Outdoor Sports and Games

INTRODUCTORY
The human body a perfect machine--How to keep well--Outdoor sleeping--Exercise and play--Smoking--Walking Suppose you should wake up Christmas morning and find yourself to be the owner of a bicycle. It is a bra...

THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
Headquarters--Purpose--Scout law--How to form a patrol of scouts--Organization of a troop--Practical activities for scouts--A scout camp--Model programme of a Sir R.S.S. Baden-Powell scout camp The Boy Scout mo...

A SECONDCLASS SCOUT
Before being awarded a second-class scout's badge, a boy must pass the following tests: 1. Have at least one month's service as a tenderfoot. 2. Elementary first aid bandaging. 3. Signalling. Elementary know...

CAMPS AND CAMPING
How to select the best place and to pitch the tent--A brush bed--The best kind of a tent--How to make the camp fire--What to do when it rains--Fresh air and good food--The brush leanto and how to make it Going ...

THE USE OF FIREARMS
Importance of early training--Why a gun is better than a rifle--How to become a good shot Whether a boy of fifteen should have a gun or a rifle is a question that parents will have to settle for themselves. The...

FISHING
Proper tackle for all purposes--How to catch bait--The fly fisherman--General fishing rules Fishing is one sport of boyhood that we never outgrow our love for. Some of the most enthusiastic fishermen are gray-h...

NATURE STUDY
What is a true naturalist?--How to start a collection--Moth collecting--The Herbarium There is nothing in the world that will bring more pleasure into the life of a boy or girl than to cultivate a love for natu...

WATER LIFE
The water telescope--How to manage an aquarium--Our insect friends and enemies--The observation beehive The eggs of so many insects, toads, frogs and other interesting creatures are laid and hatched in water th...

THE CARE OF PETS
Cats--Boxes for song birds--How to attract the birds--Tame crows--The pigeon fancier--Ornamental land and water fowl--Rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and mice--How to build coops--General rules for pets--The dog In ...

THE DOG
Every boy should own a dog. He is the friend and companion of our youth. For a boy to grow up without a dog is to be denied one of the real joys of life. Senator Vest once said: "The one absolute, unselfish frien...

THE CARE OF CHICKENS
The best breed--Good and bad points of incubators--What to feed small chicks--A model chicken house A pen of chickens gives a boy or girl an opportunity for keeping pets that have some real value. Whether there...

WINTER SPORTS
What to wear--Skating--Skiing--Snowshoeing--Hockey If one is fortunate enough to live in a part of the country where they have old-fashioned winters, the possibilities for outdoor sports are very great and the ...

HORSEMANSHIP
How to become a good rider--The care of a horse--Saddles So many branches of outdoor sport depend on a knowledge of horsemanship that every boy or girl who has the opportunity should learn to ride horseback. Wh...

HOW TO SWIM AND TO CANOE
The racing strokes--Paddling and sailing canoes It has been said that the human being is the only animal that does not know instinctively how to swim without the necessity of being taught. If we take a dog or a...

BASEBALL
How to organize a team and to select the players--The various positions--Curve pitching Baseball is called the National Game of America just as cricket is regarded as the national game in England. The game rece...

HOW TO PLAY FOOTBALL
The various positions and how to select men for them--Team, work and signals--The rules Football is usually played in the fall of the year because the exercise that it involves is so violent that to attempt it ...

LAWN TENNIS
How to make and mark a tennis court--Clay and sod courts--The proper grip of the racket--Golf--The strokes and equipment The steady growth in popularity of lawn tennis as well as the splendid exercise that resu...

GOLF
The game of golf, while of comparatively recent introduction in this country, has sprung rapidly into popularity. It is hard to say just why it should be such a popular game except that it combines a certain amount...

PHOTOGRAPHY
The selection of a camera--Snapshots vs. real pictures--How to make a photograph from start to finish Aside from our own pleasant recollections, an album of photographs can be the most satisfactory reminder of ...

OUTDOOR SPORTS FOR GIRLS
What to wear--Confidence--Horseback riding--Tennis--Golf--Camping A generation ago the girl who joined her brother in his sports would have been considered a "tom boy," but in recent years girls have discovered...

ALLAROUND ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIP
This contest was instituted in America in 1884 to give athletes an opportunity to demonstrate their ability in all-around work. The contest is rapidly becoming the blue ribbon championship event in America for trac...

ARCHERY
Archery is the art of shooting with a bow and arrow. It is especially adapted as a lawn game for ladies and gentlemen, but boys and girls can practise archery and become proficient with bows and arrows just as the ...

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL OR SOCCER
A game similar to Rugby football except that it more closely resembles what its name implies and kicking predominates. A round, leather-covered ball is used and the game is considered to be much safer than our coll...

BADMINTON
An English outdoor game similar to lawn tennis but played with shuttlecocks. The net is five feet above the ground. The shuttlecock is a cork in which feathers have been inserted. The shuttlecock is served and retu...

BANDY
A game very similar to hockey, except that it is played out of doors instead of in a covered rink and a ball is used in place of a puck or rubber disk. The name "bandy" is sometimes applied also to shinney or shi...

BASEBALL
The national game of America. (See chapter on baseball.) The game is played by eighteen persons, nine on a side, called "nines." The positions are pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, r...

BASKET BALL
A game of ball which may be played either indoors or out, but which is especially adapted to in-door play when weather conditions make out-door sports impossible. Two baskets suspended on wire rings are placed at t...

BEAN BAGS
This game is known to every one by name and yet its simple rules are often forgotten. A couple of dozen bean bags are made in two colours of muslin. The players stand in two lines opposite each other and evenly div...

BLIND MAN'S BUFF
This game is played in two ways. In each case one player is blindfolded and attempts to catch one of the others and to identify him by feeling. In regular blind man's buff, the players are allowed to run about at w...

BULL IN THE RING
In this game the players form a circle with clasped hands. To be "bull" is the position of honour. The bull is supposed to be locked in by various locks of brass, iron, lead, steel, and so on. He endeavours to brea...

CALL BALL
In this game a rubber ball is used. One of the players throws it against a wall and as it strikes calls out the name of another player, who must catch it on its first bounce. If he does so he in turn then throws th...

CANE RUSH
This contest is usually held in colleges between the rival freshman and sophomore classes. A cane is held by some non-contestant and the two classes endeavour by pulling and pushing and hauling to reach the cane an...

CANOE TILTING
This is a revival of the ancient game of tilting as described in "Ivanhoe," except that the tilters use canoes instead of horses and blunt sticks in place of spears and lances. The object is for the tilter to shove...

CAT
A small block of wood pointed at both ends is used in this game. The batter strikes it with a light stick and as it flies into the air attempts to bat it with the stick. If the cat is caught the batter is out. Othe...

COUNTINGOUT RHYMES
Almost every section has some favourite counting-out rhyme of its own. Probably the two most generally used are: "_My mother told me to take this one_," and that old classic-- "_Eeny, meeny, miny, mo...

COURT TENNIS
This game, though very similar to rackets and squash, is more scientific than either. The court is enclosed by four walls. A net midway down the court divides the "service" side from the "hazard" side. The rackets ...

CRICKET
A game of ball which is generally played in England and the British provinces, but which is not very popular in the United States. There are two opposite sides or sets of players of eleven men each. At two points 2...

CROQUET
A game played with wooden balls and mallets, on a flat piece of ground. The game consists in driving the ball around a circuitous course through various wire rings called "wickets" and, after striking a wooden peg ...

CURLING
An ancient Scotch game played on the ice, in which the contestants slide large flat stones, called curling stones, from one point to another. These points or marks are called "tees." In playing, an opportunity for ...

DIXIE'S LAND
This game is also called "Tommy Tiddler's Land." It is a game of tag in which a certain portion of the playground is marked off as the "land." The one who is "it" endeavours to catch the others as they invade his l...

DUCK ON A ROCK
This game is also called "Boulder Up." It is not customary to "count out" to decide it. For this game usually some one suggests, "Let's play Duck on a Rock," and then every one scurries around to find an appropriat...

FAT
This is the universal game of marbles. It is sometimes called "Yank," or "Knuckle There." A ring is scratched in the ground a foot or two in diameter. It is then divided into four parts by two lines drawn through t...

FEATHER RACE
The contestants endeavour to blow a feather over a certain course in the shortest time. The rule is that the feather must not be touched with the hands. Out of doors this game is only possible on a very still day. ...

FOOT AND A HALF
This is a game of "Leap Frog" also called "Par" or "Paw." One of the boys is chosen "down," who leans over and gives a "back" to the rest, who follow leader, usually the boy who suggests the game. He will start mak...

FOOTBALL
The present game of football as played in American schools and colleges is a development of the English game of Rugby. There are twenty-two players, eleven on a side or team. The game is played on a level field, at...

GARDEN HOCKEY
This game is played between two parallel straight lines, 3 feet 6 inches apart and marked on the lawn with two strips of tape. At the opposite two ends of the tape are two goal posts 14 inches apart with a crossbar...

GOLF
A game played over an extensive piece of ground which is divided into certain arbitrary divisions called holes. A golf course is usually undulating with the holes laid out to afford the greatest possible variety of...

GOLFCROQUET
This game may be played either by two or four persons. Wickets are placed at irregular distances, and the object of the game is to drive a wooden ball 2-3/4 inches in diameter through these wickets. It may be playe...

HABENIHAN
This game is played with smooth stones about the size of a butter dish. A target is marked on the sand or on any smooth piece of ground, or if played on the grass the target must be marked with lime similar to mark...

HALEY OVER
The players, equally divided, take positions on opposite sides of a building such as a barn, so that they can not be seen by their opponents. A player on one side then throws the ball over the roof and one of his o...

HAND BALL
A game of ancient Irish origin which is much played by baseball players and other athletes to keep in good condition during the winter when most outdoor sports are impossible. A regulation hand ball court has a b...

HAND POLO
A game played with a tennis ball in which two opposing sides of six players each endeavour to score goals by striking the ball with the hands. The ball must be struck with the open hand. In play, the contestants op...

HAND TENNIS
A game of lawn tennis in which the hand is used in place of a racket. A hand tennis court is smaller than a regulation tennis court. Its dimensions are 40 feet long and 16 feet wide. The net is 2 feet high. The ser...

HAT BALL
This game is very similar to Roley Boley or Nigger Baby except that hats are used instead of hollows in the ground. The ball is tossed to the hats and the first boy to get five stones, or "babies," in his hat has t...

HIGH KICK
A tin pan or wooden disk is suspended from a frame by means of a string and the contestants in turn kick it as it is drawn higher and higher until finally, as in high jumping, it reaches a point where the survivor ...

HOCKEY
Hockey is usually played on the ice by players on skates, although, like the old game of shinney, it may be played on any level piece of ground. The hockey stick is a curved piece of Canadian rock elm with a flat b...

HOP OVER
All but one of the players, form a ring standing about two feet apart. Then by some "counting out" rhyme some one is made "it." He then takes his place in the centre of the circle, holding a piece of stout string o...

HOP SCOTCH
Hop scotch is a game that is played by children all over the world. A court about 20 feet long and 4 or 5 feet wide is drawn with chalk, coal, or a piece of soft brick on the sidewalk or scratched with a pointed st...

HUNT THE SHEEP
Two captains are chosen and the players divided into equal sides. One side stays in the home goal and the other side finds a hiding place. The captain of the side that is hidden or "out" then goes back to the other...

INTERCOLLEGIATE AMATEUR ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
This association controls the field athletic contests between the colleges known as the "Intercollegiates." It is generally known as the I.C.A.A.A.A. To win a point for one's college in this contest is the highes...

I SPY
This game is sometimes called "Hide and Seek," One of the players is made "it" by any of the familiar counting-out rhymes. The rest then secure a hiding place while he counts fifty or one hundred. A certain tree ...

JACK FAGOTS
This game is the same in principle as Jackstraws except that fagots or sticks of wood two feet long are used in place of jackstraws. They are removed from a pile with a crooked stick and must be taken out one at a ...

JAPANESE FAN BALL
This game is especially adapted for a lawn party for girls. Either Japanese fans or the ordinary palm-leaf fans will do for rackets. The balls are made of paper and should be six or eight inches in diameter and in ...

KICK THE STICK
One player is chosen to be "it" and the rest are given a count of twenty-five or fifty to hide. A stick is leaned against a tree or wall and this is the home goal. As soon as the goal keeper can spy one of the play...

KING OF THE CASTLE
This can be made a very rough game, as it simply consists in a player taking a position on a mound or hillock and defying any one to dislodge him from his position by the taunting words: "_I'm the King of the...

LACROSSE
A game of ball played by two opposing teams of twelve players each. The lacrosse field is a level piece of ground with net or wire goals at each end. The players strive to hurl the ball into their opponents' goal b...

LAWN BOWLS
This is a very old game and of great historic importance. The famous Bowling Green in New York City was named from a small park where the game was played by New Yorkers before the Revolution. The game is played wit...

LAWN BOWLING
This game is similar in every respect to indoor bowling except that no regular alley is used. A net for a backstop is necessary. The pins are set upon a flat surface on a lawn and the players endeavour to knock dow...

LAWN HOCKEY
This game is played on a field a little smaller than a football field, being 110 yards long and from 50 to 60 yards wide. The ball used is an ordinary cricket ball. The goals are two upright posts 12 feet apart and...

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

LAWN TENNIS (SEE CHAPTER ON TENNIS)
A game of ball played on a level piece of ground, called a court, by two, three, or four persons. When two play the game is called "singles," and when four play it is called "doubles." The game is played with a rub...

LAST TAG
There are a great many games of "tag" that are familiar to boys and girls. One of the common games is "last tag," which simply means that a boy tags another and makes him "it" before leaving the party on his way ho...

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

MARATHON RACE
A long distance race, held in connection with the Olympic Games and named from a famous event in Greek history. The accepted Marathon distance is 26 miles, 385 yards. The race was won at the Olympic Games held in E...

OLYMPIC GAMES
The Olympic Games are open to the athletes of the world. The following events are contested for: 60-metre run 100-metre run 200-metre run 400-metre run 800-metre run 1500-metre run 110-metre hu...

MARBLES
There is a large variety of games with marbles and the expressions used are universal. Boys usually have one shooter made from agate which they call a "real." To change the position of the shooter is called "roundi...

NAMES OF MARBLES
The common marbles used by boys everywhere are called mibs, fivers, commies, migs, megs, alleys, and dubs. A very large marble is a bumbo and a very small one a peawee. Glass marbles are called crystals and those m...

MUMBLETY PEG
This game is played with a penknife. A piece of turf is usually the best place to play. Various positions for throwing the knife are tried by each player, following a regular order of procedure, until he misses, wh...

ONE OLD CAT
This is a modified game of baseball that may be played by three or four. Generally there is only one base to run to, and besides the batter, pitcher, and catcher the rest of the players are fielders. Any one catchi...

PASS IT
This game may be played on a lawn. Four clothes baskets are required as well as a variety of objects of various sizes and kinds, such as spools of thread, pillows, books, matches, balls, pencils, umbrellas, pins, a...

PELOTA
A game similar to racquets, sometimes called "Jai-a-li," that is much played in Spain and in Mexico. The game is played with a narrow scoop-like wicker basket or racket which is fastened to the wrist. The players c...

PLUG IN THE RING
This is the universal game that boys play with tops. A ring six feet in diameter is described on the ground and each player puts a top called a "bait" in the centre. The baits are usually tops of little value. The ...

POLO OR EQUESTRIAN POLO
A game played on horseback, which originated in Eastern countries and was first played by the English in India. It has been introduced both into England and America. Polo is a rich man's game and requires a great d...

POTATO RACE
In this game as many rows of potatoes are laid as there are players. They should be placed about five feet apart. The race consists in picking up all of the potatoes, one at a time, and carrying them to the startin...

PRISONER'S BASE
Two captains select sides. They then mark out on the ground two bases, or homes. They also mark out two "prisons" near each home base. Then each side stands in its own home and a player runs out and advances toward...

PUSH BALL
A game usually played on foot but sometimes on horseback, in which the object is to push or force a huge ball over the opponents' goal line. A regulation "push ball" is six feet in diameter and costs three hundred ...

QUOITS
A game played with flattish malleable iron or rubber rings about nine inches in diameter and convex on the upper side, which the players endeavour to loss or pitch so that they will encircle a pin or peg driven int...

RACQUETS OR RACKETS
One of the numerous court games similar to lawn tennis that is now finding public favour, but played in a semi-indoor court. A racquet court is 31 feet 6 inches wide and about 63 feet long. The front wall, against ...

RED LINE
In this game, also called Red Lion, the goal must be a straight line, such as the crack in a sidewalk or the edge of a road. The one who is "it" runs after the rest as in tag, and when he has captured a prisoner he...

ROLEY BOLEY
This game is also called Roll Ball and Nigger Baby, and is played by children all over the civilized world. A number of depressions are hollowed in the ground corresponding to the number of players and a hole is ch...

ROQUE
This game may be called scientific croquet. A roque mallet has a dogwood head 9-1/2 inches long, with heavy nickel ferrules. Roque balls are made of a special composition that is both resilient and practically unbr...

ROWING RECORD
The best amateur intercollegiate record for the eight-oared race of four miles is 18 minutes 53-1/5 seconds, made by Cornell, July 2, 1901. ...

RUBICON
This game may be played with any number of players, and is especially adapted for a school or lawn game. Two players are chosen as pursuers and the rest are divided equally and stand two by two facing each other in...

SACK RACING
A form of sport where the contestants are fastened in sacks with the hands and feet confined and where they race for a goal by jumping or hopping along at the greatest possible speed under this handicap. A sack rac...

SCOTLAND'S BURNING
This game is based upon the song of the same name. The players form a ring, with three judges in the centre. Each player with appropriate gestures in turn begins the song, "_Scotland's burning. Scotland's bur...

SKIING
This sport has recently received wide popularity in sections of the country where the winters make it possible. Skis--or, as they are sometimes spelled, skee,--are a pair of flat runners from five to ten feet long ...

SPANISH FLY
In this game of leap frog various tricks are attempted by the leader, as in the game of "stump master." Each of the boys following is expected to do as the leader or to drop out and become "down" himself. "Torchlig...

SQUASH
This game is similar to racquets, but is less violent or severe on a player. It is played in a court 31 feet 6 inches wide. The front wall must be 16 feet high. The service line above which the ball must strike on ...

STUMP MASTER
In this game one of the players is chosen master. It is usually the one who first suggests the game by saying. "Let's play stump master." He then leads the line of players, going through various "stumps," or, as we...

SUCKERS
This can scarcely be called a game, but the use of the sucker is so familiar to most boys that a description of it is surely not out of place in this chapter. A piece of sole leather is used, three or four inches s...

TETHER BALL
The same as tether tennis, which see. ...

TETHER TENNIS
This game has been developed out of lawn tennis. A wooden pole extending 10 feet above the surface is placed in a vertical position and firmly imbedded in the ground. The pole must be 7-1/2 inches in circumference ...

THREELEGGED RACING
A race in which the contestants are paired off by being strapped together at the ankles and thighs. Remarkable speed can be obtained by practice under this handicap. There are definite rules to govern three-legged ...

TUB RACING
These races are often held in shallow lakes. Each contestant sits in a wash tub, and by using his hands as paddles endeavours to paddle the course first. As a wash tub is not a particularly seaworthy craft, and spi...

VOLLEY BALL
This game is extremely simple and may be played by any number of players, provided that there is space and that the sides are evenly divided. The best dimensions for a volley ball court are 25 feet wide and 50 feet...

WARNING
The "warner" takes his position at a space called "home" and the rest of the players stand some distance from him. He then clasps his hands and runs out, trying to tag an opponent with his clasped hands. This would...

WASHINGTON
In this game a player stands blindfolded and another player comes up and taps him. The one who is "it" then gives a penalty, such as "climb a tree or run to the corner and back," and then tries to guess who it was ...

WATER POLO
This game is played in a swimming pool. A white ball made of rubber fabric is used. The ball must be between 7 and 8 inches in diameter. The goals are spaces 4 feet long and 12 inches wide at each end of the tank a...

WATER RACE
In this game the contestants run a race carrying a glass or tin cup full of water on top of the head, which must not be touched by the hands. The one finishing first with a minimum loss of water from his cup is the...

WICKET POLO
A game played by two teams of four players each. The ball used is a regulation polo ball. A wicket polo surface is 44 feet square, in which sticks or wickets are set up. The object of the game is to knock down the ...

WOLF AND SHEEP
In this game "it" is the wolf. The sheep choose a shepherd to guard them. The wolf then secures a hiding place and the sheep and shepherd leave the fold and endeavour to locate him. When this is done the shepherd c...