How to amuse yourself and others : $b the American girl's handy bookBeard, Lina
General
How to amuse yourself and others : $b the American girl's handy book
Beard, Lina
Amusements -- Juvenile literature; Handicraft -- Juvenile literature
Half an egg-shell, with the face and hair painted on it, forms the
head. The cap is made of white tissue paper cut in four strips; one,
for the crown, is six and a half inches long, and a little over one
and a half wide; another, for the brim, is four and a half inches long
and one inch wide; while the strings are each three and a half inches
long, and one and a half wide. The crown is plaited in the centre, the
brim folded lengthwise through the middle, and sewed to the crown. The
strings are fastened on either side of the cap, and crossed in front;
then the cap is pasted on the head, the surplus paper folded back, and
the whole glued on a card. The ends of the strings are also fastened to
the card, forming a Quaker kerchief.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Lawn-Tennis with Our Own Net.]
CHAPTER V.
HOW TO MAKE A LAWN-TENNIS NET.
LET us see; it was that old medical gentleman, Galen the Greek, who
first wrote upon tennis, speaking of the sport as healthy exercise, was
it not? Well, girls, it really does not matter much to us whether he
was the first to write it up and the Greeks the first to play it, or
whether the game originated in France in the fifteenth century, as some
claim. What _we_ want to know is, can we all learn to play tennis? Does
it cost much? What kind of gowns and shoes must we wear? And is it an
enjoyable game?
There is no doubt, we think, of its being a right royal pastime, as it
has been called both the “king of games” and the “game of kings;” the
latter because it was enjoyed by princes and nobles—so much enjoyed,
that in both England and France edicts were published forbidding the
common people to play it.
Girls, do you wonder if they always had the choice of courts, and so
never took part in the fun of spinning the racket in the air while
the adversary called out “rough” or “smooth;” or whether they played
as we do, taking their defeats pleasantly and wearing their honors
gracefully, while always doing their very best?
They must have played well, for it is said that Louis XI., Henry II.,
and Charles IX., were experts, and that Henry VIII. of England was
extremely fond of the sport.
We can easily learn to play this most popular and exhilarating of
games. But we must be suitably clothed in order to thoroughly enjoy it
and receive all the benefit the recreation brings to both mind and body.
Flannel seems to be the best material for a tennis suit—it is so soft
and yielding, and so well adapted for a defence against either cold
or heat. Then, make your tennis gown of flannel; the skirt in plaits,
without drapery; the postilion basque of Jersey cloth, soft and
elastic, matching the skirt in color.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account