. It is a point of honour with a boy not to be left with "last tag" against him, but he must try to run some one else down, when he is then immune and can watch the game in safety, or can leave for home with no blot on his escutcheon.

LUGE-ING

A form of coasting very much practised in Switzerland at the winter resorts where the sled used is similar to our American child's sled with open framework instead of a toboggan or the more modern flexible flyer which is generally used by boys in America.

MARATHON RACE

A long distance race, held in connection with the Olympic Games and named from a famous event in Greek history. The accepted Marathon distance is 26 miles, 385 yards. The race was won at the Olympic Games held in England in 1908 by John Hayes, an American, in 2 hours 44 minutes 20 2-5 seconds.

OLYMPIC GAMES

The Olympic Games are open to the athletes of the world. The following events are contested for:

60-metre run 100-metre run 200-metre run 400-metre run 800-metre run 1500-metre run 110-metre hurdles 200-metre hurdles 400-metre hurdles 3200-metre steeplechase 2500-metre steeplechase 4000-metre steeplechase Running long jump Running high jump Running triple jump Standing broad jump Standing high jump Standing triple jump Pole vault Shot put Discus throwing Throwing 16-pound hammer Throwing 56-pound weight Marathon race Weight lifting, one hand Weight lifting, two hands Dumb-bell compet.i.tion Tug-of-war Team race Team race 3 miles Five-mile run Throwing stone Throwing javelin Throwing javelin held in middle Penthathlon 1500-metre walk 3500-metre walk 10-mile walk Throwing discus Greek style

MARBLES

There is a large variety of games with marbles and the expressions used are universal. Boys usually have one shooter made from agate which they call a "real." To change the position of the shooter is called "roundings," and to object to this or to any other play is expressed by the word "fen." The common game of marbles is to make a rectangular ring and to shoot from a line and endeavour to knock the marbles or "mibs" of one's opponents out of the square. A similar game is to place all the mibs in a line in an oval and to roll the shooter from a distance. The one coming nearest to the oval has "first shot"

and continues to shoot as long as he drives out a marble and "sticks"

in the oval himself. Reals are often supposed to have superior sticking qualities. Playing marbles "for keeps" is really gambling and should be discouraged. The knuckle dabster is a small piece of cloth or leather that boys use to rest the hand on when in the act of shooting. The best kind of a "dabster" is made from a mole's skin.

NAMES OF MARBLES

The common marbles used by boys everywhere are called mibs, fivers, commies, migs, megs, alleys, and dubs. A very large marble is a b.u.mbo and a very small one a peawee. Gla.s.s marbles are called crystals and those made of agate are called reals. The choicest real is supposed to be green and is called a "mossic" or "moss real."

MUMBLETY PEG

This game is played with a penknife. A piece of turf is usually the best place to play. Various positions for throwing the knife are tried by each player, following a regular order of procedure, until he misses, when the knife is surrendered to the next in turn. When he receives the knife each player tries the feat at which he failed before. The last player to accomplish all the feats has the pleasure of "pulling the peg," The peg consists of a wedge-shaped piece of wood the length of the knife blade which is driven into the ground by the back of the knife and must be pulled by the teeth of the unfortunate one who was last to complete the necessary feats. The winner has the honour of driving the peg, usually three blows with his eyes open and three with them closed. If he succeeds in driving it out of sight the feat is considered especially creditable and the loser is greeted with the cry, "Root! Root!" which means that he must remove the sod and earth with his teeth before he can get a grip on the peg top. There are about twenty-four feats or "figures" to be gone through in a game of mumblety peg, throwing the knife from various positions both right and left handed. In each feat the successful result is measured by having the knife stick into the ground at such an angle so that there is room for two fingers to be inserted under the end of the handle without disturbing the knife.

ONE OLD CAT

This is a modified game of baseball that may be played by three or four. Generally there is only one base to run to, and besides the batter, pitcher, and catcher the rest of the players are fielders. Any one catching a fly ball puts the batter out and takes his turn at bat, or in another modification of the game, when one is put out each player advances a step nearer to batsman's position, the pitcher going in to bat, the catcher becoming pitcher, first fielder becoming catcher, and so on, the batsman becoming "last fielder."

Pa.s.s IT

This game may be played on a lawn. Four clothes baskets are required as well as a variety of objects of various sizes and kinds, such as spools of thread, pillows, books, matches, b.a.l.l.s, pencils, umbrellas, pins, and so on. Two captains are chosen and each selects a team, which stands in line facing each other. Two of the baskets are filled with the various articles and these two baskets are placed at the right hand of the two captains. The empty baskets are on the opposite ends of the line. At a signal the captains select an object and pa.s.s it to the next in line. He in turn pa.s.ses it to his left and finally it is dropped into the empty basket. If the object should be dropped in transit it must go back to the captain and be pa.s.sed down the line again. Two umpires are desirable, who can report the progress of the game to their own side as well as keep an eye on their opponents.

PELOTA

A game similar to racquets, sometimes called "Jai-a-li," that is much played in Spain and in Mexico. The game is played with a narrow scoop-like wicker basket or racket which is fastened to the wrist. The players catch the ball in this device and hurl it with terrific force against the wall of the court. Pelota is a hard, fast game, and sometimes serious injuries result from playing it.

PLUG IN THE RING

This is the universal game that boys play with tops. A ring six feet in diameter is described on the ground and each player puts a top called a "bait" in the centre. The baits are usually tops of little value. The "plugger," however, is the top used to shoot with and as a rule is the boy's choicest one. As soon as the players can wind their tops they stand with their toes on the line and endeavour to strike one of the baits in such a way as to knock it out of the circle and still leave their own tops within the circle and spinning. If they miss, the top must be left spinning until it "dies." If it fails to roll out of the ring, the owner must place another bait top in the ring, but if it leaves the circle he may continue shooting. It is possible to play tops for "keeps," but, like marbles for "keeps," it should be discouraged, as it is gambling.

POLO OR EQUESTRIAN POLO

A game played on horseback, which originated in Eastern countries and was first played by the English in India. It has been introduced both into England and America. Polo is a rich man's game and requires a great deal of skill in horsemanship as well as nerve. A polo team consists of four men, each of whom must have a stable of several horses. These horses, or "polo ponies," are trained carefully, and a well-trained pony is as essential to good playing as a skilful rider.

The game is played with a mallet, the head of which is usually ash, dogwood, or persimmon, and has a handle about 50 inches long. The ball is either willow or ba.s.swood. The principle of the game is similar to nearly all of the outdoor games played with a ball: that of driving it into the opponents' goal, meanwhile preventing them from making a score on one's own goal.

POTATO RACE

In this game as many rows of potatoes are laid as there are players.

They should be placed about five feet apart. The race consists in picking up all of the potatoes, one at a time, and carrying them to the starting point, making a separate trip for each potato. At the end of the line there should be a basket or b.u.t.ter tub to drop them into.

The game is sometimes made more difficult by forcing the contestants to carry the potatoes on a teaspoon.

PRISONER'S BASE

Two captains select sides. They then mark out on the ground two bases, or homes. They also mark out two "prisons" near each home base. Then each side stands in its own home and a player runs out and advances toward the enemy's home. One of the enemy will then run out and endeavour to tag him before he can run back to his own base, and one of his side will try to tag the enemy, the rule being that each in turn must have left his home after his opponent. If a player is tagged, he becomes a prisoner of the other side and is put into the prison. The successful tagger may then return to Ids home without danger of being tagged. A prisoner may be rescued at any time if one of his side can elude the opponents and tag him free from prison. The game ends when all of one side are made prisoners.

PUSH BALL