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Science, Art, And The Drama.
Science , Art , and the Drama .
DICE AND DOLASSES .
( Continued ) . Three oblong dice , resembling the Roman tali , are used in an old Indian eame called chausar , being a variant of the still older game known as tachisi , which is played with seven cowry-shells . Both these games resemble backgammon , and the latterj has been traced by Dr , E . B . Tylor to America where under the name of patolli it was played by the Mexicans
, before the conquest , and is still played by some of the North American tribes , beans being used instead of dice . Dr . Tylor calls this game , in which the oblong dice beans , cowry-shells , and , perhaps , knuckle bones , sticks or strips of wood , were used and thrown by hand , lot-backgammon , which , he thinks , was the most anciont form of the game , afterwards developed into dice-backgammon as at present played . The Indian
bachisi and the Mexican patolli were both played upon mats , upon which was drawn a cross divided into squares . The early Spanish writers all describe the game , the eagerness displayed by the players , and the superstitious ceremonies with which it was commenced . The dice are described as black beans , five or 10 in number , marked with little white dots . Gamesters are represented as going about with the mat and stones in a
little basket under their arms . They would address these things as though they were living beings , offer incense and food to them , and then , after rubbing them awhile in their hands , calling meanwhile upon the god of dice , would throw them upon the mat , give a great clap , and then look to see the points that had come . From Mexico this game of patolli spread under the same name , but with variations in the number of
dice used and the substances of which they were composed , as far north as the Great Lakes . Sometimes the dice were made of elk-horn , cut and polished and blackened on one side , sometimes of peach stones ground down , sometimes of slips of reed , or bits of wood , upon which different marks were made in black . The American Indians , like the Chinese and other Eastern nations , are great gamblers , and at their tribal
dances enter into competition with those who come to witness the ceremonies , and win or lose a great portion of their worldly possessions . One of their ancient gambling games was played with marked plum stones shaken in a bowl , the numbers of marked stones turning up denoting the winner . These p lum stones , constituting dice , were much used before the advent of Europeans , but are now almost superseded by cards . One use of them ,
which seems to have been confined to the Sioux , is described in Yarrow ' s Mortuary customs of the North American Indians , under the name of the " ghost gamble . " Upon the death of a wealthy Indian all his property is divided into small bundles , and at the first feast held in honour of the deceased an Indian is chosen to represent his ghojt . This ghost plays against each of the invited guests singly for the property of the dead , and
whoever wins against the ghost , takes up a bundle and goes out of the tent , making room for the next player , till the whole of the bundles are disposed of . The use of dice , which we have thus shown to have been universal and very ancient , is now forbidden by law ; but an exception is made in the case of the lavourite old game of back gammon , in which dice may still be thrown , as of old , without fear of legal penalties . The fascination which
games of chance have exercised over gentle and simple is well illustrated in the description given by Stow , of the entertainment given by Henry Picard , Mayor of London , in 1357 , when the Kings of France and Scotland , being prisoners in England , and the King of Cyprus on a visit to England to Edward III ., the Mayor , having won 50 marks from the King of Cyprus , returned him the money , sayinp , " My Lord and King , be not aggrieved ; for I covet not your gold , but your play . "
SCULPTURE IN THE REIGN OF JAMES I .
Sculpture was carried to no great height in this reign ; what statuaries there were found employment chiefly on monuments , which were generally in a bad taste . We will mention a few names . Maximilian c olte lived in St . Bartholomew ' s-close ; in the church is a monument to his daughter Abigail , who died at the age of 16 , rtlarch 29 th , 1629 ; and in the register of the parish is mentioned the interment of his wife Susan , who died in 1 645 . He had two sons , Alexander and John ; the latter was a
stonecutter , and was buried in the same parish with his wife and children Maximilian , the father , was of some eminence , and was in the service of the Crown , as appears by an office book of the Board of Works Maximilian Colte , master sculptor , at £ S a year , 16 33 . Epephanius
Evesham was another sculptor of that time . He affords the first instance of an English sculptor of considerable talent . The practice of placing the name of the artist upon the plinth of any sepulchral monument is of a date much subsequent to Evesham ' s time . Numerous monuments of acknowledged merit , therefore , remains unattributed , and it will not be supposed
mat Lvesham had acquired fame without having produced many examples , the record of which will now be sought in vain . In the translation of Owen ' s Epigrams , by John Penkethman , printed in 1624 , the translator says , " Give me leave to insert his ( Owen ' s ) epitath , which is engraved on a plate of brass , and fixed under his monumental imaee , formed and erected
| > y that most exquisite artist , Mr . Epephanius Evesham , in the cathedral of /' u ; '' " Nicholas Stone was the statuary most in vogue . He was born at Woodbury , near Exeter , in 1586 , and coming to London lived for some time with one Isaac James . He then went to Holland , where he worked for reter de Kejser , whose dauchter he married , and returning to England , was employed in making monuments for persons of first distinction . We
owe to Nicholas Stone the full praise of having deviated with more success man his immediate predecessors , from the stiff and Gothic style , yet his approaches towards classic grace were distant . During the time of his practice , the French , Flemings , or Italians brought to England sometimes ine manner of Gougeon or Pilon , sometimes a debased imitation of lohn of
ooiogna , and sometimes the taste of Bernini , but never a pure style nor cha i K lnClP r In l 6 l 6 < Stone was sent t 0 Edinburgh , to work in the King ' s anrr •VJ . u Inl 6 l y < hewasen B agedonthebuilding of the banqueting house , dria in the beginning of the rei gn of King Charles he received his patent as master mason , recorded in Rymer's F . rdern , of which this is the substance : ' ° " X ! [ hat w 2 do give and grant unto our trusty and well beloved servant Nicholas Stone , the office and place of our master-mason and
Science, Art, And The Drama.
architect , for all our buildings and reparations belonging to our castte of Windsor , during the term of his natural life ; and further , for the executing the said office , we do give him the wages and lee of twelve pence , by the day , in as ample and as large a manner as William Suthis or any other person , here-to-fore , did enjoy . —20 th April , 1626 . " The history of his works is fully recorded by himself . His pocket-book has been preserved , in which he kept an account of the statues and tombs he executed , of the persons for whom done , and of the payments he received .
THE ARMADILLOS . There are many species of armadillos , and most of them differ considerably from each other in shape and size . The giant armadillo of Brazil is the largest of them all , and measures about 3 feet in length of body , and is furnished with a long tail . The smallest armadillo of Argentina is only about 5 inches in length , and has a tail only about an inch long . The other armadillos include the six-banded armadillo of Brazil , the
broadbanded one of Paraguay , the shaggy one of Peru , and the Peba armadillo . There are other species , but they are closely allied to those enumerated , and only differ from them in minute details . The body of this animal is covered with a shield of bony plates , which is its only protection from its enemies , being furnished with no formidable weapon of offence , in the shape of sharp claws and teeth , to battle with antago ists . All the armadillos burrow with great rapidity , and disappear into the earth , almost
as quickly as if diving into water . Although possessed of only short limbs , they are very fleet of foot . With regard to food , nearly all of them are insectiverous , but the hairy and Peba armadillos are carniverous , and snakes form apart of the d'et of the former . These it kills by lacerating their bodies with the sharp edges of its carapace . Although partial to an insect diet , worms do not come amiss to it . Notwithstanding this unpleasant bill of fare , its flesh has no unsavoury taste about it , and is greatly relished by the natives , who are constantly hunting the animal on this account .
MADAME SARA BERNHARDT . It is gratifying to note how enthusiastically Mme . Bernhardt , on returning to Paris last week , after her successful season here , spoke not only of her personal experiences of English kindness and hospitality , but of the cordial feeling shown by the many people of all classes amongst us towards her compatriots . The great actress ' s comment , given to one of her own countrymen , is worth recording : " Take my word for it , these people have as much esteem for us as ever , and would be very glad to be our friends . "
GENERAL NOTES . Madame Clara Butt is now rejoicing exceedingly in the possession of an infant daughter . In a few weeks' time the popular contralto and her husband , Mr . Kennerley Rumford , will fulfil several engagements arranged for them by Mr . Vert .
Mr . Max Beerbohm ' s one act play , " The Happy Hypocrite , " is to be converted into an opera , and the music will be written by Mr . C . Willeby , a young musician who is rapidly making a conspicuous position as a composer of distinction .
One of the features of the Leeds Festival in October will be the performance by Dr . Joachim and Senor Arbos of Spohr ' s double concerto in B minor for violins .
BRO . SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN'S BIRTHPLACE .-The house in which Bro . Sir Arthur Sullivan was born , is 8 , Bolwell-street , Lambeth , a neighbourhood now chiefly occpied by those engaged in the great pottery works of Messrs . Doulton . Mr . Doulton , indeed , was the donor of a tablet to mark the composer ' s birthplace , ani this , with a very simple ceremonial , was unveiled on Saturday last by Bro . Dr . Cummings and Dr . Prout , as representing the Society of Musicians . The plaque was concealed
behind a Union Jack stretched between the two bedroom windows , and , on pulling a string , the flag tell , and the inscription on the tablet was revealed , as follows : " In this house was born , 1 S 42 , Sir Arthur Sullivan , musician . Died inco , and was buried in St . Paul ' s Cathedral . " Brief speeches were delivered by Bro . Cummings and Dr . Prout , and the Guildhall Glee Singers sang Sullivan ' s "The Long Day Closes , " this ending the brief ceremonial . cjj
Ad00502
\X\^"«..gjj^1M" \ X ^ £ N . WKIiL-KXOWX PLAN OP tsctoo^fSX20MONTHLY °ases '^P^\PA¥MKiVrs £25/fwL>v*iv\AT CATAL OGUE ^ «^ \ 5 y /\ CASH PRICES . /^\\
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Science, Art, And The Drama.
Science , Art , and the Drama .
DICE AND DOLASSES .
( Continued ) . Three oblong dice , resembling the Roman tali , are used in an old Indian eame called chausar , being a variant of the still older game known as tachisi , which is played with seven cowry-shells . Both these games resemble backgammon , and the latterj has been traced by Dr , E . B . Tylor to America where under the name of patolli it was played by the Mexicans
, before the conquest , and is still played by some of the North American tribes , beans being used instead of dice . Dr . Tylor calls this game , in which the oblong dice beans , cowry-shells , and , perhaps , knuckle bones , sticks or strips of wood , were used and thrown by hand , lot-backgammon , which , he thinks , was the most anciont form of the game , afterwards developed into dice-backgammon as at present played . The Indian
bachisi and the Mexican patolli were both played upon mats , upon which was drawn a cross divided into squares . The early Spanish writers all describe the game , the eagerness displayed by the players , and the superstitious ceremonies with which it was commenced . The dice are described as black beans , five or 10 in number , marked with little white dots . Gamesters are represented as going about with the mat and stones in a
little basket under their arms . They would address these things as though they were living beings , offer incense and food to them , and then , after rubbing them awhile in their hands , calling meanwhile upon the god of dice , would throw them upon the mat , give a great clap , and then look to see the points that had come . From Mexico this game of patolli spread under the same name , but with variations in the number of
dice used and the substances of which they were composed , as far north as the Great Lakes . Sometimes the dice were made of elk-horn , cut and polished and blackened on one side , sometimes of peach stones ground down , sometimes of slips of reed , or bits of wood , upon which different marks were made in black . The American Indians , like the Chinese and other Eastern nations , are great gamblers , and at their tribal
dances enter into competition with those who come to witness the ceremonies , and win or lose a great portion of their worldly possessions . One of their ancient gambling games was played with marked plum stones shaken in a bowl , the numbers of marked stones turning up denoting the winner . These p lum stones , constituting dice , were much used before the advent of Europeans , but are now almost superseded by cards . One use of them ,
which seems to have been confined to the Sioux , is described in Yarrow ' s Mortuary customs of the North American Indians , under the name of the " ghost gamble . " Upon the death of a wealthy Indian all his property is divided into small bundles , and at the first feast held in honour of the deceased an Indian is chosen to represent his ghojt . This ghost plays against each of the invited guests singly for the property of the dead , and
whoever wins against the ghost , takes up a bundle and goes out of the tent , making room for the next player , till the whole of the bundles are disposed of . The use of dice , which we have thus shown to have been universal and very ancient , is now forbidden by law ; but an exception is made in the case of the lavourite old game of back gammon , in which dice may still be thrown , as of old , without fear of legal penalties . The fascination which
games of chance have exercised over gentle and simple is well illustrated in the description given by Stow , of the entertainment given by Henry Picard , Mayor of London , in 1357 , when the Kings of France and Scotland , being prisoners in England , and the King of Cyprus on a visit to England to Edward III ., the Mayor , having won 50 marks from the King of Cyprus , returned him the money , sayinp , " My Lord and King , be not aggrieved ; for I covet not your gold , but your play . "
SCULPTURE IN THE REIGN OF JAMES I .
Sculpture was carried to no great height in this reign ; what statuaries there were found employment chiefly on monuments , which were generally in a bad taste . We will mention a few names . Maximilian c olte lived in St . Bartholomew ' s-close ; in the church is a monument to his daughter Abigail , who died at the age of 16 , rtlarch 29 th , 1629 ; and in the register of the parish is mentioned the interment of his wife Susan , who died in 1 645 . He had two sons , Alexander and John ; the latter was a
stonecutter , and was buried in the same parish with his wife and children Maximilian , the father , was of some eminence , and was in the service of the Crown , as appears by an office book of the Board of Works Maximilian Colte , master sculptor , at £ S a year , 16 33 . Epephanius
Evesham was another sculptor of that time . He affords the first instance of an English sculptor of considerable talent . The practice of placing the name of the artist upon the plinth of any sepulchral monument is of a date much subsequent to Evesham ' s time . Numerous monuments of acknowledged merit , therefore , remains unattributed , and it will not be supposed
mat Lvesham had acquired fame without having produced many examples , the record of which will now be sought in vain . In the translation of Owen ' s Epigrams , by John Penkethman , printed in 1624 , the translator says , " Give me leave to insert his ( Owen ' s ) epitath , which is engraved on a plate of brass , and fixed under his monumental imaee , formed and erected
| > y that most exquisite artist , Mr . Epephanius Evesham , in the cathedral of /' u ; '' " Nicholas Stone was the statuary most in vogue . He was born at Woodbury , near Exeter , in 1586 , and coming to London lived for some time with one Isaac James . He then went to Holland , where he worked for reter de Kejser , whose dauchter he married , and returning to England , was employed in making monuments for persons of first distinction . We
owe to Nicholas Stone the full praise of having deviated with more success man his immediate predecessors , from the stiff and Gothic style , yet his approaches towards classic grace were distant . During the time of his practice , the French , Flemings , or Italians brought to England sometimes ine manner of Gougeon or Pilon , sometimes a debased imitation of lohn of
ooiogna , and sometimes the taste of Bernini , but never a pure style nor cha i K lnClP r In l 6 l 6 < Stone was sent t 0 Edinburgh , to work in the King ' s anrr •VJ . u Inl 6 l y < hewasen B agedonthebuilding of the banqueting house , dria in the beginning of the rei gn of King Charles he received his patent as master mason , recorded in Rymer's F . rdern , of which this is the substance : ' ° " X ! [ hat w 2 do give and grant unto our trusty and well beloved servant Nicholas Stone , the office and place of our master-mason and
Science, Art, And The Drama.
architect , for all our buildings and reparations belonging to our castte of Windsor , during the term of his natural life ; and further , for the executing the said office , we do give him the wages and lee of twelve pence , by the day , in as ample and as large a manner as William Suthis or any other person , here-to-fore , did enjoy . —20 th April , 1626 . " The history of his works is fully recorded by himself . His pocket-book has been preserved , in which he kept an account of the statues and tombs he executed , of the persons for whom done , and of the payments he received .
THE ARMADILLOS . There are many species of armadillos , and most of them differ considerably from each other in shape and size . The giant armadillo of Brazil is the largest of them all , and measures about 3 feet in length of body , and is furnished with a long tail . The smallest armadillo of Argentina is only about 5 inches in length , and has a tail only about an inch long . The other armadillos include the six-banded armadillo of Brazil , the
broadbanded one of Paraguay , the shaggy one of Peru , and the Peba armadillo . There are other species , but they are closely allied to those enumerated , and only differ from them in minute details . The body of this animal is covered with a shield of bony plates , which is its only protection from its enemies , being furnished with no formidable weapon of offence , in the shape of sharp claws and teeth , to battle with antago ists . All the armadillos burrow with great rapidity , and disappear into the earth , almost
as quickly as if diving into water . Although possessed of only short limbs , they are very fleet of foot . With regard to food , nearly all of them are insectiverous , but the hairy and Peba armadillos are carniverous , and snakes form apart of the d'et of the former . These it kills by lacerating their bodies with the sharp edges of its carapace . Although partial to an insect diet , worms do not come amiss to it . Notwithstanding this unpleasant bill of fare , its flesh has no unsavoury taste about it , and is greatly relished by the natives , who are constantly hunting the animal on this account .
MADAME SARA BERNHARDT . It is gratifying to note how enthusiastically Mme . Bernhardt , on returning to Paris last week , after her successful season here , spoke not only of her personal experiences of English kindness and hospitality , but of the cordial feeling shown by the many people of all classes amongst us towards her compatriots . The great actress ' s comment , given to one of her own countrymen , is worth recording : " Take my word for it , these people have as much esteem for us as ever , and would be very glad to be our friends . "
GENERAL NOTES . Madame Clara Butt is now rejoicing exceedingly in the possession of an infant daughter . In a few weeks' time the popular contralto and her husband , Mr . Kennerley Rumford , will fulfil several engagements arranged for them by Mr . Vert .
Mr . Max Beerbohm ' s one act play , " The Happy Hypocrite , " is to be converted into an opera , and the music will be written by Mr . C . Willeby , a young musician who is rapidly making a conspicuous position as a composer of distinction .
One of the features of the Leeds Festival in October will be the performance by Dr . Joachim and Senor Arbos of Spohr ' s double concerto in B minor for violins .
BRO . SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN'S BIRTHPLACE .-The house in which Bro . Sir Arthur Sullivan was born , is 8 , Bolwell-street , Lambeth , a neighbourhood now chiefly occpied by those engaged in the great pottery works of Messrs . Doulton . Mr . Doulton , indeed , was the donor of a tablet to mark the composer ' s birthplace , ani this , with a very simple ceremonial , was unveiled on Saturday last by Bro . Dr . Cummings and Dr . Prout , as representing the Society of Musicians . The plaque was concealed
behind a Union Jack stretched between the two bedroom windows , and , on pulling a string , the flag tell , and the inscription on the tablet was revealed , as follows : " In this house was born , 1 S 42 , Sir Arthur Sullivan , musician . Died inco , and was buried in St . Paul ' s Cathedral . " Brief speeches were delivered by Bro . Cummings and Dr . Prout , and the Guildhall Glee Singers sang Sullivan ' s "The Long Day Closes , " this ending the brief ceremonial . cjj
Ad00502
\X\^"«..gjj^1M" \ X ^ £ N . WKIiL-KXOWX PLAN OP tsctoo^fSX20MONTHLY °ases '^P^\PA¥MKiVrs £25/fwL>v*iv\AT CATAL OGUE ^ «^ \ 5 y /\ CASH PRICES . /^\\