Volume Ii Part 14 (1/2)
The game of croquet is derived from the same source as hockey. The old French word ”hoquet,” meaning a ”crooked stick” has very much the same meaning as the word ”croquet.” Both are excellent outdoor sports that guests at a house party will find enjoyable and interesting.
One hostess we know, who is a billiard enthusiast, has six tables in her ”billiard room,” as she calls it, where she entertains several guests almost every afternoon. On the wall is a large picture showing two stately old gentlemen playing a game of billiards, and beneath it in bold hand-lettering, the following bit of verse from Cotton's book, ”The Compleat Gamester”:
Billiards from Spain at first derived its name, Both an ingenious and a cleanly game.
One gamester leads (the table green as gra.s.s) And each like warriors, strive to gain the Pa.s.s.
OUTDOOR GAMES
At garden parties, house parties, and lawn parties, there is always the need for interesting, amusing games that will afford entertainment for the guests. The hostess who knows the various games that are popular among the younger and older sets, will be able to spend many jolly, pleasant mornings and afternoons with her guests.
Not only for the hostess and her guest, but for every man or woman who loves games and sports, who enjoys being outdoors, there are sports that are as enjoyable as they are health-building. There can be nothing more delightful, on a Sat.u.r.day afternoon, than to go out on the links and enjoy a good game of golf. And there can be nothing more invigorating to the tired hostess than a brisk game of lawn tennis on a sunny afternoon.
To the splendid outdoor games of America, our young women owe their lithe, graceful bodies and their glowing good health; and our young men owe their well-knit forms and muscular strength. No appeal can be too strong in encouraging people to indulge more freely in outdoor sports--and especially people who spend a great deal of their time in businesses that confine them to offices.
LAWN TENNIS
Tennis is always popular and always interesting.
Those who love the game will enjoy a bit of the history of its origin and of its development in recent years. It is not a new game. The exact date of its origin is not known, and perhaps never will be, but we do know that it was imported into England from France at a very early date.
Originally it was called ”palmplay” because the palm was used to cast the ball to the other side. And instead of the net, a mud-wall was used to separate the two sides.
The game of tennis flourished in the time of Joan of Arc, for we find her namesake, a certain Jean Margot, born in 1421, called the ”amazon of medieval tennis” by Paul Monckton in his book, ”Pastimes in Times Past.” He tells us also that she could play ball better than any man in France.
In the fifteenth century, tennis fell into disrepute because of the large amount of betting. But gradually, with the pa.s.sing of the years and the development of the tennis courts, it once more came into its own, and soon we find that it had become so popular and fas.h.i.+onable that it threatened to eclipse even cricket, England's most popular outdoor game. Then once again it lapses into neglect, not to return to the lawns and courts again until 1874. Since that year, Lawn Tennis has steadily risen to the ranks of the most favored social game in America and England. In the past few years changes and improvements have been made and as the game now stands it is truly the ”king of games”--as Major Wingfield described it more than two decades ago.
The hostess who invites friends to a tennis game should be sure that her courts are in good condition. It is her duty to supply the net, b.a.l.l.s and racquets, although some enthusiasts prefer using their own racquets.
Whether or not the hostess joins in the games herself, depends entirely upon her personal preference, and upon convenience. Usually, however, she is expected to play at least one set.
GOLF
The fact that Pepys, in his well-known diary, tells us that he saw the Duke of York playing golf (known then as Paille-Maille) is sufficient evidence of the antiquity of the game. It is of Scotch origin, being played in the Lowlands as early as 1300. The very words ”caddie,”
”links” and ”tee” are Scotch. ”Caddie” is another word for cad, but the meaning of that word has changed considerably with the pa.s.sing of the centuries. ”Link” means ”a bend by the river bank,” but literally means a ”ridge of land.” ”Tee” means a ”mark on the ground.”
It seems that golfing has some strange charm from which there is no escaping once one has experienced it. To play golf and to learn its fascination, is to love it always and be unable to forsake it. James I and Prince Henry his son, were ardent golfers. Charles I was also a lover of golf, and it is related that the news of the Irish Rebellion in 1642 was brought to him while he was playing at the Links at Leith. Sir John Foulis, Earl John of Montrose, Duncan Forbes and the Duke of Hamilton are other notables of history, known to have been addicted to the game.
In 1754 a Golf Club was founded in England, pledging themselves to compete each year for a silver cup. In 1863 another Royal Golf Club was founded of which the Prince of Wales was elected Captain. The minutes and records of this club reveal many interesting, and ofttimes amusing, customs that presaged the very customs practiced by golf-lovers to-day.
One reason why golf is so popular is that it is a sport in which old and young can join on an equal footing. In this manner it is unlike hockey or other similar games, where strength and training are essential. But one must not have the impression that golf can be played once or twice, and then known and understood thoroughly. It is the kind of game that must be played enthusiastically and constantly; and gradually one becomes conscious of a fascination that can hardly be found in any other game or sport.
There is a distinct etiquette of the links that should be known by the hostess who plans a golfing party, and also by everyone who plays the game. Courtesy is one of the unwritten laws of the links. It is considered an unpardonable sin to speak or move when watching another player make a drive. It is also unpardonable to attempt to play through the game of persons who are ahead on the links.
SOME IMPORTANT RULES ABOUT GOLF
In teeing-off, one should be quite sure that one's immediate predecessors from the tee are at least two shots in advance. Otherwise there is danger of injuring other players; and there is also the confusion of driving b.a.l.l.s among those of near-by players. If, however, a ball is driven into the s.p.a.ce of greensward where another player is concentrating upon his ball an apology should be made.
Sometimes skillful and rapid players find their progress over the links r.e.t.a.r.ded by players who are slow and inaccurate. These slow players may be new at the game, or they may prefer to play slowly. At any rate, it is good form for the rapid players to request that they be permitted to play through ahead of the others; or it is still better for the slow players themselves, when they see that they are r.e.t.a.r.ding others, to volunteer stepping aside while the others play through. A courtesy of this kind requires cordial thanks.