1855.45
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Unitarians' Christian Register Defends Base Ball on Fast Day
Salience | Noteworthy |
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Tags | Newspaper Coverage, Pre-modern RulesNewspaper Coverage, Pre-modern Rules |
Location | |
City/State/Country: | Boston, United States |
Modern Address | |
Game | Base Ball, Foot BallBase Ball, Foot Ball |
Immediacy of Report | Contemporary |
Age of Players | |
Holiday | Fast Day |
Notables | |
Text | The Boston-based Christian Register, "Devoted to Unitarian Christianity," appeared to respond to critics of Fast Day ballplaying in an unsigned article titled "Why Give It Up?" "A game of ball out-doors on Fast Day will not do those who play so much harm as the game of poker that they will play in-doors tomorrow . . . ." "Fast Day -- by some collusion of the Governor with the prophets of the weather, is almost always pleasant. It is apt to be the first day that savors of Spring. And so, -- even serious men stray into their gardens before sunset, -- look at the peach buds, and show children where the corn is to be, and where the peas. . . . And those who are not serious, -- are hoping to murder one or two robins, or using the dried grass for the first game, so often the last, of base ball or foot ball."last,
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Sources | Christian Register, Boston, March 31, 1855 |
Warning | |
Comment | We do not know the circulation of this 1855 paper beyond Boston. (We do know that it covered a Worcester MA story at entry 1849.6) The reference to players playing poker suggests that they were adults. Edit with form to add a comment |
Query | Was the writer saying, in "so often the last" game, that base ball and/or foot ball was not played much after Fast Day? Do we know what Boston-area foot ball like in 1855? Edit with form to add a query |
Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
External Number | |
Submitted by | Donna Halper |
Submission Note | Email of 5/3/2020. |
Has Supplemental Text |
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