The young folk's cyclopædia of games and sports ;

Preface To The Second Edition

The Young Folks' CvcLOPiEDiA of Games and Sports is a compendium of recreations of all kinds, including indoor and outdoor giames and plays, athletic and rural sports and pastimes, chemical and mechanical experiments and amusements, and every similar thing that can interest a wide-awake boy or girl. Like the other volumes in the Young Folks' Series, it is in cyclopaedic style, a novelty in a work of this kind, rendering its articles easy of reference, and combining other advantages never before united in a similar volume. Intended primarily for the family, for the use of children and youth of all ages, it will be of equal value to the adult, as it includes the official rules, given word for word, of athletic sports and standard games, and the official records of athletic meets and events, thus making it a work of reference for the settlement of disputed questions relating to such matters. To insure accuracy, such articles as require it have been revised by competent experts.

Among the features of the work are a brief historical sketch of each game or sporty the description of foreign varieties of each, a full illustration of the text by accurate plans and diagrams, and a system of etymology, as in the other volumes of the series, giving the derivation of names and technical terms. While the " padding" characteristic of too many such works has been rigorously excluded, the endeavor has been to make the explanations full enough for simplicity and clearness. Unlike many other works on sports and games published in this country, which are merely reprints of English books, this cyclopaedia has been written for American use from the American standpoint, even such a game as Cricket being treated as it is played in the United States.

While the illustration is very full, no picture has been inserted for its own sake, or otherwise than as an aid to the understanding of the text or the elucidation of different periods of games and sports.

!v PREFACE.

A large number of works on sports and kindred subjects, in many languages, have been consulted and freely used in the preparation of this book, which is believed to be more comprehensive in its scope than any other similar publication. The editors are indebted to Messrs. A. G. Spalding & Bros, for permission to print the football rules of the University Athletic Club, and the official rules of other athletic sports.

In the present edition the description and rules of all such sports as baseball, football and tennis have been brought carefully down to date, the articles on cycling and golf have been greatly enlarged in view of the increased popularity of both, and other changes have been made to increase the value of the book.

New York, January lo, 1899.

THE

YOUNG FOLKS' CYCLOPAEDIA

GAMES AND SPORTS.

^^Words printed in LETTERS LIKE THESE are explained in their alphabetical places.

^"•The references C. C. T. and C. P. P., are to the " Young Folks' Cyclopaedia of Common Things," and the "Young Folks' Cyclopaedia of Persons and Places," companion volumes to this, which explain a great deal not coming within the plan of this book.

A— B— C. A game played by any number of persons with a pack of CARDS, on each of which are a letter of the alphabet and a picture. The pack is placed face upward on the table, and each player in order names an object in the picture on the top card which begins with the letter on that card. Any one who cannot do so in less that one minute is out. No

■Hiii

Agon Board ready for Playing.

ADJECTIVES. A game played by any number of persons. One writes a letter, leaving blank spaces for the adjectives, and then asks the other players, in order, to furnish the missing words without knowing what has been written. The letter is then read aloud. The game may be varied by leaving blanks for other words than adjectives, but in that case each one must name an object which has already been named. When all the players but one are out, that one takes the card, and the other cards one by one are treated in like manner, beginning in each case with the player who took the previous card. He who takes most cards is the winner.

ACTING CRAMBO. See Crambo.

ljMM§|||^|lii!lili

Position of Men at End of Game.

of player must be told what part speech he is expected to supply. AGON, or the QUEEN'S GUARDS.

A game played by two persons on a six-sided board like that represented in the pictures. Each player has seven pieces, a Queen, which is slightly higherthan the others, and her six Guards. Each places his Queen on the corner space in front of him.

AIR-PUMP

AIR-PUMP and the guards are then arranged alternately on the outermost row as shown in the first illustration. The object of the game is to get a Queen into the center with herGuards ranged on the six spaces around her, as shown in the second figure, and the player whofirst gets his pieces in thisposition wins. The players move alternately after the first move has been decided. Any piece may be moved one space forward or sideways, but never backward. If any Guard gets between two hostile pieces so that the three form a straight line on adjacent spaces, such Guard must be taken up for the next move, and placed somewhere on the outermost row. If the Queen gets in a similar situation she must likewise be taken up, but she may be placed anywhere on the board.

In playing, it is well to try to arrange the pieces so that several of the enemy's Guards can be taken up in succession, rather than to throw back one piece alone, for in the latter case that piece is often able to secure a good position. As no piece can be moved backward he who has a man in the rear has an advantage. It is a good plan to keep one man back and hurry the others forward, keeping them together as close as possible.

RULES OF THE GAME.

1. None but the Queens must occupy the center space.

2. Of two or more pieces liable to be thrown back at one time, the Queen, if she be one, must be taken up first, and the others may be taken in any order the player chooses, the removal of each piece counting as a move.

3. If a piece be touched preparatory to moving, it must be moved or the move be lost.

4. If the six Guards are placed in the circle surrounding the center space, leaving the Queen outside, the player of them forfeits the game.

AIR-PUMP, Experiments with an. The common air-pump is described in C. C. T. A simpler one may be made with a large glass jar or bottle, closed with a rubber stopper having a hole through it. Into the hole put a short piece of glass tubing, over the end of which fit a piece of rubber tubing, about an inch and a half long (See Fig. i). Exhaust the lungs, apply the mouth to the tube and suck.

Pinch the rubber tube tightly to prevent air entering the bottle, and after exhausting the lungs again, repeat the process. If the air is to Fig- I- be i^ept exhausted for some time, a pinch-cock (see Chemical Experiments) should be fastened to the rubber tube. In this way about three-quarters of the air can be removed from the jar.

EXPERIMENTS.

1. Put into the jar a small vaseline or other wide-mouthed bottle, with a piece of thin rubber cloth tied over the top. On exhausting the air, the cloth will bulge up like a balloon (See Fig. 2). This is caused by the air trying to get out of the bottle, owing to the lightening of the pressure above it.

2. Instead of exhausting the air, condense it, by forcing the breath into the bottle, pinching the rubber tube between breaths, as before.

The rubber cloth on the small bottle will bulge inward (see Fig. 3), owing to the increased pressure above it.

3. Replace the short glass tube with a longer one, c, having a jet b (see Chemical Experiments) on the end inside the jar. Exhaust the air as before, and then keeping the rubber tube pinched, hold the I jar upside down, and put the end of

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

AIR-PUMP

ALCOHOL

Fig. 4.

the rubber tube into a glass of water d. On releasing the tube the water will spirt up through the jet into the bottle, making a little fountain (See Fig. 4).

This is because the pressure of the air on the surface of the water in the bowl forces it up into the jar, where the pressure is less.

4. Turn the glass tube so that the jet will be outside, seeing that the tube nearly reaches the bottom of the jar. Pour jfir in water enough to cover an inch or two of the end. Put the rubber tube over the jet, and condense the air in the jar, as in Experiment 2, Quickly pull off the rubber tube, and a fountain Hke that in Experiment 3 will play from the jet (See F'ig. 5).

5. In the vaseline bottle used in Experiments I and 2, or a similar one, fit a stopper and jet like those used on the large jar in Experiment 4. Partly fill it with water, place it inside the jar, exhaust the air, ancl a fountain will play from the jet. (See Fig. 6).

6. In the vaseline bottle put a bent tube reaching nearly to the bottom

on the inside and about as far down on the outside. Put enough water into both bottle and jar to cover well the ends of the tube. Exhaust the air. All the water will be forced out of the bottle. Let in the air again.

More water will run in Fig. 6. from the jar than was in the bottle to begin with.

Steam vacuum. A partial vacuum may be produced also by means of steam. If a little water be boiled in a flask, the steam will drive out all the air, and if the flask be then corked and cooled by placing it in water the steam will condense to water, leaving nothing in its place but a little cool water-vapor. The cork must be put in carefully, and the flask withdrawn from the heat at the same time, otherwise the steam might force the cork out again. By connecting the cork by means of rubber tubing with another bottle or jar, the air in the latter may be greatly rarefied and many of the above experiments tried. If a toy rubber balloon, with no air in it, be fastened to the under side of a glass tube passing through the cork, so that it will be inside of the flask when it is corked, the balloon will swell up and fill the flask as soon as the flask is cooled ; the outside air rushing in to fill the vacuum made by condensing the steam.

ALCOHOL, Experiments with. (Read Chemical Experiments). Alcohol is described in C. C. T. To make it, mix about a quarter of a glass of molasses with a glass and a half of water, add a little yeast, and set the liquid in a warm place for two or three days. During this time it will ferment and bubbles of gas will rise from it, which may be collected if the liquid is in a corked flask with a delivery tube leading to the bottom of a jar. The gas is CARBONIC ACID, as may be shown by shaking it with lime-water. The liquid now has alcohol in it, which must be separated from it by DIS- TILLING. Instead of condensing the vapor at once, however, it is first led into a bottle which is kept at a little below the boiling point of water, by being heated over a water bath. Most of the steam condenses in this bottle, but the alcohol, which will not condense at so high a temperature, goes on to the next bottle, which is kept in ice-cold water. Test the liquid thus obtained by trying to light some of it on a glass rod. If it will

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

ALL FOOLS' DAY not burn, it is not strong enough, and must be distilled over again. Not more than a quarter of the liquid must be boiled away, for by that time most of the alcohol is gone from it.

EXPERIMENTS.

1. Try to dissolve different substances in alcohol. It will be found that oily or gummy substances, which will not dissolve at all in water, will do so in alcohol.

2. Mix equal quantities of alcohol and water together, after measuring each in a graduated tube. The liquid will shrink in mixing so that the mixture will not measure as much as the sum of the two quantities.

3. Drop alcohol on the still surface of a basin of water. There will be a little dimple, or pit, where it strikes, because the heavier and stronger fluid on the surface around it pulls it away.

4. Put a teaspoonful of raw white of ^^^ in a glass, and pour on it about a tablespoonful of alcohol. It will be cooked, as if by heat.

5. Fill a glass with alcohol and into it drop a very little of any aniline dye in the form of powder. These dyes may be obtained of a druggist. The dye will descend into the fluid in a colored thread which will branch out into two or more, and these in turn will divide, so as to resemble the growth of a plant. If the alcohol be contained in a tank with parallel glass sides (see Prism), the phenomenon may be thrown on to a screen with the HELIOSTAT, and as the lens reverses the object the colored threads will appear to grow upward, thus increasing the resemblance to a tree.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND. A game played by any number of persons, with 52 cards bearing pictures of characters in the story of that name. The cards are divided into three sets : 16 picture-cards with a star in the corner, numbered from i to 16 ; the same picture-cards without the star, numbered in like manner ; and 20 cards without pictures, numbered from i to 20. In each set the cards rank according to their numbers, but a star card is higher than any other, and a plain picturecard is higher than a plain numbered card. At the beginning of the game, each player is given seven cards. The eldest hand leads. If he lead a picture card, the next must play its mate (from the other picture-set), if possible ; otherwise a card from the same set. If a plain numbered card be led, the next player must play another of that set. If he have no card of the set led, he may play what he chooses. Each in turn plays in like manner, but if a picture card has been played it must be followed by its mate if possible, even if the lead was a plain card. If more than one picture card has been played, the first must be mated first, if possible. When each has played one card, he who played the highest card takes the trick and leads for the next one. When the hands have been played, each scores 10 points for each pair among the cards he has taken, 20 for Alice and 20 for the Pool of Tears, if he have them ; and he who has taken most cards scores 10. The player with the greatest number of points wins the game.

ALL FOOLS' DAY. April Fool candy can be made by dipping balls of cotton in melted chocolate, so that they will look like chocolate-creams, or by covering a lead pencil, cut in half, with frosting so that it will look like white candy.

April Fool cake can be made by covering a tin pan, turned upside down, with frosting, and an April Fool custard by lining a glass closely with white or yellow paper and covering it with tissue paper on which there is a little white of t.gg beaten to a froth. An April Fool pie is made of ordinary pie-crust either with nothing but air within it, or stuffed with sawdust. Coarse yellow soap cut into pieces makes very good

ALL FOOLS' DAY

April Fool cheese. These deceptions served once or twice during a meal will be almost certain to catch some one. An April Fool whistle can be made as shown in the illustration, and filled with flour, which will fly into the face of any one who tries to blow it. A B (Fig. i) is a tin tube, stopped by two pieces of cork. One at the end has holes in it and a glass tube through it, as shown in Fig. 2. The other figures explain themselves.

The oldest April Fool trick was to send some one on a fruitless errand.

generally for some absurd or impossible thing, such as a " stick with only one end," a " crooked straight edge," etc. This trick was generally practiced on some young apprentice, and he was sent in search of the object from one place to another till he was tired. Sometimes he was sent to a shoemaker for some " strap oil." which was generally understood to mean a thrashing with a strap.

History. The origin of the custom of deceiving people on the first of April is unknown, though many have tried to explain it. Some say

Fig- 3.

April Fool Whistle.

Fig. 4.

that the sending boys on silly errands is to commemorate the sending out by Noah of the dove, when it found nothing to rest on. Others connect it with the Hindoo feast on March 31, called Huli, which is celebrated in a similar way. The custom seems to have been taken to England and Germany from France, where an April fool is called Poisson d'Avril (April fish). Some think that this refers to the fool's allowing himself to be caught like a fish, but others say it is a corruption of Passion d'Avril (April passion or suffering), and that the custom of sending people about on fruitless errands arose from an old Morality, or Miracle Play, representing Christ sent backward and forward between Herod and Pilate, In France, even the highest dignitaries condescended to take part in the sport. It is related that a high ecclesiastic gathered a great crowd to hear him preach on the first of April, and, when he had ascended the pulpit, made the sign of the cross, cried out " April Fool ! " and went down again. In Scotland the April fool is called a "gowk" (cuckoo).

ALL FOURS (Called also Old- Sledge, Seven-Up, and High-Low- Jack). A game played with a full pack of CARDS, which rank as in Whist. It is usually played by two persons, or by four acting as partners, as in Whist ; but it may be played also by three or four persons without partnership. In the two-handed game, the dealer gives each player six cards, three at a time, and turns up the next card as trump. If it be a knave he scores one point at once, as further explained below. The non-dealer then looks at his hand. If he is satisfied with it, he says " I stand," in which case play begins at once ; but if not, he says " I beg." The dealer may then either say " Take one," allowing his opponent to score one point before play begins, or he may lay aside the trump and deal three more cards to each, turning up the next as a new trump. If the new trump is of the same suit as the old, three more cards must be dealt again to each player, and so on till a trump card of a different suit is turned. This is called " running the cards for a new trump." In playing, suit must be followed if possible, except when the player chooses to trump. The points that may be made in one hand are four, as follows :

High. The holder of the highest trump out scores one point.

Low. The original holder of the lowest trump out scores one point, whether he takes the trick containing it or not.

Jack. The player that wins the trick containing the knave of trumps, or who turns it up as trump when dealing, scores one point.

Game. The player whose tricks contain cards the sum of whose values is the greatest, scores one point, counting

Ace as 4

King " 3

Queen " 2

Knave " I

Ten " 10

The other cards count nothing toward Game ; hence a hand may be played when no Game is made, neither player holding either court cards or tens. If there be a tie,— that is, when each player holds an equal number for game, it is scored by the eldest hand. It may happen that a single card may score more than one point, or all four points ; thus, if a player hold only one face card, the Knave of trumps, and his opponent have no face card, trump, ten, nor Ace, the Knave will score High, Low, Jack, and Game. He who first scores seven points, wins.

In the three and four handed games only the player at the dealer's left has the option of " standing " or " begging," as in the two-handed game, and the method of playing is the same. If new cards are dealt, they must be dealt to each of the players. In the four-handed game, each may play for himself, or two, as partners, against the other two.

RULES OF THE GAME.

1. In cutting for deal, the Ace counts as the highest card.

2. If the dealer expose any card but his own, or make a misdeal, he must deal again.

3. The points must be scored in the order, High, Low, Jack, Game ; thus, if the players stand six to six in the score, and one has High, while his opponent has the other three, the one that has High goes out. But when Jack is turned up as trump, it must be scored immediately, thus taking precedence of all other points.

4. A turned-up Jack is to be scored, even. if the opponent begs, and the trump is thus changed.

5. No one may beg more than once in a hand, but if the hands are unsatisfactory after the cards have been run, a new deal may had by agreement of all the players, or they may agree to run the cards again ; but no suit can be trump that has already been turned as such in the same hand.

6. Should the same suit be turned, in running the cards, till the pack has all been used, there must be a new deal.

7. In the four-handed game, only the dealer and the player on his left may look at their cards before the latter decides whether to stand or beg, and, if he begs, the others may not look at their hands till the dealer tells whether he will " give one," or run the cards for another trump.

The game is called All Fours from the points that can be made in one deal; High, Low, Jack, Game (or more commonly High-Low-Jack), from the names of the points ; and Seven-Up, from the number of points that win the game.

Pitch. A kind of All Fours, in which no trump is turned, the first suit led being considered the trump suit. The eldest hand thus has the privilege of leading or pitching the trump, from which the game gets its name. The method of playing is the same as in All Fours, except that there is no begging. In case of a tie for Game, too, neither player can score Game. With these changes, the rules are the same as in All Fours.

Auction Pitch (called also Commercial Pitch). A kind of All Fours, in which the trump card is not turned, but led or pitched by the player making the highest bid for the priyilege. The game may be played by any number of persons, usually not more than eight. After the deal the eldest hand, who is called the seller, asks each in turn, going toward the left, what he will bid for the privilege of pitching the trump. Each bids as many points as he thinks he can make, and each has but one bid.

The seller, who has the last say, may either sell to the highest bidder— that is, permit him to pitch the trump — or he may decline to sell and pitch the trump himself at the same price offered by the highest bidder ; but he is not obliged to outbid him. If he accept the bid, he e^dds the number of points bid to his oWn score at once before playing begins. The player who has won the privilege must lead a card of the suit he has made trumps, and the game proceeds as in All Fours. The player who pitches the trump, whether it be the highest bidder or the seller, scores, if successful in playing, all the points he may make ; but if he fail to make as many points as the highest bid, that number of points is deducted from his score and he cannot count any of the points made in that hand. If no bid is made the seller must pitch the trump.

The scoring is usually done by giving each player ten to begin with, subtracting what he wins, and adding what he loses, so that the winner is he who first gets rid of all his points. The score can be very readily kept by writing two X's, each of which stands for five. For the first point the middle of one X can have a ring drawn around it, and one of the arms can be crossed off for each point made afterward.

Pedro Sancho, oir Sancho Pedrot A kind of Auction Pitch in which the dealer sells the privilege of making or pitching the trump, and the players may bid over and over again in turn, till all are satisfied. Any number of persons may play, but six or eight is the most convenient number and makes the best game. The cards are dealt as in All Fours, but nine or twelve cards instead of six may be dealt to each player, by agreement, if the number be small. High, Low, and Jack count each one point, as in All Fours, but Low counts for him who takes it, not for the original holder. Game, too, counts one point, but is won by the player who takes the ten of trumps. The five of trumps (called Pedro) counts five points, and the nine of trumps (called Sancho) nine points, each in favor of the player who wins the trick containing it. The game is usually for fifty points, and is scored as in Auction Pitch. The points must be scored in the order High, Low, Jack, Game, Pedro, Sancho.

Dom Pedro. When a Joker, or blank card, is used in this game, it is

ALLITERATION

AMALGAMS called Dom, and the game Dom Pedro. No matter what suit is trumps, the Joker is always a trump, though it may be taken by any other trump; but, though the lowest trump, it cannot score for Low. It is scored last in order, or below Sancho, and counts the one who wins it fifteen points. When the game is played with a Joker, it is for loo points.

Sancho may be omitted from the game, which is then called Pedro.

California Jack. A kind of All Fours played usually by two or four persons. After the deal, the dealer turns the rest of the pack (called the stock) face upward, and the exposed card is the trump. He then either slips the trump into the middle of the pack, or shuffles the cards after which they remain face upward on the table. After each trick is taken, the dealer gives the top card of the stock to the winner, and one card to each of the other players in order, to the left, holding each card face upward. Thus each continues to have six cards in his hand as long as the stock lasts. The points are High, Low, Jack, and Game, as in All Fours. As all the pack is used, High will always be the Ace, and Low the two of trumps. The latter counts for the taker, not the original holder as in All Fours. He who first makes ten points wins.

The chief feature of this game is the fact that the topmost card of the stock is always visible, and if it is a high one each player wishes to take the trick, so as to get it. Hence there is some interest in playing each trick, whereas in all other kinds of All Fours a player cares to take only tricks containing cards that count. Care must be taken not to expose any but the top card of the stock.

ALLITERATION. A game played by any number of persons, each of whom is required to write a story in which each word shall begin with a given letter of the alphabet. The Stories may be required to be of the same length, as agreed on beforehand, or a given time may be allowed for writing. When all have finished, the stories are read aloud, and he whose story is the best, as decided by a majority of the players, is declared the winner.