Part 6
Those of the company who wish to play arrange themselves in a straight line on the floor, all kneeling on the right knee, while on the other knee they must have their hands resting and twist their thumbs. Their countenances must all wear a very solemn, woeful appearance; indeed, the rule is that should even a smile be detected on the countenance of any one a forfeit can be demanded. The following conversation is then carried on, each sentence of which, both question and answer, must be repeated in turn by every one of the players--all remembering that the utmost gravity must be sustained throughout:--
"Well, friend, and how art thou? Hast thou heard of Brother Obadiah's death?"
"No. How did he die?"
"With one finger up, (The player must here cease twisting his thumbs, and hold up the forefinger of the right hand). With one eye shut, (Here he must shut the left eye). And shoulder all awry."
"How did he die?"
"In this way."
When the conversation reaches this point the player at the top of the row gives his neighbour a good strong push, which in time has the effect of precipitating all the players on the floor, and thus turning the solemn meeting into a very uproarious one.
THE RESTING WAND.
It is necessary in playing the Resting Wand that at least two people should be acquainted with the mystery attached to it, and that they should make an arrangement with each other beforehand to understand each other's movements. One of these two persons is blindfolded, and placed with his back to the company, while his companion, with a staff in his hand, stands facing them. The latter of the two then begins an animated conversation with his friends, trying when talking to them to make frequent mention of their names. Stopping occasionally, he touches some one with the wand, saying at the same time to his friend, who is blindfolded, "On whom does the wand rest?" Strangers to the game will not all at once perceive that the wand is always made to rest on the person who was the last but one to speak, and that it is on account of this arrangement that the blinded person is able to mystify his friends by answering correctly the question, "On whom does the wand rest?"
RETSCH'S OUTLINES.
To those at all skilled artistically great fun may be extracted in the following manner:--Each person must be provided with a piece of paper and a pencil. Upon every paper the owner then scribbles a crooked or straight line of any description and passes it on to the right-hand neighbour. All are then expected to make the line on their paper the foundation for a little picture of some kind; and although very often the results are exceedingly absurd, it is possible on the other hand for pretty little sketches to be thus produced. The original outline must be drawn very thickly to distinguish it from the rest of the figure, as in the woodcut.
[Illustration: RETSCH'S OUTLINES.]
THE REVIEWERS.
Each player is provided with a piece of paper, on the top of which must be written by every one the title of some book; a real title may be chosen or an imaginary one. The papers must then all be folded down, so that no one but the writer may know what is concealed underneath, and passed on to the left neighbour. Below the fold a second title must be added, the paper again folded down, and again passed on to the left. A motto of some kind must come next, or a piece of poetry; and, lastly, two or three opinions of the press. It perhaps might be as well to observe that the great charm of the game consists in every contributor being ignorant of what has previously been written, therefore, the honour of all is depended upon not to look under the folds. A collection of the papers is then made, and they are read aloud; the results being something of this description:--
A FEW BRIGHT SPOTS IN HISTORY;
OR, THE MANX CAT.
BY A. WISEACRE.
"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever."
"We would strongly recommend this new and valuable work to all lovers of geology, as one of the greatest helps they could possibly procure."--_Morning Chronicle._
"No gentleman's library will be complete until this gem of literature has its place on one of the book-shelves."--_Weekly Gazette._
THE WILD MAN OF THE WOODS;
OR, LOVE IN A COTTAGE.
BY SAM THE NEWSMAN.
"England, with all thy faults I love thee still, My country!"
"It would be useless recommending this book for perusal to any one not gifted by nature with the highest of intellectual powers; no ordinary book could appreciate its hidden depth of meaning."--_Westfield Review._
"A harmless little book, well adapted for children. There is nothing to complain of in its moral tendency."--_Cornwall Leader._
JOHN AND HIS TWIN BROTHER;
OR, LIFE IN THE ARCTIC REGIONS.
"Be good, sweet maid, and let who can be clever; Do lovely things, not dream them, all day long."
"We have read this book with intense interest, and cannot speak too highly of it as a work of art."--_Working Man's Friend._
"An invaluable book for young housewives."--_Liverpool Guardian._
RHYMES.
This game is one that even very young children can understand. One of the company thinks of a word rhyming with another word which he mentions. The aim of the party then is to guess what the word thought of can be. The rule is that no one should give a name to what they guess, but describe it instead, and each of the company in turn is entitled to a question. Should the word thought of be "bag," rhyming with "rag," the questions must be put thus:--
"Is it a necessary part of a boot-lace?"
"No, it is not a tag."
"Is it the name of a horse?"
"No, it is not a nag."
"Is it the name of an elegant horned animal?"
"No, it is not a stag."
"Is it useful to schoolboys and girls?"
"Yes, it is a bag."
RULE OF CONTRARY.
Almost any number may play at this game if, instead of being supplied with a pocket-handkerchief, as is generally the case, a small tablecloth be used instead. All stand round, and each person takes hold of the cloth with one hand. One person acting as leader, while holding the cloth with the left hand, pretends with the right hand to make mysterious characters on the cloth, at the same time pronouncing the following rigmarole:--"Here we go round by the rule of contrary. When I say 'Hold fast,' you must let go. When I say 'Let go,' you must hold fast." Then crying either "Let go" or "Hold fast," the party must do exactly contrary to what they are told; any one who should fail to do so must pay a forfeit.
RUSSIAN GOSSIP.
This game is quite as interesting, and perhaps a little more modern than many of those that have been so long established. First of all, the young people take their seats next each other in a circle. The one at the end then relates to his neighbour some little incident, a piece of news he has heard, an anecdote, or anything else that may occur to him. The neighbour then relates it to the next person, who relates it to his neighbour, and so on until every one of the party has heard the story. The last person who has been communicated with then repeats what has been told him, and very amusing it generally is to find how totally unlike the original the incident has become, after being cropped and added to by the different narrators.
THE SCHOOLMASTER.
Among stirring games one that is always a success when played with energy is that called The Schoolmaster. The one of the party who volunteers to be master of the ceremony places himself in front of his class, who are all seated in a row. If agreeable, he can examine his subjects in all the different branches of education in succession, or he may go from one to the other indiscriminately. Supposing, however, he decides to begin with natural history, he will proceed as follows:--Pointing to the pupil at the top of the class, he asks the name of a bird beginning with C. Should the pupil not name a bird beginning with this letter by the time the master has counted ten, it is passed on immediately to the next, who, if successful, and calls out "Cuckoo" or "Crow," &c., in time, goes above the one who has failed.
Authors, singers, actors, or anything else may be chosen, if the schoolmaster should think proper, as subjects for examination; but, whatever may be selected, the questions must follow each other with very great rapidity, or the charm of the game will be wanting.
SHADOW BUFF.
This game, if well played, may be productive of much merriment. A large white sheet is first hung securely on one side of the room, and on a table some distance behind a very bright lamp must be placed. All other lights being extinguished, one of the party takes a seat on a low stool between the lamp and the sheet, but nearer the latter than the former. One after another the company pass behind him, their shadows of course falling upon the sheet as they pass. It is much more difficult than most people would imagine to guess the original from the shadow, especially as in this game it is allowable for the players to disguise themselves to some slight extent. Gestures of any kind may be practised, masks may be worn, false noses, or anything else of the kind, to render the work of the guesser more difficult, for this always tends very considerably to add to the general fun.
SHOUTING PROVERBS.
A game that is much more speedily despatched, and much more boisterous than the ordinary game of Proverbs, is this one called Shouting Proverbs. A proverb having been selected, one word of it is given to each of the company, which he must shout clearly and distinctly when told. The person to whom the proverb is unknown then stands as near the company as they will permit him, while he says the words "Charge! Present! Fire!" As soon as he utters the word "Fire!" the party all shout their words together, and from this confusion of sounds he is expected to guess the proverb. Generally the shouting has to be repeated many times before the proverb can be detected.
"SIMON SAYS."
In this game an imaginary Simon is the presiding genius, and the orders of no one but Simon are to be obeyed. The leader of the company generally begins by saying, "Simon says, 'Thumbs up'" when every one must immediately obey the command of Simon or incur the penalty of paying a forfeit. Simon may then say, "Wink your left eye," "Blow your nose," "Kiss your neighbour," or anything equally absurd. Whatever Simon says must be done. No command, however, not prefaced by the words "Simon says" is to be regarded. With the idea of winning forfeits, the leader will endeavour to induce the company to do certain things not authorised by Simon--indeed, the fun of the game consists in every one doing the wrong thing instead of the right one, and in having a good collection of forfeits.
THE SPANISH MERCHANT.
After seating themselves in order round the room the first player begins by saying to his neighbours, "I'm a Spanish merchant." The neighbour then replies, "What do you sell?" This question the first player responds to by naming any article, which at the same time he must touch. For instance, should he say he sells gold, he must unobservedly touch some gold article--a piece of money, a gold ring, a breast-pin, or anything else of gold. Silk, cloth, linen, carpets, boots, glass, indeed any conceivable thing, may be articles of merchandise; the only thing to be remembered is that whatever is chosen must be touched.
THE SPANISH NOBLEMAN.
The company arrange themselves in a long straight line at one end of the room, excepting one person, who is to be the nobleman, and he must take his place at the other end of the room. Advancing to his friends, the nobleman must then, sing the following lines:--
"I am a nobleman from Spain, Coming to court your daughter Jane."
To which the rest reply:--
"Our daughter Jane is yet too young, She has not learnt her mother's tongue."
The nobleman replies:--
"Be she young or be she old, For her beauty she must be sold; So fare you well, my ladies gay, I'll call again another day."
The company then advance singing:--
"Turn back, turn back, you noble lord, And brush your boots and spurs so bright."
Whereupon the Spanish Nobleman replies, with something of rebuke in his tone:--
"My boots and spurs gave you no thought, For in this land they were not bought, Neither for silver nor for gold. So fare you well, my ladies gay, I'll call again another day."
All then advance, saying:--
"Turn back, turn back, you noble lord, And choose the fairest in your sight."
The nobleman, fixing upon--supposing we say Kitty--then says:--
"The fairest one that I can see, Is pretty Kitty: come to me."
The couple go back hand in hand rejoicing. The whole performance is then re-commenced, but the second time, instead of only one nobleman two noblemen advance, and the rigmarole is gone through again, ending at last in another companion being induced to join the little band of noblemen. Thus the game is carried on, until in the end all have gradually been won over to the opposite side.
SPELLING BEE.
Not long ago the excitement about Spelling Bees was very great. Both publicly and privately these entertainments were held for a very considerable period; indeed, none of us felt sure on leaving our homes whether we should not be called upon before our return to spell no end of hard-sounding words that, hitherto, we had scarcely heard of or seen. Consequently, the dictionaries were all in demand, and young people, instead of giving all their time to light literature, might have been seen privately hunting up such words as Phthisical, Æsthetics, Dithyrambic, Isosceles, and others equally difficult, in order that they might not be disgraced as bad spellers. Now the rage has subsided, though no doubt the good produced by the Spelling Bees is still to be felt. As a Round Game, the Spelling Bee is conducted much the same as "The Schoolmaster," elsewhere described. The company take their places as if in class, going up or down as they acquit themselves creditably in the estimation of their master. The words must of course be made difficult or easy, to suit the capacities of the spellers. There would be no fun in exposing to general ridicule the ignorance of a boy or girl whom illness may have made more backward in knowledge than his or her schoolfellows.
SPOON MUSIC.
A very good effect may be produced in the following manner:--The performers who are to assist in the entertainment must each be provided with a wine-glass and a spoon. The accompanying air (or other) is then played over, and when the pianist arrives at the passages marked _spoons_, each glass is to be touched lightly on the edge with the spoon. By way of variety, the second time the air is played clapping of hands may take the place of the spoons; and the third time whistling may be adopted. The fourth time a good hearty laugh from every one will sound well, after which the game may begin again with the spoons.
The idea suggested may of course be carried out still further. Any air may be selected, the playing of which may be interspersed, at suitable intervals, by the jingling of spoons, laughing, and whistling.
If done with delicacy it is astonishing what a pleasing effect may be produced, especially if the wine-glasses provided be of thin glass. In the hands of adepts at the game the glass will be in no danger of being broken, because the more gentle the touch the greater will be the success achieved; nothing is needed but clear, gentle ringing notes, sounded in harmony.
[Music]
THE STAGE COACH.
Now for a really stirring game, provided that in the party a few energetic lively young people are to be found. Many a hearty laugh has been heard from big people, as well as little ones, while the stage coach has rattled along through the rain and snow and sunshine round the drawing-room table. The leader tells every one to assume a name connected in some way with a stage coach. Any of the four wheels, the horses, the bridles, the whip, the windows, the cushions, any of the passengers, or numerous other things, may be chosen. The objects selected are generally written down on paper, linked with the name of each owner, unless it be that the leader can trust to his memory without any such assistance. He then begins his narrative, which must be as lively and ridiculous as possible, telling how the stage coach started, where from, where it was going, how many passengers there were, what they were like, and so on. The narrator will find that one thing suggests others to his mind; the difficulty will probably be to narrate every incident that occurred as the conveyance rolled along. We must not forget to say that the greatest part of the fun consists in the jumping up, twirling round, and changing seats, that have to be done while the narrative is proceeding. The names assumed by the company are mentioned as frequently as possible, each of whom must recognise the call by rising from his seat, turning round, and then sitting down again. When the stage coach itself is mentioned by any one all must change places, the person left without a seat being called upon for a forfeit.
STOOL OF REPENTANCE.
The players seated round the room, a stool is placed in the centre, which one of the company volunteers to occupy while certain charges are being made against him. One person acting as Lord President then goes round the room, inquiring of each player what charge he or she has to make against the culprit, who is humbly sitting on the stool of repentance. All the accusations are whispered into the president's ear, who will do wisely, should the party be a large one, to be supplied with paper and pencil, and attach to each accusation the name of the person who makes it. All being in readiness, the president then begins by saying, "Prisoner on the stool of repentance, you are accused of (being conceited, or noisy, or vain &c.). Can you tell me the name of the person who makes this serious charge against you?" Should the prisoner guess rightly, the accuser must pay the forfeit, and prepare himself to take the place of culprit in the next game; but, on the other hand, should the prisoner guess wrongly, he must pay the forfeit himself, and keep his seat on the stool of repentance. It sometimes happens that when the prisoner has at an early stage of the proceedings guessed correctly, and by so doing has earned his freedom, he still wishes to hear the rest of the accusations. If such be the case, he is entitled to have his wish gratified, being willing, of course, to pay a forfeit for every mistake; and when all have been heard (if he has succeeded in guessing rightly more than once), he has the privilege of choosing the next culprit to occupy the seat that he has vacated.
TABLEAUX VIVANTS.
In the estimation of some people Tableaux Vivants possess even greater attractions than Charades, simply for the reason that in their representation no conversational power is required. The performers have to remain perfectly silent, looking rather than speaking their thoughts; proclaiming by the attitude in which they place themselves, and by the expression of their countenances, the tale they have to tell. To others, however, this silent acting is infinitely more difficult than the incessant talk and gesticulation required in Charade actors. Naturally active, and gifted with a ready flow of words, the ordeal of having to remain motionless and silent, for even three or four minutes, would be equal to the infliction upon themselves of absolute pain. Still we must not be led to think that individuals devoid of character are the most eligible to take part in Tableaux Vivants; no greater mistake could be made. The affair is sure to be a failure unless the actors not only have the most perfect command of feeling, but are able also to enter completely into the spirit of the subject they attempt to depict. It would be useless to expect a lady to personate Lady Macbeth who had never read the play, and who, therefore, knew nothing of the motives which prompted that ambitious woman in her guilty career. In order to give effect to the scene the subject must be familiar and thoroughly understood by the actors. There is seldom any difficulty in the selection of subjects. Historical remembrances are always acceptable, and can be made to speak very plainly for themselves, while fictitious and poetical scenes may be rendered simply charming. Speaking from experience, one of the prettiest Tableaux Vivants we ever saw was one taken from Shakspere's "Winter's Tale." As soon as the curtain was drawn aside, Hermione was seen on a raised pedestal, so lifeless and calm she might well have been mistaken for marble. Before her was standing Leontes, an old man, with his daughter, Perdita, hanging on his arm, both evidently struck dumb with amazement at the likeness of the Statue to her who for so many years they had believed to be dead; while Camillo, Florizel, and Polixenes, also stood gazing in wonder. The good Paulina, dressed as a Sicilian matron, stood behind the Statue, or rather on one side, as the exhibitor of it. Presently were heard strains of gentle music, when the Statue stepped gracefully from her elevation, gave her hand to Leontes, and was embraced by him. The curtain here was drawn forward again, hiding from our sight a picture that ever since has been printed indelibly upon our memory. For comic tableaux scenes from fairyland or from nursery rhymes, would answer the purpose admirably. Some young lady with long hair might be made to be seen kneeling as Fatima, before her cruel, hard-hearted husband, Blue Beard; he with her hair in one hand, and a drawn sword in the other, just about to commit the horrid deed; the sister meantime straining her eyes out of the window, to catch sight of her brothers, who she knows are coming with all speed to the rescue. As to dressing and scenery, they are matters that must be left to the taste and fancy of the managers of the concern, who will soon discover that the success of Tableaux, even more than Charades, depends very greatly upon dress and surroundings. Charades speak for themselves, but Tableaux are so soon over, that unless the actors assume somewhat of the dress of the characters they attempt to personate, the audience would not readily guess the subject chosen. There is little doubt that with both Charade performers, and with those who take part in Tableaux Vivants, the assumed dress gives an air of importance to the proceedings which would not otherwise exist, and acts like a kind of inspiration (upon young people especially), making them perhaps more thoroughly lose their own personality in trying to be for a time some one else.
THE TELESCOPIC GIANT.