BASEBALL

the ‘national game’ of the United States, had its origin in the English game ‘rounders,’ to which it still bears a close resemblance. It was first played in Philadelphia, in 1838, being then known as ‘town ball.’ It first became popular in New York, where local clubs were formed and games contested in a large fleld situated over the river on a site where Hoboken, N. J., now stands. From New York the enthusiasm for the game gradually spread over the country, and in 1857 a national conference of ball clubs was held to formulate a set of standard rules, so that clubs from different parts of the country might lay together. In May of that year a ded, and in the following year the first real series between organized baseball teams was played on the old racecourse in Flushing, Long Island, N.Y., though as yet all the players were amateurs. The rules of the game were still very much undeveloped, compared to those of the present day. The ball must consist of a rubber ball, weighing 214 ounces, covered over with yarn and leather enough to bring it up to 6}4 ounces, and it must be 104 inches in circumference. The bat could be any length, but must be 214 inches in diameter. The ball could only be pitched; there must be no throws or jerks. The pitcher could take any number of cn before pitching. Until this time there had been no thought of charging admi ion within enclosed fields for spectators, but in 1863 the Union Ball Ground was opened in Brooklyn, N.Y., where teams were invited to play and spectators were charged admi ion, the proprietor at first pocketing all the profit, but later dividing with the players. In 1869 the first salaried baseball team was formed, the ‘Red Stockings’ of Cincinnati, Ohio. This team began touring the country, playing local amateur clubs, and, of course, winning all the games. In 1871.. the ‘National A ociation of Profe ional Baseball Players’ was formed, which | remained in the field without a rival until 1890, when the ‘American League’ was founded. Since then the profe ional aspect of the game has developed strongly, together with the corruption inevitable with its commercialization. This evil tendency finally culminated in a scandal, in 1921, as a result of which Judge Landis, of Chicago, was appointed as ‘national dictator’ of the game, with the power to fine and suspend players for infringement of the national rules. The result has been such a renewal of confidence on the part of the public that other fields of commercialized amusements, such as the motion picture industry, have adopted similar measures. The game since then has grown more popular than ever, as evidenced by the gate receipts, which broke the record in 1922. The World’s Series of 1922 was fc between the New York National eague and the New York American League Clubs, _ respectively pennant winners in their leagues. The National League Club (Giants) won in four games to none, with the second contest ending in a 3-3 tie due to darkne , the attenLega averaging between 36,000 and