RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 136, 5 March 1929, Page 10

RANDOM NOTES

SIDELIGHTS ON CURRENT EVENTS LOCAL AND GENERAL (By Cosmos.) The fruit of naval rivalry appears to be the apple of discord. *' ♦ ; “Is Germany preparing for another war?” asks an overseas contemporary. If so, she should be reminded that she has not paid -• the last one yet. ~ In the opinion of a musical critic, jazz, is dying. Judging by the sounds it is making, it must, be a very painful death. j Thanks to the interest taken , in the discussion on school games by readers of this column, we are now able to give an interesting history of “knuckle bones.” The popular game of “knifie ” however, has proved a more elusive subject, and its. origin is still very much in doubt. “Knuckle' bones/’ we find, dates back many thousands of years before Christ. . Under; various names it has been played all over the world, from Europe. Asia, and India to New Zealand, and most .oflthe Islands of the Pacific. The Maoris Iflive played the game since the earliest times, and probably brought it to New Zealand when they first arrived. Today, they have five'different names for the game, “ruru” and “koruru” being generally used. The Maoris played the game with five pebbles about, the size of a shilling, but in some cases as many as fifteen smaller pebbles were used.

Mr. Elsdon Best gives a description of the game in “Games and Pastimes of the Maori,” and mentions that-COnsid-erable skill was attained in catching the pebbles as they fell. In the olden days,, this game assumed national, importance amongst the Maoris. Teams of skilled players would visit other .villages, and competitions on the principle of inter-club matches were conducted. Captain Cook mentions having seen the game played at Tonga with the stone of a small fruit, whilst it is known that it was played by the Tahitians since very early times. JTJiiie its origin appears to be lost - in (antiquity, Sophocles . ascribes . its origin to Palamades, who brought the game to his country during the Trojan Wars. The Iliad and the Odyssey also refer to the game, while Herodotus relates that King Atys ■ invented it’ in Egypt during a famine. Not so very long -ago, : a marble design was unearthed at Herculaneum depicting women playing “knuckle, bones” some 400 years before Christ. All that can be definitely said at present is tjmt the-game has been played for centuries by men, women, and children.. -/ , * . . .» . ... .» . , •

Ceremonial observances,, such as the Trooping of the Colours at the Basin Reserve on Sunday, were initiated in the 16th century, probably by the Landssknechts, a troop of three hundred foot, in Germany. Their colours were bor.be by ensigns' and were symbolical of intensive regimental life and feeling. As a matter of fact, the idea of regiments possessing some sort of insignia goes back to very early times:-in fact, since men fought in' . bodies. For instance, the Roman Eagle proved: a rallying point in many a hard-fought battle. The citizen militia of the Italian cities, for instance, dragged into battle their - famous carroccio, or military standard, mounted on wheels. They must indeed have hoped for the best, because in the event of defeat it xiSas Ky no means an easily portable insignia. Gradually, the advantage of an easilycarried flag was recognised. The word “colours,” so common nowadays, first came into use early in the sixteenth century. The military leaders of ’that time no longer possessed coat armour or individual banners. Instead, they improvised coloured flags of a distinctive nature, and these gradually >came to represent the unit itself. j

Most of the great generals; soon recognised the rallying powers and the ceremonial importance of the colours; Frederick the Great and NapbleAh/flid 'till in their power to encourage the idea. To-day, British regiments-leave their colours behind when' they take the field, and have done so Since the Battle of Isandhlwana, in 1879, when two British officers, Melvill and Coghill, lost their lives whilst endeavouring to save the colours of the 24th Regiment. However, as recently j’as 1904 the Japanese and the-Russians took their colours into battle with them. Trooping the colours is an established ceremony peculiar to the British Army. Although it is not definitely known when the custom originated.“it is believed that the famous' Duke; of Cumberland started this ceremony, and it has been continued ever since.

“H” offers the following interesting observations on the subject of ’regimental colours:—“The origin of the carrying of some sign for a rallying • point can be traced back’.to. thq,beginning of history. Historians tell us that the first people who thought of this idea were the chiefs of the’different skin-clad warriors who thought of providing their ‘shock troops’ with some distinctive badge because- of the tendency of the battle to become a ‘free-for-all.’ So a pole with some animal or bird carved on it was used /as; a rallying< point. It is a little-I?fiown fact that there is only one regiment in the British Army allowed to carry what is termed a fixed wreath. This regiment is the South Wales Borderers, who earned this unique distinction through the bravery of-Lieutenants Melvill and CoghilUon January. 22, 1579, and of the heroic defence of the ■fort’ at Rorke’s Drift.”

The bestowal of New Year honours invariably gives rise to a number of discussions on the subject, and the recent honours list has not proved an exception. Yesterday a correspondent wrote pointing out that Knights Bachelor did not possess a decoration, hut today'another readdr draws attention to the fact that a decoration was-approv-ed by the King a few years ago. On investigating the matter, we find that in 1926 His Majesty decided that Knights Bachelor might wear a'Special badge indicative of that rank. Until then, the modern Knight Bachelor had no badge or symbol to mark him out from his less exsilted fellows bn those occasions when decorations are worn. The badge shows - the three knightly symbols—sword, belt and spurs—appropriately grouped upon an- oval of vermillion enamel. The same reader also points out that it was the* Baronetcy which James I created/and sold. Baronets were created to/raise money for the Crown. ‘ The mohhJ’. so raised was professedly used for the support of troops in Ulster, each grantee being liable for the pay of 30 men at 84. per day for three'years? t This amounted to £1095, which- the sum paid for the honour.