manure in. Plant out some strong early cabbage in warm situations: plant
early kinds of Windsor beans. Sow peas, early Warwick, in drills two
feet and a-half asunder; sow a first early crop of spinach; sow early
radishes, and cover them with straw two inches thick, then uncover every
mild day, and cover again in the evening. Plant in the flower border the
various bulbs, such as snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, jonquils, &c.,
and also their offsets. Plant also the hardy herbaceous plants, such as
asters, golden rods, campanulas, Canterbury bells, &c. Keep gravel walks
clean.
FEBRUARY.
Peas, beans, spinach, lettuce, carrots, parsnips, beet, &c., may now be
sown; and in hotbeds cucumbers, small salading, melons, lettuce, &c.
Give air to plants under frames in the natural ground. Dig and prepare
the compartments of beds and borders; sow many sorts of hardy annual
flower seeds; the tender sorts in hotbeds, such as larkspurs,
candy-tuft, yellow lupines, pansies, virgin stock, sweet scabious
mignonette, ten-weeks stock, &c. And for edgings of border, plant box,
thrift, daisies, parsley, strawberries, &c.
MARCH.
Still continue to prepare an appropriate ground by digging and manuring,
sow again peas, beans, &c., if necessary, and especially a bed of
turnips. Now is the time also to sow small herbs, as thyme, savory; you
may also now plant various slips or cuttings of rosemary, rue, wormwood,
and lavender. These should be the outward shoots produced last year,
five or six inches long, and should be planted in a shady border, six
inches apart. Now also may be sown nasturtiums, which may be sown in
patches, dibbed in six inches apart, or in drills, near a rail or
running fence. Potatoes may also be now planted in open weather. In
planting them, take care to get the best sorts, and pick out some of the
finest of a moderately large size, and then divide the tubers into two
or three parts, leaving an eye or two to each; plant the pieces in rows
about eighteen inches from each other, and about four inches deep. Now
also is the time for pruning the various fruit trees, planting fresh
sets of raspberries, strawberries, &c. In the flower garden the tender
annuals are to be sown in hotbeds, such as cockscomb, balsam,
china-aster, tobacco, convolvulus, &c. Ranunculuses, anemones, and the
hardy annuals, may be sown in the open ground, and transplanting of all
kinds of plants, shrubs, &c., may now be performed.
APRIL.
This is a transplanting month, particularly for cabbages and
cauliflowers, all which should be now taken and put out for summer use.
Celery should also now be pricked out. Continue to plant, if necessary,
pot herbs and sweet herbs, such as rooted slips of balm, penny royal,
and camomile. It is a good time also to plant out slips of mint from the
roots; other crops of peas may also now be sown, as also a late crop of
beans. Now also you may sow gourds and pumpkins in a frame. All pruning
must be finished. Insects must be looked after on fruit trees. Vines may
be laid down in layers; wall-fruit thinned; strawberry beds weeded, and
kept very clean; new-budded and new-grafted trees well examined to see
if the clay keeps close to the grafts. In the flower garden or borders
some of the tender annuals may now be pricked out, and some of the
others sown in the frame, such as Prince’s feather, capsicum,
love-apples, Indian corn, gourds, sweet balsam, marvel of Peru; stocks,
and the hardy annuals, may now be sown in the open ground, as Adonis
poppy, sweet peas, catch-fly, annual sunflower, larkspur, lupines,
Venus’s looking-glass. The best way to sow sweet peas is in pots, and
protect them well from the birds, who will otherwise not leave one.
Inarching may now be performed on evergreens and other plants, which you
may wish to propagate this way.
MAY.
Lettuces will now want tying up. Peas will require sticking. Do not tie
your lettuces up too tightly, and when you stick your peas put in the
stick in a slanting direction. Clear and thin carrots and parsnips,
leaving the largest plants at least four inches from each other; thin
also onions; plant out cauliflowers. Sow brocoli seeds for the crop to
come in on the following winter and early spring. Sow and plant savoys;
top the broad beans that are now in blossom, which will make the pods
set sooner and swell faster. Plant the various kinds of French beans,
such as the white speckled, in drills about three feet apart, and sow
them thin. Prick out and plant celery; continue to sow radishes and
small salading for daily use. Water new planted crops, and now let more
than common care be taken to destroy weeds amongst crops of every kind;
and now is the time for using your Dutch hoe freely among the rows of
peas, beans, and spinach; but do not leave your weeds about in the
drills or borders; clear all carefully away, and keep the garden clean
and neat.
JUNE.
Look after your melons, pumpkins, gourds, and cucumbers, in frames; let
them be well supplied with fresh air and water. To save cauliflower
seed, mark some of the best and earliest plants, with the largest and
whitest and closest flower heads, which should not be cut, but left to
run to seed. Peas may still be sown, and French beans also, as may
cabbage and colewort seed. Gather mint, balm, and other aromatic herbs,
towards the end of this month, for drying. Examine any new planted
trees, see that they are not too dry, and that they are well secured.
Water should be given to those that show any symptoms of flagging; water
them well, but not frequently. Take care that your strawberry beds are
also well watered. Hang up nets before early cherry-trees against walls,
and over small trees, to protect them from the birds. Most of the tender
annuals may be now finally planted out, and now is the time to take up
the roots of tulips, crown imperials, jonquils, &c., and to take away
the offsets. Continue to support with sticks all the tall growing
flowering plants. Cut box-edgings, and regulate your flower borders,
keeping your plants well watered if the weather should be very dry.
JULY.
You may now sow a batch of turnips for winter or autumn use, and also
some carrot seed to raise young carrots for use later in the autumn.
Celery may be transplanted, winter spinach may be sown, lettuces may be
planted out, coleworts may be sown. Gather your cucumbers as they
appear, and gather all sorts of seeds as they ripen in dry weather,
pulling up the stems with the seed where it can be done. Bring out the
cockscombs, double balsams, and all other curious annuals kept till this
time in frames. Transplant annuals into the borders. Lay carnations and
sweetwilliams; propagate pinks by pipings; transplant perennial plants.
Take up bulbous roots, cut box-edgings, regulate your flower borders.
Plant cuttings and slips of succulent plants; shift geraniums and other
plants into larger pots, if necessary.
AUGUST.
Cauliflower seed must be sown between the 18th and the 24th. Celery
should now be transplanted into trenches, and lettuce planted out. In
the end of the month the dry flower stems of aromatic plants, such as
hyssop, sage, lavender, should be cut down. Now look well out for
various seeds as they ripen, which gather by cutting or pulling off the
seed-stalks, then place them in the full sun against a hedge or wall to
get them thoroughly dry. All flowers should now be carefully attended,
and watered when necessary. The pink pipings should now be planted out
in beds, and the seeds of many bulbous flowers, such as tulips,
hyacinths, lilies, may be sown to obtain new varieties. Flower borders
should occasionally be gone over with a sharp hoe, after which they
should be raked over neatly, and all weeds and litter cleared away.
SEPTEMBER.
Lettuces may now be planted in frames, or in very warm borders, for
winter use. Brocoli, cabbage and savoy plants may also be planted out,
and young plants pricked out into nursery beds. Celery should be earthed
up, and you should tie up the leaves of endive to blanch the plants
white. The spinach sown in August should be thinned and cleared out, and
small salading should be sown once a-week or fortnight. Gather ripe
seeds as before, and see that the birds do not devour them. Now is a
good time to plant the strong runner plants into separate beds, and at
about fifteen inches asunder either way. Towards the end of the month
hyacinth and tulip roots may be planted, as well as any other bulbous
root. Anemone and ranunculus seed may be sown, and perennial plants
transplanted. Continue to keep the flower borders always very clean, and
begin digging vacant beds and borders for future planting.
OCTOBER.
Now the apples and pears begin to ripen. Seeds are still to be looked
for and preserved, vacant spaces of ground are to be dug up and manured.
Fruit trees may now be transplanted, and currant and gooseberry-trees
may be planted. Recollect that the currant-trees may be cut close down
to the fruit buds, but the gooseberry only half way down the last year’s
wood. Cut out irregular growths and suckers, and keep them trained to a
single stem below. Strawberry beds should this month have their winter
dressing of manure, and all the runners cleared away close to the head
of the main plants. Raspberry plants may be pruned, the old stems cut
away, and the last year’s suckers’ stems selected for the next year’s
bearings, and each of them shortened one-third in height. In the
flower-garden the borders should be nicely dressed, and all kinds of
plants may be transplanted, or their roots divided, and bulbs not yet
planted may be put into the earth. Plant all kinds of shrubs and
evergreen trees.
NOVEMBER.
Now is the time for digging up potatoes, and taking up carrots,
parsnips, onions, &c., and storing them for winter use. Winter spinach
should be weeded, and the red beet-root dug up. Onions may be pricked
out to come in early in the spring. Trees may be pruned; all sorts of
fruit trees and bulbous roots planted. Now tender plants should be
removed to the pit or greenhouse.
DECEMBER.
Peas may be sown in a warm sheltered spot to come in early in the
spring, as may Windsor and broad beans. Celery should be well earthed
up, and all vacant ground manured, dug, or trenched. Secure the roots of
newly planted trees from the frost by laying dungy litter round them,
and the same may be done to the spots in which hyacinths, tulips,
anemones, and ranunculuses are planted. Small young tender seedling
flower plants also require care at this season. The borders may now be
finally cleared and laid nice and smooth, the remainder of pot plants
removed to the greenhouse or pit, which should be closed during the
night, and only opened in fine mild weather; as the frost comes on place
mats above the glass during the night, which should be removed in the
morning. All leaves from trees, &c., should be collected in a pit for
manure, free from sticks or stones, and the whole garden put into order
for the frost.
MIMICRY AND VENTRILOQUISM.
“How can I become a ventriloquist?” is the frequent thought of a boy;
and he is told, probably, that it is an exceptional faculty, and cannot
possibly be acquired. This is not so; perseverance and practice are
alone necessary to produce those wonderful results which never fail to
captivate the public, if the student has a fair musical ear, and a
talent for imitation which few boys are without. The deceptive nature of
the sounds are the result of certain natural principles, which are
called in to aid the experimenter. Those who have seen any professors of
the ventriloquial art now living must have been struck by the apparent
ease with which the effects are produced. This is not only the result of
practice, but the careful attention to certain acoustic principles which
regulate the direction of sounds. A sudden change in the direction of
sound is oftentimes very perplexing to the ear, even when the eye can
assist the other organs. The change of direction of the sound of a peal
of bells, which is often interrupted by intervening buildings, is a
familiar instance of this, their sound appearing to come from different
places as the hearer changes his position. We can easily imagine that
when the hearer is still, and the source of the sound moves, the
deception becomes much greater, if skilfully applied to the purpose.
The first great secret is to take a full and deep inspiration, so that
the lungs may be well filled, to be used as a Highlander uses the
windbag of his bagpipes, as required. If we remember that the larynx,
which is the cavity in the throat behind the tongue, is capable of
considerable flexibility, as well as the trachea or windpipe, we have
good materials for ventriloquial effect; thus the mouth and tongue have
really, but not apparently, a great deal to do with the modifications of
the assumed voice. A clever ventriloquist recommends the mouth to be
kept closed, and the tongue rolled back, so as to regulate, as it were,
the sound which is formed in the larynx. This may be done by
strengthening the abdominal muscles; and it is probably from this being
so frequently done, that the name of “belly-speaking” arose. The highest
perfection of ventriloquism is speaking with the lips closed, and
apparently without an effort of any kind. Some old and some modern
professors had this marvellous power in perfection.
It has been recently observed that by constant practice the veil of the
palate can be so exercised that it can be raised or depressed at will,
so as to dilate or contract the inner nostrils. The effect of this
contraction is the same as Mr. Hardy’s rolled tongue; it muffles, as it
were, the sound, renders it weak and dull, as if coming from a distance.
On the other hand, if the nostrils are dilated to any extent, the sound
gradually becomes apparently closer and closer, because it is more
distinct.
The uncertainty of the direction of sound greatly aids the
ventriloquist. If a man and a woman are placed at either end of a
tolerably large room, and each imitates with tolerable success the voice
of the other, the confusion between the eye and the ear is so great that
it becomes next to impossible to know which it was that spoke. It is
thus necessary that the ventriloquist should either by word or gesture
direct the attention of his hearers to the spot from whence they expect
the sound to proceed. Really, in practice, there is little difference
between the sound of a muffled voice, whether it is outside the door,
above the ceiling, or down in the cellar. It is possible to acquire such
a knowledge of the modifications of sound by distance, obstructions, or
other causes, as to imitate them with wonderful accuracy. The late Mr.
Love used to carry on a dialogue with a person in a box, and by a
masterly modulation of his voice he gave it a muffled tone when he sat
upon the box, and different degrees of sharpness as he gradually opened
the lid.
The best practice is to begin with imitations only of different voices,
until some progress is made. Then commence to practise the muffled voice
until the audience are satisfied that it is done tolerably well, for the
operator cannot judge of the effect it is producing save by experience.
The voice may now be changed until the second voice is marked by some
distinguishing characteristic, such as bass, alto, gruff, or speaking.
Then the distant voice may be tried, to be modulated as before as
success is attained.
A well-known ventriloquist used to make some excellent effects by
speaking with a closed mouth when drawing an inspiration, instead of the
usual method of speaking during the expiration of the breath.
We will suppose a ventriloquist about to give an illustration of his
art. He first takes care that none of his audience are between the line
of his mouth and the spot from which the sound appears to proceed. Thus
the simplest cause of ventriloquial effect is produced by standing with
your back to the audience and your face to the door. With closed jaws
you direct a muffled voice against the door. The sound which reaches the
ears of the audience is a voice apparently outside the door, but in
reality it is an echo of the artificial voice only. Take a simple
example. You knock at the door, and in your natural voice you inquire if
anyone is there. Assuming the muffled tone, you say that “it’s a
friend,” and then inquire his name and business. The answers being
given, you slightly open the door and the corner of your lips at the
same time, and then the voice loses its muffled tone, and appears more
distinct as it comes closer. The deception is more difficult to
maintain, and the ventriloquist suddenly turns round and shows that the
voice is in reality a mere shade.
If we try the ceiling voice, or the familiar “man on the roof,” we
should use the upper notes, and reserve the lower notes for the “man in
the cellar.” In either of these illusions the lips should not be opened
at all. The modulation of tones should be managed in the larynx, by the
action of the tongue only, unless the voice is supposed to come down the
chimney into the room. In either case the mouth should be turned to the
place from whence the sound is supposed to proceed; and when speaking in
his natural tones, the performer should address himself directly to the
audience; always using appropriate gestures to signify the ascent or
descent of the owner of the fictitious voice.
These two voices are in reality the only true ventriloquial voices. The
variation of tone and accent depends more on the organs of imitation
than on true ventriloquism, though when both arts are combined the
effect is so much enhanced as to become perfectly marvellous. One of the
simplest sounds to produce is that of the humming-bee, wasp, or
bluebottle fly. The first sound is produced in the chest, the latter by
the lips. It is always well to attempt to catch the insect after it has
indicated its presence. This enables the sound to be raised in tone, and
occasionally muffled when the offending suppositious insect is inclosed
in the handkerchief.
The imitation of a knife-grinder is easily done, the grinding being
produced by a sharp hissing sound through the teeth, and the “buffing”
or polishing, by gently closing the lips and drawing the breath through
them until they vibrate--a not uncommon schoolboy accomplishment. The
sawing of wood, the frying of a pancake, the uncorking of a bottle, and
the gurgling noise of pouring out the liquid, may all be successfully
imitated; but these are much less striking and ingenious than true
ventriloquism.
[Illustration]
PUZZLES.
1. THE DIVIDED GARDEN.
A person let his house to several inmates, who occupied different
floors, and having a garden attached to the house, he was desirous of
dividing it among them. There were ten trees in the garden, and he was
desirous of dividing it so that each of the five inmates should have an
equal share of garden and two trees. How did he do it?
[Illustration]
2. THE VERTICAL LINE PUZZLE.
Draw six vertical lines, as below, and, by adding five other lines to
them, let the whole form nine.
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
3. THE CARDBOARD PUZZLE.
Take a piece of cardboard or leather, of the shape and measurement
indicated by the diagram, cut it in such a manner that you yourself may
pass through it, still keeping it in one piece.
[Illustration]
4. THE BUTTON PUZZLE.
In the centre of a piece of leather make two parallel cuts with a
penknife, and just below a small hole of the same width; then pass a
piece of string under the slit and through the hole, as in the figure,
and tie two buttons much larger than the hole to the ends of the string.
The puzzle is, to get the string out again without taking off the
buttons.
[Illustration]
5. THE CIRCLE PUZZLE.
Get a piece of cardboard, the size and shape of the diagram, and punch
in it twelve circles or holes in the position shown. The puzzle is, to
cut the cardboard into four pieces of equal size, each piece to be of
the same shape, and to contain three circles, without cutting into any
of them.
[Illustration]
6. THE CROSS PUZZLE.
Cut three pieces of paper to the shape of No. 1, one to the shape of No.
2, and one to that of No. 3. Let them be of proportional sizes. Then
place the pieces together so as to form a cross.
[Illustration]
7. THREE-SQUARE PUZZLE.
Cut seventeen slips of cardboard of equal lengths, and place them on a
table to form six squares, as in the diagram. It is now required to take
away five of the pieces, yet to leave but three perfect squares.
[Illustration]
8. CYLINDER PUZZLE.
[Illustration]
Cut a piece of cardboard about four inches long, of the shape of the
diagram, and make three holes in it as represented. The puzzle is, to
make one piece of wood pass through, and also exactly to fill, each of
the three holes.
9. THE NUNS.
Twenty-four nuns were arranged in a convent by night by a sister, to
count nine each way, as in the diagram. Four of them went out for a walk
by moonlight. How were the remainder placed in the square so as still to
count nine each way? The four who went out returned, bringing with them
four friends; how were they all placed still to count nine each way, and
thus to deceive the sister, as to whether there were 20, 24, 28, or 32,
in the square?
[Illustration]
10. THE DOG PUZZLE.
The dogs are, by placing two lines upon them, to be suddenly aroused to
life and made to run. Query, How and where should these lines be placed,
and what should be the forms of them?
[Illustration]
11. CUTTING OUT A CROSS.
How can be cut out of a single piece of paper, and with one cut of the
scissors, a perfect cross, and all the other forms as shown in the cuts?
[Illustration]
12. ANOTHER CROSS PUZZLE.
With three pieces of cardboard of the shape and size of No. 1, and one
each of No. 2 and 3, to form a cross.
[Illustration]
13. THE FOUNTAIN PUZZLE.
A is a wall, B C D three houses, and E F G three fountains or canals It
is required to bring the water from E to D, from G to B, and from F to
C, without one crossing the other, or passing outside of the wall A.
[Illustration]
14. THE CABINET-MAKER’S PUZZLE.
A cabinet-maker had a circular piece of veneering, with which he has to
veneer the tops of two oval stools; but it so happens that the area of
the stools, exclusive of the hand-holes in the centre, and the circular
piece, are the same, (as that of the circle.) How must he cut his stuff
so as to be exactly sufficient for his purpose?
15. THE STRING AND BALLS PUZZLE.
Get an oblong strip of wood or ivory, and bore three holes in it, as
shown in the cut. Then take a piece of twine, passing the two ends
through the holes at the extremities, fastening them with a knot, and
thread upon it two beads or rings, as depicted above. The puzzle is to
get both beads on the same side, without removing the string from the
holes, or untying the knots.
[Illustration]
16. THE DOUBLE-HEADED PUZZLE.
Cut a circular piece of wood as in the cut No. 1, and four others, like
No. 2. The puzzle consists in getting them all into the cross-shaped
slit, until they look like Fig. 3.
[Illustration]
17. THE ROW OF HALFPENCE.
Place ten halfpence in a row on the table. Then take up one of them and
place it on another, never in any case passing over more than a penny
(that is to say, two halfpence). Repeat the operation until no halfpenny
remains by itself in the row.
18. TYPOGRAPHICAL ADVICE.
You are to read the following directions:--
If your B m t put :
When your IS . putting :
19. THE LANDLORD MADE TO PAY.
A well-known miser once invited his tenants to dinner at an inn, and to
the surprise of the landlord, asked him to join the party. When the bill
was brought in, the miser proposed that they should cast lots who should
pay the whole score for the twenty-one persons who had dined. It was
agreed that they should be counted by the days of the week, and that
every time the counter called “Saturday,” the person so named should
leave the room until there was only one man left, and he should be
paymaster. How did the miser contrive to throw the expense on the
landlord?
20. FATHER AND SON.
An old country squire planted a number of oaks when his son was born,
and on the twenty-seventh birthday of the young man there was a tree for
every year, and yet though there were only 27 trees, there were ten rows
and six trees in each row, which made sixty, the age of the squire
himself. How did he manage it?
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES.
1. THE DIVIDED GARDEN ANSWER.
[Illustration]
2. ANSWER TO VERTICAL LINE PUZZLE.
___
|\ | | |\ | |
| \ | | | \ | |---
| \| | | \| |___
3. ANSWER TO CUT CARD PUZZLE.
Double the cardboard or leather lengthways down the middle, and then cut
first to the right, nearly to the end (the narrow way), and then to the
left, and so on to the end of the card; then open it and cut down the
middle, except the two ends. The diagram shows the proper cuttings. By
opening the card or leather, a person may pass through it. A laurel leaf
may be treated in the same manner.
[Illustration]
4. ANSWER TO THE BUTTON PUZZLE.
Draw the narrow slip of the leather through the hole, and the string and
buttons may be easily released.
5. ANSWER TO THE CIRCLE PUZZLE.
[Illustration]
6. ANSWER TO THE CROSS PUZZLE.
[Illustration]
7. ANSWER TO THE THREE-SQUARE PUZZLE.
Take away the pieces numbered 8, 10, 1, 3, 13, and three squares only
will remain.
ANSWER TO NO. 8.
[Illustration]
Take a round cylinder of the diameter of the circular hole, and of the
height of the square hole. Having drawn a straight line across the end,
dividing it into two equal parts, cut an equal section from either side
to the edge of the circular base, a figure like that represented by the
woodcut in the margin would then be produced, which would fulfil the
required conditions.
9. ANSWER TO THE NUNS’ PUZZLE.
[Illustration]
10. THE DOGS’ PUZZLE ANSWERED, SEE DOTTED LINES
[Illustration]
11. ANSWER TO CUTTING OUT A CROSS PUZZLE.
[Illustration]
Take a piece of writing paper about three times as long as it is broad,
say six inches long and two wide. Fold the upper corner down, as shown
in Fig. 1; then fold the other upper corner over the first, and it will
appear as in Fig. 2; you next fold the paper in half lengthwise, and it
will appear as in Fig. 3. Then the last fold is made lengthwise also, in
the middle of the paper, and it will exhibit the form of Fig. 4, which,
when cut through with the scissors in the direction of the dotted line,
will give all the forms mentioned.
12. ANSWER TO ANOTHER CROSS PUZZLE.
[Illustration]
13. ANSWER TO THE FOUNTAIN PUZZLE.
[Illustration]
14. ANSWER TO THE CABINET-MAKER’S PUZZLE.
[Illustration]
The cabinet-maker must find the centre of the circle, and strike another
circle, half the diameter of the first, and having the same centre.
Then cut the whole into four parts, by means of two lines drawn at right
angles to each other, then cut along the inner circle, and put the
pieces together as in the above diagram.
15. ANSWER TO THE STRING AND BALLS PUZZLE.
Draw the loop well down, slipping either ball through it. Push it
through the hole at the extremities, pass it over the knot, and draw it
through again. The same process must be repeated with the other ball;
the loop can then be drawn through the hole in the centre, and the ball
will slide along the cord until it reaches the other side. The string is
then replaced, having both balls on the same side.
This plan of passing the loop over the knot is a key to all the puzzles
of this nature.
There is another and perhaps a neater way of performing this trick. Draw
the loop through the central hole, and bring it through far enough to
pass one of the balls through. Having done this, draw the string back,
and both balls will be found on the same side.
16. ANSWER TO THE DOUBLE-HEADED PUZZLE.
Arrange them side by side in the short arms of the cross, draw out the
centre piece, and the rest will follow easily. The reversal of the same
process will put them back again.
[Illustration]
17. THE ROW OF HALFPENCE.
To perform this trick successfully, you must place the fourth on the
first, seventh on the third, fifth upon the ninth, the second upon the
sixth, and the eighth upon the tenth.
18. TYPOGRAPHICAL PUZZLE.
This puzzle should be read thus:--
If your grate be (great B) empty, put coal on.
When your grate is (great IS) full, stop putting coal on.
19. THE LANDLORD MADE TO PAY.
The counting, which stopped at every seventh man, was made to begin at
the sixth from the landlord, who sat at the end of the table.
20. FATHER AND SON.
The trees were planted in this form:--
[Illustration]
[Illustration: SHOWS.]
Under this head we describe those shows which may be exhibited by any
ingenious youth for the amusement of a large circle of friends. Parents
frequently employ the itinerant Punch-and-Judy man to astonish and
delight a juvenile party with his comical puppets; and we are convinced
that they act wisely, as children of all ages enjoy nothing so much as a
good show. The reader, by following our directions, may exhibit the
freaks of Punch and Judy, the dancing figures of the Fantoccini, the
grotesque shadows of the Gallanty Show; in fine, he may become quite an
expert showman.
[Illustration: PUNCH & JUDY]
By following our directions, the reader may, with comparatively little
trouble, construct some comical puppets, and acquire sufficient skill in
working them, to give private representations of the celebrated drama of
“Punch and Judy,” which never fails to excite the laughter of old and
young.
In carving the heads of the puppets, the ingenuity of the reader will be
most severely taxed. Each head must be fashioned out of a piece of soft
wood, with a sharp penknife, and then painted with oil colours. An old
wooden doll will be a capital model for the reader to work from, only he
must cut much deeper, in order to make the features of his puppets
sufficiently prominent. Punch’s nose and chin may be formed of separate
pieces of wood, and then fastened on to the face with a little glue. Our
artist has drawn a full-length figure of Punch (see next page), and the
faces of the other characters in the drama--namely, 1. Judy; 2. Beadle;
3. Foreigner; 4. Ghost; 5. Doctor; 6. Clown; 7. Jones; 8. Hangman. The
carver should study these illustrations attentively, and endeavour to
imitate them. The eyes of the Ghost are two black beads, which may be
fixed by pins, or loosely attached by short pieces of thread, so that
they may roll about in their saucer-like sockets. The eyes of the other
puppets may be formed of white beads, fixed by black-headed pins in
small cavities made to receive them. The hair and beard of the
Foreigner, and the Clown’s three tufts, may be made of any kind of fur;
the Hangman’s wig, and the Doctor’s scanty locks, of worsted. Each head
should be about the size of an ordinary hen’s egg, and should have a
hole made at the bottom, large enough to receive the tip of the
showman’s finger.
[Illustration]
Punch is the only puppet that exhibits his legs to the audience, and
therefore the only one requiring lower limbs; these legs, as well as the
hands of all the characters, are to be cut out of wood and painted.
The cloth figures of the puppets must be so constructed, that the
exhibitor can easily slip them over his hand and wrist; to these hollow
bodies the heads and hands are to be securely fastened with a little
glue, or some small tacks. Punch’s figure may be formed of red merino,
or any other gay-coloured stuff; the “goodly hunch” and prominent
stomach must not be forgotten; these important appendages may be stuffed
with cotton or tow. Judy’s dress may be made of cotton print; the
Beadle’s, of blue cloth, edged with gold lace; the Foreigner’s, of
almost any kind of stuff; the Doctor’s, of black cloth; and the dresses
of Jones and the Hangman, of any sober-coloured stuffs. The Ghost must
be enveloped in a long white linen gown; and the popular favourite, the
Clown, must be arrayed in the true pantomimic style. In constructing the
dresses, the reader will have his patience sorely tried, unless he can
persuade a few young ladies to aid him with their nimble fingers.
Motion is given to each of the puppets by the showman’s hand, the
forefinger of which moves the head, while the thumb and second finger
work the two arms; the annexed engraving will elucidate this operation.
[Illustration]
We have not yet alluded to two important characters in the
drama--namely, the Baby and the eccentric dog Toby. Any little doll may
be dressed in long-clothes to represent the Baby, so the reader may be
spared the trouble of carving another head. The part of Toby is
generally filled by a living performer, but as we do not suppose the
reader to be the owner of a properly-trained cur, we recommend him to
procure one of those barking or squeaking dogs which are sold at the
toy-shops; with such a Toby, the fun of the piece will be increased
rather than diminished.
Punch’s stick must be about a foot long, and quite half an inch thick;
it must be formed of tough wood, as some rough work is performed with it
during the progress of the drama. The gallows must be of the letter [F]
form, and must have two holes bored through the end of the projecting
beam; the cord having been knotted at one end, is to be passed through
each hole.
Having described the puppets, we will now say a few words about the show
in which they are to be exhibited. The dingy curtains which conceal the
street performer of Punch, are supported by a tall rectangular frame of
wood, which the reader could not imitate without considerable labour and
some knowledge of carpentry. The show we recommend is simply a box about
three feet square, open in front and at bottom; this is hung upon nails
against the wall, above the head of the amateur showman, who is hidden
from view by curtains which reach from the box to the floor. The box may
be a large tea-chest inverted, with the lid and one of its sides
removed. The inside of the box should be hung with green-baize, or any
other dark-coloured stuff. A proscenium cut out of pasteboard, and
tastefully painted, should be fastened in front of the box, so as to
conceal the unsightly edges of the wood. A shelf of wood about four
inches wide should project beyond the proscenium, so as to form a little
stage upon which Punch may drum his legs, lay down his stick, and place
the dead bodies of his victims; this shelf may be fixed by screws
passing through the two sides of the box.
During the performance the puppets must be kept in an open box hanging
against the wall within reach of the showman.
The reader having prepared everything, should learn the drama, and
practise the different voices which he intends to give to the different
characters. He will probably be some time before he can acquire the
peculiar squeak of Punch, which is generally supposed to be produced by
an instrument called a “squeaker.” With none of squeakers we have seen
could any distinct words be uttered, and we therefore recommend the
reader to trust to his own powers of mimicry. With regard to the musical
accompaniments, the amateur showman should get some kind sister or
cousin to sit at the piano, the notes of which are much more pleasing
than those of the Pandean pipes and drum.
[Illustration: FANTOCCINI]
About sixty years ago, a puppet-show was exhibited at the west-end of
London, with the Italian title of Fantoccini, which greatly attracted
the notice of the public, and was spoken of as an extraordinary
performance; it was, however, nothing more than a revival of the old
puppet-show, which drew crowded and fashionable audiences during the
reign of Queen Anne, and rivalled the more pompous exhibitions of the
larger theatres. In the present day Fantoccini are exhibited in the open
streets by the itinerant showman, whose ragged coat and battered hat
show how puppets have fallen in the estimation of the fashionable
public.
Any ingenious youth may amuse and astonish a large circle of friends
with an exhibition of dancing puppets, as the different figures are not
difficult to construct, and their motions are very easily managed. The
puppets may be common wooden dolls dressed up in appropriate costumes.
The arms and legs are to be loosely attached to the bodies, so that they
may be moved about in any direction by threads fastened to their
extremities. These threads may be formed of black sewing-silk, or
strong black cotton. All the threads proceeding from the different limbs
and joints of a puppet are to be attached to a stick in such a manner as
to allow the figure to stand in a natural attitude; the annexed
engraving shows two puppets thus supported.
[Illustration]
The puppet-show may be formed in the following simple manner:--Take a
tall, three-sided clothes-horse, and place its outer edges against the
wall so that it may inclose a square space; then hang curtains or shawls
over the horse, leaving no part uncovered except a rectangular space
close to the floor in front; to this opening you may, if you think
proper, fix a painted proscenium. Now place a small towel-horse, hung
with black stuff, at the distance of a foot behind the proscenium, to
serve as a background to the stage, and to conceal your legs while you
are engaged in working the puppets: having done this, lay down a little
green-baize carpet on that part of the floor which represents the stage,
and your puppet-show will be complete. The puppets may be illuminated by
candles placed on the floor in front of the proscenium. The spectators
are to be stationed as far from the show as possible, so that they may
not perceive the threads.
The performer takes his seat behind the small horse, and holding the
stick to which the threads are fastened in his left hand, he manages the
motions of the puppet with the fingers of his right hand. When the
motions are very complicated, the showman may attach the stick to a
string hanging from a rod placed across the top of the show, and employ
the fingers of both hands in working the figure. With very little
practice the amateur puppet-man may acquire great proficiency in the art
of giving lifelike movements to the dolls.
The reader may dress up his puppets in any fancy costumes, but he must
endeavour to give to each its appropriate action. The following
characters may perhaps be allowed to figure in his Fantoccini:--
THE SAILOR.
This puppet, which is represented in our illustration, is a popular
favourite. The doll should have whiskers of Berlin wool glued on its
cheeks, and a trim black silk pigtail attached to the back of the head.
It is to be dressed in the conventional naval costume, namely, a blue
jacket, loose white trousers, and a straw hat. On its entrance it should
be made to bow to the audience in a characteristic manner, by inclining
its body and kicking one leg behind it. The _Sailor’s Hornpipe_ is then
to be struck up by the pianist, and the puppet made to dance to the
music. If the showman can manage six strings at once, two threads, not
shown in our illustration, may be attached to the knees.
THE JUGGLER
May be dressed in a fanciful Eastern costume; a string is to be attached
to the head, and another to each of the hands. A gilded ball, having a
hole pierced through it, is strung on each hand-thread, and to each ball
a fine silken thread is attached. Our illustration shows how the five
threads are to be attached to the supporting-stick. A little practice
will enable the showman to work this puppet so dexterously that the
spectators will be fairly puzzled to tell how the rapid tossing and
catching of the balls is managed.
THE HEADLESS MAN.
This puppet may be dressed according to the reader’s fancy; its head is
not fastened to the body, but is strung on a thread attached to the
neck. When the showman has made the doll dance for a short time, he
pulls the head from the body by means of a thread fastened to it, and
makes the headless puppet dance on as if nothing had happened.
THE MILKWOMAN.
A puppet, dressed like a woman with a yoke of milkcans, makes its
appearance and performs a country jig. Before the dance is concluded a
little white doll jumps out of each can. The milkwoman tries to catch
the dolls, but they fly out of sight. The trick is easily managed; to
the head of each little doll is fastened a thread, which the showman
pulls at the proper time. The yoke may be cut out of a piece of soft
deal, and the cans may be made of pasteboard covered with tinfoil.
[Illustration]
POSTAGE STAMP COLLECTING, OR PHILATELY.
Our young readers may vainly turn over the pages of any existing
dictionary to find the scientific alias of the heading of this article.
We trust the omission will be soon supplied, _Philately_, or Postage
Stamp Collecting, having reached the dignity of a recognised science.
The word is the English rendering of the French term _Philatélie_,
bestowed by a distinguished Parisian amateur in substitution for what
was called _timbromania_, the latter portion of which word caused an
unpleasant association of ideas, and gave rise to many a sneer from the
wiseacres who had not sense enough to understand the real utility of the
pastime. It is derived from the Greek φιλος and ὰτέλεια, the nearest
equivalent traceable in classical lore to a modern postage stamp.
To schoolboys in general be ascribed the honour of introducing the
elegant and instructive fancy forming the subject of our dissertation.
The young students of the college of Louvain in particular claim to have
been the earliest collectors: thence the fancy spread over France and
Germany, inoculating many an English pupil in continental seminaries, by
whom it was transmitted home. Some Louvain scholars informed us last
year that it had been long prohibited by the professors, as tending to
induce inattention to their regular tasks! We think this a mistaken
notion; convinced that a knowledge of geography, history, and the values
of foreign coins is materially facilitated by the study of postage
stamps; which, moreover, induces neatness, regularity, and a sure refuge
from ennui on a rainy day. Before the reign of postage stamps, who ever
heard of the obscure city whence emanates that unit of a strange set of
five, engraved at page 759, or the equally mysterious Thurn and Taxis?
What can give a better idea of the chances and changes fewer than ten
years have produced in the vast tract of land known as the Danubian
Principalities, whose stamps are representatives of Moldavia alone, of
Moldo-Wallachia united, and of the same countries resuming their ancient
denomination of Roumania, first under Prince Couza, now under Prince
Charles of Hohenzollern?
[Illustration]
At the head of this paper is a reprint of an engraving taken from an old
work on ancient and modern posts, printed at Paris in 1708. It portrays
the various methods of transmitting news in use before the present
almost universal system. The left-hand tower bears a lighted beacon; on
the top of the right and central towers are men supposed to be shouting
messages to be passed onwards from place to place, in the way some of
our young classical scholars will remember is mentioned by Cæsar, book
vii. chapter 3. The carrier pigeon above, and the dog in the foreground,
represent other well-known modes. The former was, and still is, common
in the East, and by no means disused here in the case of races,
prize-fights, &c.; the latter was employed by the Portuguese during
their East Indian conquests, and has been used until a late period by
the Peruvians and other Americans.
An early anticipation of the modern post-paid envelope is still in
existence, appropriately addressed to the celebrated authoress of “Cyrus
the Great,” the originator of ἄγγαρα (_angara_), or posting-stations;
but, strange to say, Persia, the earliest postal pioneer, has not yet
adopted the stamp system, though essays have been submitted to the
State.
[Illustration]
The Californian Pony Expresses, and the earliest emission of Buenos
Aires, are exemplars of this primitive way of communication. The
last-named stamp has been supposed merely an essay; but we have seen it
post-marked. A modification of the same is the Humboldt Express of
Langton and Co. and a sort of travestie, the United States local of D.
O. Blood.
Other methods of transmitting correspondence, &c. are typified by the
sailing vessels of British Guiana, the steamers on the extinct stamps of
Buenos Aires, and the Pacific Steam Navigation Company; those of La
Guaira and the Russian for the Levant sea-ports. An American idea, even
too go-ahead for the reckless Yankees, for we cannot hear that it was
ever put in practice, is also here embodied.
[Illustration]
Nearly two centuries after the plan was broached in Paris appeared the
well-known absurd Mulready envelope, an extraordinary evidence of
official vagaries, that such an abortion should have received preference
over hundreds of essays, of which the cut pictures by no means the best!
[Illustration]
The current envelopes for Great Britain, simple and compound, comprising
every value from one penny to one shilling and sixpence, excepting only
elevenpence and one shilling and fivepence, are certainly perfection;
but are so little known or used that few are aware of other than the
penny ones. We think our undeservedly vaunted penny label far surpassed
in its own style by that of the islands of Antigua or St. Vincent, and
the St. Kitt’s essay here given.
[Illustration]
In the third year after the introduction of postal labels in Great
Britain, the canton of Zurich would appear to have entertained the idea
of imitating our example, the wonderfully rare if not unique pair of
essays bearing the date of 1843 testifying visibly to that intention.
Brazil, however, in the same year actually produced its first set, and
is entitled to all the merit of seconding this marvellously successful
move of ours. This was the large figure series, continued in the same
style till those lately superseded, of which the red 280 and the yellow
430 reis alone remain in use.
Although the Zurich above alluded to was never in circulation, a pair
something like it was so, either in the same or following year. The
canton of Geneva next followed the lead. One of its stamps is unique on
account of the custom of dividing it when but half value was needed.
The canton of Basle next joined the philatelic ranks, followed after
three years’ interval by Vaud and Neufchatel. A twelvemonth previously
our transatlantic brethren in the United States started the 5 cents
bronze bearing the head of Franklin, and the large 10 cents with that of
Washington.
In the same year (1847) a decree for the adoption of postage stamps in
Belgium was made, which was carried into effect a year and a half
afterwards. Six months in advance appeared the beautifully engraved
effigies of the French Republic; during the course of twenty years
followed the counterfeit presentments of the Presidency, the uncircled,
and the laurelled heads of the Emperor Napoleon.
[Illustration]
The ensuing year witnessed emanations from Austria, Bavaria,
Lombardo-Venetia, Prussia, Saxony, Sardinia, and the first of the
interminable issues of Spain: also the long solitary pair recording the
abortive insurrection of Schleswig Holstein in 1848-50. The postal
representatives of Schleswig, of Holstein, and of the two States in
combination, now number two dozen!
This succession of stamps will ever possess a strong historical interest
in consequence of their country’s connexion with the startling events
attendant on the continental convulsions of 1866. A similar value in
relation to European annals, entitling them to the style and title of
Paper Medals, must be laid on the now extinct hosts of Hanoverian labels
and envelopes, with those of the defunct office of Thurn and Taxis,
overwhelmed by the needle-guns of Prussia, after an existence of more
than three hundred years.
An approximate idea of the number of postage stamps, current and
extinct, may be obtained from the latest edition of any good catalogue.
That of Oppen’s Album (10th edition) contains about 2,800 distinct
individual stamps, but includes no varieties of colour other than those
recognised by the most fastidiously disposed collectors, such as the
light and dark blues of Thurn and Taxis, first issue; neither does it
take much note of proofs or essays, or any of railway or local British
labels, or of differences in watermark or mode of perforation; which
latter variations are now considered important by the higher order of
philatelists.
The stamp-issuing localities amount at present to 122, 51 being in
Europe; of these no fewer than seven have enlisted within the past
twelvemonths, viz. Servia, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Salvador (see
p. 758), Heligoland, Breslau, and Turk’s Island. The latter is
exquisitely engraved, but with the exception of the pink, the colours
are execrable. The first two, and the Breslau local are appended.
[Illustration]
Excluding the United States locals, whose name is legion, as well as
those of Hamburg, most of which are spurious, the emissions of Spain
count the highest. They amount to nearly ninety impressions for general
postal purposes, besides several telegraphic and exclusively official
issues. The later portraitures of Her Catholic Majesty, if correct,
prove how very well she carries her age, with the assistance, perhaps,
of some Spanish Madame Rachel. Compare one of the current set with those
depicted at pages 759 and 767 and note the dates.
The United States of North America, and those of Colombia, or the
Granadine Confederation, afford us each the liberal allowance of between
fifty and sixty varieties in colour, device, or value: the stamps of the
former country, which are usually models of choice engraving, bear
almost invariably the heads of their worthies, such as the late
President Lincoln, and General Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson.
[Illustration]
The memory of the great Confederate struggle will be ever preserved by
the postage stamps issued from various cities in the revolting States;
such as Memphis, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Charleston, New Orleans, &c. These
had fancy devices, but the features of Jefferson Davis and J. C. Calhoun
will reach posterity on two of the Confederate issues. On one of them
also figures “Hickory” Jackson, a hero of the war in 1812.
It is a singular fact that the illustrated postage stamp magazines, &c.
are purchased by non-philatelic collectors for the purpose of cutting
out the miniature portraits of celebrities, whose effigies are otherwise
less conveniently attainable.
[Illustration]
The palm of beauty will be assigned _nem. con._ to the current pair of
Nova Scotia types. There are three of each, one representing the full
front bust of our gracious Queen in state attire; the other Her
Majesty’s profile: the former in _scarlet_, _green_, and _black_; the
latter in _lilac_, _blue_, and _black_. Of these the pair of _black_ are
by far the most effective. One of them is more or less perfectly
rendered by the Newfoundland 12 cents, and the South Australian two
shilling, and fourpenny stamps; the other by the 24 cents of the former
colony.
There are numerous other exquisite specimens of the engraver’s art to be
found in a collection of postage stamps. The French republics, the Greek
Mercuries, the Russian and Polish adhesives, and the Hong Kongs are
admirable.
The current Saxons, Bavarians, all the Portuguese, and the lately
emitted Heligolands are the best examples of the relief or cameo style:
engravings of these give but a poor idea of the original. The same
method of type is much less effective in the Prussians, Oldenburgs,
Schleswigs and Holsteins; but radiates in full effulgence in the
faultless envelopes of our own country, in those of Baden, Hanover, and
the extinct Saxons and Prussians; with our colonials of Ceylon and the
Mauritius.
The American Bank Note Company, we must perforce, most unpatriotically,
admit to be unrivalled in plain engraving; of which the Nova Scotias,
and some others noted above are instances: the trio of large newspaper
and periodical labels issued last year in the United States, which bear
the profiles of Washington, Franklin, and Lincoln respectively, and the
Central-Fair locals too, are wellnigh perfection. The symbolical
Newfoundlands are equally noteworthy.
To the same, or a branch firm, we believe ourselves indebted for the
lovely landscapes of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Salvador.
[Illustration]
The swans of Western Australia, repeated in such variety of colour, ever
attract attention; as do the keys of Bremen, the castles of Hamburg, the
compounds of mysterious Bergedorf, the eagles of Lubeck, the quaint
emissions of the Argentine Confederation, and the crossed keys and tiara
of the Papal States, after the eye is wearied by the incessant array of
heads and armorial bearings exhibited by the majority of stamp-emitting
countries.
The adhesives of the kingdoms once composing the Two Sicilies are both
equally remarkable; that of Naples for its singularity, that of Sicily
from its peculiar boldness of design and rich colouring.
[Illustration]
The first stamps of Luxembourg, those of the Dutch East Indies, and
Holland, exhibit marvellous variations in the portraiture of one and the
same individual sovereign.
[Illustration]
The marketable value of a postage stamp for collections does not,
however, by any means, depend upon its beauty or deformity. The greater
portion of the more attractive in appearance are purchasable at a very
low figure: the most beautiful of all, the Nova Scotian black profile,
can be had at its natal place for one cent, or an English halfpenny. The
circular specimen of meagre ugliness below may be worth a couple of
sovereigns, even when cancelled; a moderately well-stored juvenile album
could be purchased for the price of an unused specimen, were such
existing, which we strongly doubt. That of Romagna and the early Van
Diemen’s Land are little better.
[Illustration]
Some of the frightful libels on the august countenances of the Emperor
Napoleon, the Queen of Spain, and our own Sovereign, fetch also
exorbitant fancy prices. The French affair goes by the name of the
Cayenne essay; possibly because its concoctor was, or at least, deserved
to be, transported thither for his impudence. The Queens’ profiles on
their colonial stamps for the Philippines and the Mauritius are mere
caricatures.
Slight improvement on the British Guiana stamp is made by some of the
Honolulu emissions; also the local Bavarian; the Bollo Straordinario of
Tuscany; the 10 and 15 centimes à percevoir of France; and the Land Post
trio of Baden. The latter have the advantage of being printed on yellow
paper.
Some of the Sandwich Islands stamps, nevertheless, far outstrip the
productions of some countries that were highly civilized long ere the
full dress of one of their natives consisted of aught save a few beads.
Portraits of the great, the late, and the regnant kings bearing the
joint name of Kamehameha exist on stamps: the one given does but scant
justice to its chastely designed original.
[Illustration]
The French labels just alluded to are placed by the postal authorities
on insufficiently paid letters. They are only surreptitiously
purchasable at the post-offices, not being for public use; but this bit
of red-tapeism is easily evaded for a con-sid-er-ation. Of similar
character are the Bavarian before-mentioned, and the Italian segnatassa,
figured above. A collector in Leghorn, unable to procure one of these
latter, wrote a letter to himself without stamping it, expecting one of
the then new labels to be affixed before delivery. Such was the case;
but the letter lying on the hall-table, a friend of ours innocently
abstracted the stamp and inclosed it to ourselves as the last new postal
curiosity.
Besides such slightly abnormal deviations from the general run of
postage stamps, may be enumerated the “too late” label formerly used by
the colony of Victoria, now particularly _recherché_ by philatelists,
especially in an uncancelled state. This individual is unique in its
application; but there are several impressions exclusively devoted to
the _registration_ of letters. Those of Victoria, New South Wales, and
Queensland (like the cut, but the word “registered” substituted for the
value) are well known; and the recently emitted Prussians, one of which
is given on the next page, are of somewhat kindred nature.
The quaint centre device is an offshoot from that fertile field for
philatelists, New Granada, alias the United States of Columbia; the R
standing for _registrados_ (registered).
[Illustration]
Besides strictly governmental issues, many private firms and individuals
have been tacitly allowed to issue postage stamps, more or less
partaking of the character of regular official emanations. Such are
those of the United States, amounting to upwards of five hundred; some
of which, though catalogued, never did duty, and were only concocted for
sale. They are now, we believe, all extinct. Some of them are
represented on previous pages. The City of Hamburg has produced upwards
of a hundred, of which the greater part are impostors. An unimpeached
one will be found depicted farther on.
The pages devoted to the U. S. locals by those who collect them, present
a most varied and extraordinary appearance, from the endless varieties
of device and colour employed. Profiles, busts, figures of men and
animals, numerals, plain inscriptions, symbolical and allegorical
representations meet the eye, varied with all the colours in and out of
the rainbow.
[Illustration]
Dresden, Breslau, Montreal, Shanghai, Constantinople, Edinburgh,
Glasgow, and London, also contribute their quota towards the ranks of
locals. These are all emissions of private firms: those of the third
place mentioned are more than doubtful; the latter are now prohibited by
law.
To these may be added those of Throndhjems (Drontheim), Tammerfors,
Helsingfors, with the Levant, Danubian, and Pacific Steam Companies. The
legally authorised issues of Malta, the Danish West Indies, &c. and the
very low values of continental stamps, may be likewise termed locals;
not being available out of their own birthplace. The La Guairas, one of
which is figured at page 754, must not be omitted from the list.
[Illustration]
Still farther than the unaccredited locals from a strictly legitimate
postal collection are the numerous labels issued by the several
railroads. They amount to a considerable number altogether, ranging in
value from one farthing to five shillings.
Many of the foreign telegraph stamps are extremely tasty, especially the
Belgian and Spanish: these, however, are not usually admitted into
collections. Still less are our own now disused “Customs” labels, which
far exceed the postals in beauty; as do our receipt, bill, and legal
adhesives, some of which are as high as 5_l._ or more in value.
The “needle-gun” war of 1866 introduced quite a novel genus of postage
envelopes. They were employed in Prussia, Saxony, &c.; some for the use
of civilians writing to their friends or relatives at camp; others for
the exclusive service of the military. Some Brazilian youths, of more
ingenuity than probity, concocted an imitation of these, and passed them
off _at a price_ among dealers and amateurs, as being employed for a
similar purpose in the conflict between the Brazilians and Paraguayans.
The highest priced postage stamps were the once rare Pony Expresses (see
page 753), one of which cost 4 dollars (16_s._ 8_d._) The 2 dollar one
ranks next; then the five shilling of New South Wales, the Mauritius,
and our own; the 96 cents of Hong Kong, the 8 reales of Mexico, the 90
cents of the United States, the 1 scudo of Rome, and the 25 piastres of
Turkey. The Ceylons are the most numerous in varieties of value, having
no fewer than thirteen, from one halfpenny to two shillings. From four
to six is the average number of monetary denominations for the same
country. Some have more, as Hong Kong, which counts ten. The United
States have the same number, besides four additional values in
envelopes. New South Wales has eight, and Victoria nine values. France
has nine at present, but a higher priced stamp is announced. Liberia,
Turk’s Island, and British Honduras have only three; Grenada, Nicaragua,
British Columbia, and Antigua, issue but two; and Vancouver’s Island,
Malta, Sierra Leone, and Corrientes, only one. The last-named locality,
being a small province of the Argentine Republic, has issued the same
die for two several values. It was originally marked _un real_, but this
was subsequently erased, no designation of value appearing. Three
centavos was then its price. It is impressed in _black_, on _blue_, as
well as _green_ paper. Like the New Caledonian, it was printed in sheets
from a single block, each impression slightly differing.
This is one of the few exceptions to the rule of postage stamps bearing
a facial value. The earlier issues of the Mauritius, Trinidad, and
Barbadoes partake of the same defect, being distinguishable by colour
only. The Ionian Islanders were in a like category: but the sole
existing specimens of this inconvenience are the halfpenny and penny
Barbadians, and the whole set of St. Lucias.
The result of this is, that the values of more than one of the early
stamps of the Mauritius are still a subject of debate among some erudite
philatelists. One of these stamps is sometimes found endorsed with
“eightpence” in black letters, another with “fourpence.” This clumsy
method is even yet being adopted in a few instances, we suppose to save
the expense of a new plate. The original sixpenny of St. Helena is
printed in three different colours besides its own _blue_, and does duty
in _green_, _carmine_, and _red_, cruelly tattooed with printed
characters according to the stated value. The ninepenny of South
Australia, doffing its modest hue for a bright orange, hand-stamped with
black, is worth a penny more than heretofore. In like manner, the
Italian government, wishing to put the screw on its faithful subjects,
raised the tariff on home letters from 15 to 20 centesimi, and barred
out the original value. The provisional East Indian may be joined to
this uncomely group of disfigured identities, as also the newly emitted
set for Singapore.
[Illustration]
The impressions of Nevis; those now current of the Cape of Good Hope;
and what are termed the Sydney stamps of New South Wales, are elegantly
symbolical of their respective localities.
The adhesives of British Columbia, Sierra Leone, and British Honduras,
claim a very high rank for elegance of design and correctness of
execution among our colonials. The extinct shilling stamp of Victoria
may worthily dispute with its lately superseded sixpenny the unenviable
distinction of ugliness.
Excluding the railway stamps, and the United States newspaper labels,
Liberia produces the largest stamps; Mecklenberg Schwerin and Brunswick
the smallest. The latter two countries present the singularity of
allowing the four small stamps to be used singly or in combination.
The inscriptions on stamps being of course in the language of their
native country, many impressions necessarily bear a particularly quaint
appearance; as those of Egypt, Turkey, Cashmeer, Shanghai, Poland,
Moldavia (see page 765), and Servia (see p. 756). The early emission of
the Argentine Confederation is also an oddity.
[Illustration]
The shapes of postage stamps present but little variation; a very large
majority being more or less unequally sided rectangles. Few are
perfectly square. The set of Bergedorf, and the disused Danish and Thurn
and Taxis adhesives are instances, the former showing the further
peculiarity of different sizes in regular gradation according to value.
The impressions run sometimes on upright, sometimes on oblong
rectangles. The narrowest of the latter is one of those of Wells, Fargo,
and Co.; of the former, a very rare English essay, too elaborate for
description.
[Illustration]
Some few are octagonal, more or less irregular; some oval; some
perfectly round; some indescribable, as the one-and-ninepenny Ceylon;
and the ninepenny envelope of the Mauritius. The earlier emissions of
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were printed in such a way as to render
the stamp lozenge-shaped.
[Illustration]
A small minority are triangular; the superseded stamps of the Cape of
Good Hope, a solitary type of Newfoundland, and one of New Granada, are
the only ones we can recollect ever seeing, except a black Austrian
newspaper adhesive. The Langton local is unique in form.
[Illustration]
Many stamps have been issued exclusively for newspapers, _feuilletons_,
and printed matter in general, such as some Austrian and Venetian
impressions. The B. G. and tassa gazzette of Modena, the 6 c. and 9
centesimi of Parma, and others, were of like nature; as are the lower
priced French, Italians, and Belgians. That of Frankfort is not
adhesive, but hand-stamped, like those on our own newspapers, and is by
some considered inadmissible in strictly postal collections.
The _returned letter_ stamps must not pass unmentioned. That of
Wurtemberg was long “alone in its glory;” but Munich, Augsburg,
Nuremberg, and other Bavarian cities, have lately adopted them. Those
forming the seal on returned letters in our own country are collected by
some amateurs.
[Illustration]
The enormous accumulation of proofs and essays, all which are ignored by
many philatelists, are not to be lightly rejected. The former are
certainly _articles de luxe_ or _fantaisie_, being simply veritable
stamps printed in abnormal colours, as some of the United States, &c. Of
the latter are three sorts--those by authorisation; those proposed by
enterprising individuals to various governments; and those invented for
sale to entrap the unwary.
The best, as in the case of England, were not always chosen: look at the
essay of Pellas the Genoese, and admire Italian discrimination--if you
can. The Sicilian, on the other hand, is indubitably inferior to the
adopted design. In the centre lies the audacious offspring of the Fenian
rebellion.
[Illustration]
Several essays proposed for Governments which have not yet instituted
the postage stamp system, are surpassingly beautiful in device and
execution. Those by M. Riester, of Paris, are particularly elegant,
Bolivia for example. The _Poisson d’Avril_ (April Fool) stamp is a
curiosity in philatelic lore; it was gravely chronicled as emanating
from Moresnet, and deceived the very knowing ones. (See cut at foot of
next page.)
The longest reign in postal annals is twelve years; the defunct Dutch
having lasted that period. Of the Spanish sets only two have outlived a
twelvemonth unchanged. The 1 franc of the French empire, and the first
issue of Schleswig-Holstein (see p. 755), were current rather more, the
25 centimes of the Empire and the Italian (represented below) less than
a year. The ½ tornese, Neapolitan arms, and the same _transmogrified_
into the Cross of Savoy, endured each about a month. The ½ schilling
_violet_, and 3 sch. _rose_ of Bergedorf, were a _nine_ days’ wonder.
[Illustration]
Among the notabilities of a choice postage-stamp collection may be
chronicled the Connel essay. A New Brunswick postmaster of that name
took the liberty of having his own physiognomy transferred to a sheet of
postage stamps;--the result was his resignation. The tenpenny above
depicted is unique, and was long supposed to be from Van Diemen’s Land;
but we rather believe it an English essay.
The space allowed us compels an abrupt conclusion. We had intended
touching on the eight various distinct modes of perforation, besides
variations; and the distinguishing watermarks of various issues. We
should also have liked to describe the amusing and exciting humours of
‘Change, which many of our readers may remember witnessing in Lombard
Street and its neighbourhood, or in the gardens of the Luxembourg and
the Tuileries in Paris, during the early days of stamp-collecting; but
we trust enough has been written to excite the interest of many who have
purchased this volume on other accounts, yet may thus be induced to
become votaries to the interesting and instructive pursuit of Philately.
[Illustration]
TINSELLING.
Should the reader feel inclined to try his hand at tinselling, he must
procure one of those full-length theatrical portraits that are sold at
the shops for a penny each. He ought to select one of the best-known
figures, as he will then have no difficulty in procuring the embossed
gold and silver work with which it is to be adorned. The whole figure
must be carefully painted with water-colours, and the artist should take
pains with those parts which are not intended to be covered or cut away.
Having finished the preliminary operation of colouring, the artist
should neatly cut away those parts of the engraving which represent
drapery, and place under the spaces thus formed, satin, silk, or velvet
of the proper colour, which may be secured to the back of the picture
with a little gum.
Many tinsellers employ regular print-colourers to shade their silks and
satins, but we strongly advise the reader to trust to his own abilities,
and boldly set work to indicate the folds of the drapery by proper
shadows. The pieces cut out of the engraving will show him where the
different shadows ought to fall, and as for the colours to be used, we
may state as a general rule that silk, satin, or velvet of a certain
colour ought to be shaded with darker tints of the same colour.
Gum-water should be mixed with the colours used in shading, to prevent
them running when applied to the woven fabric.
The artist may now proceed to the work of tinselling, which consists in
gumming little spangles and embossed ornaments over certain parts of the
picture. Every piece of armour, every button, every jewel, and every
weapon, should be represented in embossed work. All the pieces required
for tinselling a figure may be purchased at the proper shops. In the
figure of the warrior, the breastplate, shield, sword, and jewels would
have to be formed of pieces of gilt or silver paper cut and stamped into
proper shapes and patterns. The price of each piece of embossed work
depends of course upon its size or elaborateness. When the picture is
finished, it should be mounted on fine card-board, and placed in a neat
frame.
THE AMERICAN GAME OF BASE-BALL.
The national game of ball of the American people, though having its
origin in the English game of rounders, nevertheless possesses
sufficiently marked features to entitle it to the distinction claimed
for it. Unlike the schoolboy pastime from which it originated, it
requires manly qualities in a high degree to excel in it. In fact, the
difference between base-ball as played in America, and rounders as
played in England, is as great as the contrast between the graceful and
daring movements of an accomplished skater of the present time, and
those of the skaters who, with pieces of ivory fastened to their feet,
used to strive to glide over the ice in the year 1600. In base-ball, as
in rounders, you use a bat and a ball and run round bases; but there all
resemblance ceases.
The American game of base-ball, as now played, is not more than ten
years old, for its date only extends back to the period just previous to
the organization of the National Association of Base-Ball Players, which
Association formed the present code of rules, and is the only authorized
body having any supervisory power over the game. In fact, the history of
the game commences with the formation of the National Association,
inasmuch as the rules previously in vogue were crude and irregular, and
different in one locality from what they were in another. Since the
organization of the National Association and the meeting of the first
annual convention, however, the game has spread throughout the country,
and entirely superseded every other game of ball as a national pastime.
At first the Association consisted of delegates from clubs, but now it
is composed of a congregation of representatives from State base-ball
associations, governed by the National Association proper, each State
association having immediate control of the affairs of its own clubs,
and possessing its own judiciary committee to settle disputes, but no
supervisory control over the playing rules of the game, that matter
being placed in the hands of a committee of rules of the parent
Association, to which is also attached a judiciary committee, forming a
court of appeal from the decisions of State judiciary committees, and
also a court to adjudicate upon disputes between clubs of two States.
At the last convention of the “_National Association of Base-Ball
Players_,” which was held in Philadelphia, Dec. 11, 1867, and in which
clubs from all sections of the country, from Maine to Iowa, and Michigan
to Kentucky, were represented, the following code of rules was adopted
to govern the play during the season of 1868:--
RULES AND REGULATIONS
ADOPTED BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BASE-BALL PLAYERS.
RULE I.--THE BALL, BAT, AND BASES.
SEC. 1. The ball must weigh not less than five, nor more than five and
one-quarter, ounces avoirdupois. It must measure not less than nine and
one-quarter, nor more than nine and one-half, inches in circumference.
It must be composed of india-rubber and yarn, and covered with leather,
and, in all match games, shall be furnished by the challenging club, and
become the property of the winning club as a trophy of victory.
SEC. 2. The bat must be round, and must not exceed two and a half inches
in diameter in the thickest part. It must be made of wood, and shall not
exceed forty-two inches in length.
SEC. 3. The bases must be four in number, placed at equal distances from
each other, and securely fastened upon each corner of a square whose
sides are respectively thirty yards. They must be so constructed and
placed as to be distinctly seen by the umpire, and must cover a space
equal to one square foot of surface. The first, second, and third bases
shall be canvas-bags, painted white, and filled with some soft material;
the home base and pitcher’s points to be each marked by a flat plate,
painted white.
SEC. 4. The base from which the ball is struck shall be designated the
home base, and must be directly opposite to the second base; the first
base must always be that upon the right-hand side, and the third base
that upon the left-hand side of the striker, when occupying his position
at the home base. And in all match games a line connecting the home and
first base, and the home and third base, shall be marked by the use of
chalk, or other suitable material, so as to be distinctly seen by the
umpire. The base-bag shall be considered the base, and not the post to
which it is, or should be, fastened.
RULE II.--THE PITCHING DEPARTMENT.
SEC. 1. The pitcher’s position shall be designated by two lines two
yards in length, drawn at right angles to the line from the home to the
second base, having their centres upon that line at two fixed iron
plates, placed at points fifteen and sixteen and one-third yards distant
from the home-base. The pitcher must stand within these lines, and must
deliver the ball as near as possible over the centre of the home base,
and fairly for the striker.
SEC. 2. Should the pitcher repeatedly fail to deliver to the striker
fair balls, for the apparent purpose of delaying the game, or for any
cause, the umpire, after warning him, shall call one ball, and if the
pitcher persists in such action, two, and three balls; when three balls
shall have been called, the striker shall take the first base; and
should any base be occupied at that time each player occupying it or
them shall take one base without being put out. All balls delivered by
the pitcher, striking the ground in front of the home base, or pitched
over the head of the batsman, or pitched to the side opposite to that
which the batsman strikes from, shall be considered unfair balls.
SEC. 3. The ball must be pitched, not jerked or thrown, to the bat; and
whenever the pitcher moves with the apparent purpose or pretension to
deliver the ball, he shall so deliver it, and must have neither foot in
advance of the front line at the time of delivering the ball; and if he
fails in either of these particulars, then it shall be declared a balk.
The ball shall be considered jerked, in the meaning of the rule, if the
pitcher’s arm touches his person when the arm is swung forward to
deliver the ball; and it shall be regarded as a throw, if the arm be
bent at the elbow, at an angle from the body, or horizontally from the
shoulder, when it is swung forward to deliver the ball.
SEC. 4. No player shall be put out on any hit ball on which a balk or a
ball has been called; and neither shall a strike or a foul ball be
called, or a base run on such a hit ball. But bases can be taken on
third-“called” balls, and on “balked” balls, in accordance with Section
2 of Rule II.
RULE III.--THE BATTING DEPARTMENT.
SEC. 1. The striker, when about to strike the ball, must stand astride
of a line drawn through the centre of the home base, not exceeding three
feet from either side thereof, and parallel with the front line of the
pitcher’s position, and he must not take any backward step when striking
at the ball. The penalty for an infringement of this rule shall be the
calling of one strike; and when three such strikes have been called, the
striker shall be declared out. If a ball on which such a strike is
called be hit and caught, either fair or foul, the striker shall be
declared out. No base shall be run on any such called strike, and any
player running the bases shall be allowed to return to the base he has
left, without being put out. As soon as the striker has struck a fair
ball, he shall be considered “a player running the bases.”
SEC. 2. Players must strike in regular rotation, and, after the first
innings is played, the turn commences with the player who stands on the
list next to the one who was the third player out.
SEC. 3. Should a striker stand at the bat without striking at fair
balls, for the apparent purpose of delaying the game, or of giving
advantage to a player, the umpire, after warning him, shall call one
strike, and, if he persists in such action, two, and three strikes. When
three strikes are called, and the ball be caught, either before touching
the ground or upon the first bound, the striker shall be declared out,
provided the balls struck at are not those on which balls or balks have
been called, or not those struck at for the purpose of wilfully striking
out. If three balls are struck at and missed, and the last one is not
caught, either flying or upon the first bound, the striker must attempt
to make his run, and he can be put out on the bases in the same manner
as if he had struck a fair ball.
SEC. 4. The striker is out if a foul ball is caught, either before
touching the ground or upon the first bound; or if a fair ball is
struck, and the ball be held before touching the ground; or if a fair
ball is struck, and the ball be held by an adversary on first base,
before the striker touches that base.
RULE IV.--RUNNING THE BASES.
SEC. 1. Players must make their bases in the order of striking; and when
a fair ball is struck, and not caught flying, the first base must be
vacated, as also the second and third bases, if they are occupied at the
same time. Players may be put out on any base, under these
circumstances, in the same manner as when running to the first base.
SEC. 2. Any player running the bases is out, if at any time he is
touched by the ball, while in play, in the hands of an adversary,
without some part of his person being on the base.
SEC. 3. No run or base can be made upon a foul ball. Such a ball shall
be considered dead, and not in play, until it shall first have been
settled in the hands of the pitcher. In such cases players running bases
shall return to them, and may be put out in so returning, in the same
manner as when running to first base. Neither can a run or base be made
when a fair ball has been caught without having touched the ground; but
such a ball shall be considered alive and in play. In such cases, also,
players running bases shall return to them, and may be put out in so
returning, in the same manner as when running to first base; but
players, when balls are so caught, may run their bases immediately after
the ball has been settled in the hands of the player catching it.
SEC. 4. When a balk is made by the pitcher, every player running the
bases is entitled to one base, without being put out.
SEC. 5. A player making the home base shall be entitled to score one
run.
SEC. 6. If two hands are already out, no player running home at the time
the ball is struck can make a run to count in the score of the game, if
the striker is put out.
SEC. 7. Players running bases must touch them, and, so far as possible,
keep upon the direct line between them, and must touch them in the
following order--first, second, third, and home; and if returning, must
reverse this order; and should any player run three feet out of this
line, for the purpose of avoiding the ball in the hands of an adversary,
he shall be declared out; or if he fail to touch each base he runs to he
shall be declared out, unless he return to such base before the ball be
held on it.
SEC. 8. If the player is prevented from making a base by the
intentional obstruction of an adversary, he shall be entitled to that
base, and shall not he put out. Any obstruction that could readily have
been avoided shall be considered as intentional.
RULE V.--THE GAME.
SEC. 1. The game shall consist of nine innings to each side, when,
should the number of runs be equal, the play shall be continued until a
majority of runs, upon an equal number of innings, shall be declared,
which shall conclude the game. An innings must be concluded at the time
the third hand is put out.
SEC. 2. In playing all matches, nine players from each club shall
constitute a full field; and they shall be members of the club which
they represent. They also must not have been members of any other club,
either in or out of the National Association, for thirty days
immediately prior to the match. Positions of players and choice of
innings shall be determined by captains previously appointed for that
purpose by the respective clubs. Every player taking part in a regular
match game, no matter what number of innings are played, shall be, in
the meaning of this section of the rules, considered a member of the
club he plays with.
SEC. 3. When a club sends a challenge to play a first-nine match game of
base-ball, and the same is accepted, the first game shall be played upon
the grounds of the challenging club, within fifteen days from the date
of the acceptance of the challenge; the second game shall be played upon
the grounds of the challenged club within fifteen days thereafter; and
if a third game be necessary, it shall be played upon grounds to be
mutually agreed upon, within fifteen days from the date of the second
game; _provided_: that the above arrangement may be varied by mutual
consent. And when a first-nine match game is to be played, the
contestants shall present on the field their recognized first-nines, as
far as practicable.
SEC. 4. Whenever a match shall have been determined upon between two
clubs, play shall be called at the exact hour appointed; and should
either party fail to produce their players within thirty minutes
thereafter, the party so failing shall admit a defeat, and shall deliver
the ball before leaving the ground, which ball shall be received by the
club who are ready to play, and the same shall be considered as won, and
so counted in the list of matches played; and the winning club shall be
entitled to a score of nine runs for any game so forfeited, unless the
delinquent side fail to play on account of the recent death of one of
its members, and sufficient time has not elapsed to enable them to give
their opponents due notice before arriving on the ground.
SEC. 5. No person who shall be in arrears to any other club than the one
he plays with, shall be competent to take part in any match game.
SEC. 6. No player, not in the nine taking their positions on the field
in the _third_ innings of a game, shall be substituted for a player,
except for reason of illness or injury.
SEC. 7. No match game shall be commenced when rain is falling; and
neither shall any such game be continued after rain has fallen for five
minutes. No match game shall be postponed unless by the mutual consent
of the contesting clubs.
SEC. 8. Every match game shall be decided by the best two games out of
three, unless a single game shall be mutually agreed upon by the
contesting clubs; and all matches shall terminate before the close of
the season.
SEC. 9. No person who shall be in arrears to any other club, or who
shall at any time receive compensation for his services as a player,
shall be competent to play in any match. No players, who play base-ball
for money, shall take part in any match game; and any club giving any
compensation to a player, or having, to their knowledge, a player in
their nine playing in a match for compensation, shall be debarred from
membership in the National Association; and they shall not be considered
by any club belonging to this Association as a proper club to engage in
a match with; and should any club so engage with them, they shall
forfeit membership.
RULE VI.--MISCELLANEOUS.
SEC. 1. If an adversary stops the ball with his hat or cap, or if a ball
be stopped by any person or persons not engaged in the game, no player
running the bases can be put out unless the ball shall first have been
settled in the hands of the pitcher while he stands in the line of his
position.
SEC. 2. Any player who shall intentionally prevent an adversary from
catching or fielding the ball, shall be declared out; or if any player
be prevented from making a base by the intentional obstruction of an
adversary, he shall be entitled to that base, and shall not be declared
out, even if touched with the ball.
SEC. 3. If a fair ball be held by a player before touching the ground,
after rebounding from the hands or person of a player, it shall be
considered a fair catch. And if a foul ball be similarly held after
touching the ground but once, it shall be considered a fair catch.
SEC. 4. If the ball, from the stroke of a bat, first touches the ground,
the person of a player, or any other object, behind the line or range of
home and the first base, or home and the third base, it shall be termed
foul, and must be so declared by the umpire, unasked. If the ball first
touches the ground either upon or in front of the line or range of those
bases, it shall be considered fair.
SEC. 5. Clubs may adopt such rules respecting balls knocked beyond or
outside of the bounds of the field, as the circumstances of the ground
may demand; and these rules shall govern all matches played upon the
ground, provided that they are distinctly made known to the umpire
previous to the commencement of the game.
SEC. 6. The captains of each nine shall alone be allowed to appeal for
the reversal of a decision of the umpire.
SEC. 7. No base can be run, or player be put out, on a dead ball.
RULE VII.--DUTIES OF THE UMPIRE.
SEC. 1. The umpire shall take care that the regulations respecting the
ball, bats, bases, and the pitcher’s and striker’s positions, are
strictly observed, and he shall require the challenging club to furnish
a ball, on which the size, weight, and the name of the manufacturer
shall be stamped. He shall be the sole judge of fair and unfair play,
and shall determine all disputes and differences which may occur during
the game. He shall take special care to declare all foul balls and
balks, immediately upon their occurrence, in a distinct and audible
manner. He shall, in every instance, before leaving the ground, declare
the winning club, and shall record his decision in the books of the
scorers. The umpire shall also require that the game be recorded by a
scorer for each of the contesting clubs. In all matches the umpire shall
be selected by the captains of the respective sides, and shall perform
all duties above enumerated.
SEC. 2. The umpire in any match shall determine when play shall be
suspended; and, if the game cannot be fairly concluded, it shall be
decided by the last equal innings, provided five innings have been
played; and the party having the greatest number of runs shall be
declared the winner.
SEC. 3. When the umpire calls “play,” the game must at once be proceeded
with; and the party failing to take their appointed positions in the
game within five minutes thereafter shall forfeit the game. When the
umpire calls “time,” play shall be suspended until he calls “play”
again.
SEC. 4. When the umpire “calls” a game, it shall end; but when he merely
suspends play for any stated period, it may be resumed at the point at
which it was suspended, provided such suspension does not extend beyond
the day of the match.
SEC. 5. No person engaged in a match, either as umpire, scorer, or
player, shall be either directly or indirectly interested in any bet
upon the game. Nor shall any person be permitted to act as umpire or
scorer in any match unless he shall be a member of the National
Association, or of a State branch thereof. Neither shall the umpire or
scorer be changed during a match, unless with the consent of both
parties, except for reason of illness or injury, or for a violation of
the above rules.
SEC. 6. No decision given by the umpire shall be reversed upon the
testimony of any player; and no decision whatever shall be reversed,
except for a palpable infringement of the rules, and then only on an
appeal by the captain.
SEC. 7. No person shall be permitted to approach or to speak with the
umpire, scorers, or players, or in any manner to interrupt or interfere
during the progress of the game, unless by special request of the
umpire. Any match game played by any club in contravention to the rules
adopted by the National Association, shall be considered null and void,
and shall not be counted in the list of match games won and lost.
* * * * *
For the information of clubs desirous of joining the National
Association, or of organising a State branch thereof, we give below
those portions of the constitution of the Association bearing upon the
subject:--
ARTICLE 3, SECTION 1. This Association shall be composed of delegates
from the several State base-ball associations which have been duly
admitted to a representation in the convention forming this
constitution, or which may be admitted to a representation in the manner
hereinafter provided. Each State association shall be entitled to one
delegate for every ten clubs, or fractional part of ten clubs, belonging
to such association. No individual club shall be entitled to
representation in this Association unless located in a state, territory,
or district, where there are not sufficient clubs to form a State
association. Each delegate shall be entitled to one vote, and no vote by
proxy shall be allowed.
SEC. 2. Any State base-ball association desiring to be represented in
this Association shall present to the recording secretary, at least
thirty days previous to the annual meeting of this Association, a
written official certificate, signed by the president and secretary of
the State association they represent, giving the names and number of the
clubs composing said association, date of their organization, names of
their officers, and number of members belonging to each club; also the
date of organization of the State association, and the names of their
delegates. Territories and the district of Columbia shall be considered
as states within the meaning of this section.
SEC. 3. All applications shall be immediately submitted to the committee
on nominations; but no such application shall be received by said
secretary unless presented thirty days previous to the annual meeting.
Said committee shall thereupon ascertain the condition, character, and
standing of such State base-ball association, and report the same at the
annual meeting, with the said application and their opinion thereon; and
a ballot shall thereupon be had at such meeting, upon the admission of
such State base-ball association, when, if two-thirds of the members
present vote in favour thereof, such State base-ball association shall
be declared duly entitled to representation in this Association. Any
informality or irregularity in the form or substance of the application
may be waived by a two thirds vote of the members present at the annual
meeting.
SEC. 4. No State association shall be represented in the Association
unless composed of ten clubs, numbering at least eighteen active members
each, or by any delegate under twenty-one years of age; nor shall any
State base-ball association be so represented until its delegates have
paid a fee hereinafter designated.
SEC. 5. Any State association organized after the adjournment of the
annual meeting of this Association, may be elected probationary members
thereof, after conforming to the requirements of sections second, third,
and fourth, by the nominating committee. They shall be liable to the
payment of dues and assessments, and be eligible to all the privileges
of regular members of the Association until the next annual meeting, at
which time they must be duly elected in the same manner as all regular
members.
THE GAME OF BASE-BALL.
As before asserted, the American game of base-ball requires a high
degree of physical ability, and the possession of manly characteristics
to excel in it; for although in theory a schoolboy could easily
comprehend the system, in practice an amount of manly vigour, courage,
and physical endurance is requisite, surprising to those who regard the
game in the light only of an improved edition of the old English
school-game of rounders.
The theory of base-ball is as simple as that of any field sport in
vogue, and therein lies one of its attractive features. But yet to play
the game up to its highest point of excellence requires as great a
degree of mental ability, and the possession of as many manly physical
attributes, as any known game of ball. The theory of base-ball is as
follows:--In the first place, a level field for play is selected, about
three hundred feet wide and five hundred long. A space of ground is then
marked out in the form of a square, with one corner as the position of
the home base, and the other corners for the first, second, and third
bases, the first base being on the right of the batsman, as he stands at
home base, and the third base on the left. The contestants in a game
consist of nine players on each side, and these nine players occupy the
following positions: catcher, pitcher, first, second, and third basemen,
short-stop, and left, centre, and right fielders. The first six players
above-named form the “_in-fielders_,” and the last three the
“_out-fielders_,” the nine taking the field being known as the
“out-hand,” or “field.” After the parties toss for the innings, the
losing side go to the bat, and the winning party to the field, and each
man to his position. The pitcher then delivers the ball to the batsman
of the opposite nine, who endeavours to send it out of reach of the
opposing field party, and far enough into the field to admit of his
running round the four bases, in which case he scores one run, provided
he is not put out in the interim. He is followed by his companions, one
after the other in regular rotation, until three of the batting side are
put out, when the field side take the bat and have their innings. Nine
innings constitute a full game, and no game is considered as played
unless five full innings have been completed. The ball--the only trophy
in a match--goes to the party making the most runs in a full game, or in
any number of even innings played not less than five.
In case of a tie at the close of the ninth innings, the game, unless by
mutual consent, must be prolonged innings after innings, until one or
other of the contesting sides obtains the most runs. And if anything
occur to interrupt or put a stop to the game before five innings on each
side have been played, the game must be drawn. The rules and regulations
of the game define all further particulars in reference to it.
HOW TO PLAY EACH POSITION.
GENERAL RULES.
There are nine positions in a base-ball field, two less than in a field
of cricketers in a match. The catcher plays behind the batsman to
receive the ball from the pitcher. The pitcher stands near the centre of
the in-field, forty-five feet from home base, and he is allowed only to
“_pitch_” the ball to the bat, not to throw it, jerk it, or bowl it. The
first base man attends to balls fielded to him on the base, his
principal duty being to hold the ball, while having one foot on the
base, before the batsman reaches it. The second and third basemen have
not only to hold the ball, but also to touch players running to the
bases before they can touch the bases. The short-stop attends to the
duties of backing up the pitcher and basemen generally, and of stopping
balls from the bat, and sending them to the bases, when the ball happens
to come within reach. The principal duties of the three out-fielders are
to catch long high balls, and to return in ground balls sent to their
positions. But the following are special instructions to occupants of
each position in the nine:--
THE CATCHER.
This player is expected to catch or stop all balls pitched or thrown to
the home base. He must be fully prepared to catch all foul balls,
especially “tips,” and be able to throw the ball accurately and swiftly
to the bases, and also to keep a bright look-out over the whole field.
“Foul balls” are those high balls which are hit so as to fall to the
ground _back_ of the line of the bases, from home to first base and home
to third. “Tips” are also foul balls, coming sharply from the bat to the
catcher.
When a player has made his first base, the catcher should take a
position nearer the striker, in order to take the ball from the pitcher
before it bounds; and the moment the ball is delivered by the pitcher,
and the player runs from the first to the second base, the catcher
should take the ball before bounding, and send it to the second base as
swiftly as possible, in time to cut off the player before he can touch
the base. In throwing to the base it would be as well, in the majority
of cases, to send the ball a little to the right of the base. The same
advice holds good in reference to a player running from the second base
to the third.
The catcher should have a thorough understanding with the pitcher in
regard to a code of signals by means of which he can not only direct the
pitcher to throw to a base to catch a player napping off the base--as a
wicket-keeper does the batsman when out of his ground in cricket--but
also so as to direct him where to send a ball to the bat, high or low,
in or out, as the peculiarity of the batsman’s play may require. The
catcher needs to be a swift and accurate thrower to the bases, a plucky
player in facing and stopping swiftly-pitched balls, and a patient
player in his efforts to prevent passed balls from inaccurate pitching.
When facing a swift pitcher, his aim should be to stop the ball, and to
be on the _qui vive_ for sharp “tips.” Off slow pitching more activity
is required, as the chances offered for difficult catches from foul
balls are greater.
As the position occupied by the catcher affords him the best view of the
field, the person filling it is generally chosen captain, although the
pitcher is sometimes selected for that position. We would suggest,
however, that some other player than the pitcher be chosen for captain,
from the fact that the physical labour attached to that position tends
to increase the player’s excitement, especially if the contest is a
close one, and it is requisite that the captain should be as cool and
collected as possible. The catcher, whenever he sees two or more
fielders running to catch a ball, should designate by name the one he
deems most likely to catch it, in which case the others should refrain
from the attempt to catch the ball on the fly, and strive only to catch
it in case of its being otherwise missed.
THE PITCHER.
More skill and judgment is requisite in this position than in any other
in the game. In fact, half the battle almost in a contest depends upon
the ability of the pitcher; and yet the best man in the position is
comparatively useless in a nine unless he be well supported in the
field. In cricket a bowler can take wickets when unassisted by a good
field party, but in base-ball a pitcher’s skill is entirely thrown away
unless well supported in the field, especially by the in-field portion
of the nine.
The pitcher’s position is within the lines of a space of ground six feet
by four in extent, located on the line between home and second base, the
front line of the position being distant forty-five feet from the home
base. The pitcher, in delivering the ball to the bat, is prohibited from
either throwing, jerking, or bowling the ball, and he is also prohibited
from making any motion in his delivery which will admit of a ball being
thrown, such as bending his arm outward at the elbow, &c. And if he
makes any one of the series of motions he uses in delivering the ball,
and fails to deliver it, then he incurs the penalty of a “balk,” in
which case players running the bases, but not the striker, are allowed
to take one base. The rules governing the delivery of the ball also
require the pitcher to deliver the ball _over_ the home base--which is
sixteen inches in width--and “fairly for the striker,” viz. within the
legitimate reach of the bat, and as near as possible to the point
indicated by the batsman, the boundary line in question extending from
within a foot of the ground to the height of the batsman’s head. The
pitcher in his style of delivery, may adopt any movement he likes,
provided he moves to deliver while standing _within_ the lines of his
position. It is regarded as throwing the ball, however, if it be
delivered in any way except by a straight arm, swinging
_perpendicularly_ with the body; and it is considered as “jerked,” if
the arm touches the side of the body in delivery. He should remember
that the rules define _unfairly_-pitched balls to be those pitched over
the head of the batsman; to the side opposite to that he strikes from;
on the ground before reaching the home base, or pitched so as to hit the
batsman when he is standing in his legitimate position--viz. _astride_
the line of the home base, and distant one foot from it. The pitcher
should be exceedingly cautious, and on the alert in watching the bases
when the players are attempting to run, and in such cases should
endeavour his utmost to throw a swift and true ball to the basemen. When
a player attempts to run in to the home base while he is pitching, he
should follow the ball to the home base as soon as it leaves his hand,
and be ready at the base to take it from the catcher. The pitcher will
frequently have to occupy a base on occasions when the proper guardian
has left it to field the ball. And in cases where a foul ball has been
struck, and the player running a base endeavours to return to the one he
has left, he should be ready to receive the ball at the point nearest
the base in question, in order to comply with that section of the rules
wherein in such cases it is required that the ball be settled in the
hands of the pitcher before it is in play. The pitcher has to face the
most dangerous balls sent from the bat, and therefore he requires to be
a plucky, courageous fellow, not afraid of being hurt. He should also be
an accurate thrower at short distances, and a sure catch. But the most
important requisite in the position, next to the ability to pitch the
ball accurately, is good judgment in pitching according to the skill and
peculiarities of his opponents at the bat.
THE BASE PLAYERS.
THE FIRST BASEMAN.