LINES FOR LITTLE FOLK.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 25, 20 October 1893, Page 20

LINES FOR LITTLE FOLK.

A GAME which affords a good deal of amusement and also affords considerable instruction to tbe young in the formation of words, is played in the following manner with the letters of the alphabet. Half-a-dozen seta of all the letters of the alphabet are provided, each letter on a small piece of pasteboard or wood. One plajer then gathers all the letters before him on the table Mid the other players sit arouud the table, as at cards. The player who has tbe letters then turns them face downwards and proceeds to deal them ont, one by one, to the otherp, beginning wi»h the player sitting at his right hand and continuing around the tahle in order.

As be deals a letter out he turns it face up, so that all may see it it " d." for instance. The next player gets an "o," suppose, and be quickly sees that his letter joined to the " n " received by the first player, will form the word " no." He announces tbat fact and claims the "n." This is surrendered to him and he forma the word "no" on the table in front cf him and must leave it there undisturbed until some other player getß a letter which, added to the word " no," will form some other word.

Suppose, for instance, that the third letter dealt out is " w." Then the owner of the "w " may claim the word " do," and adding his "w"to it make it " now." The fourth letter turned up may be a " y," aod the owner of •' now " breatnes a sigh of relief ac he thinks he will hold on, to his word, for a little while anyway, for the " now " and the "y " don't Beem to make anything. Perhaps several letters follow out of which no combination can be made which will spell a correct word until some oae gets an '• s " Tois letter, in connection with " now," will spell " snow," but if the lucky owner of the " s " is sharp enough he will also claim the '■ y " from his other rival aod spell " snowy."

The examples given here are sample words ; as tbey show more clearly to young minds how the game may be played easily, but when

a number of letters hare been dealt oat the most skilful spellers may finJ soope for their abilities, and many are the combinations which will escape the notice of all who are around the table, for a time, until some one discovers them, as if by accident, and then the wonder will be that they were not seen before.

One player may not claim from mother any letter or let'ers which have been worked up into a word without taking i hat whole word and using it all, though its letterg may be entirely transposed to make a different wo d. The range of words may wander over half-a-dozen languages if the players so agree, and then the game becomes difficult enough for a Boston blue-stocking or a collega professor. The winner of the garaa is the player who has the most complete words spread out on the table in front of him when the dealer hai turned up the last letter he has in his pile. Long words count no more than abort word", and if two players " tie " they set to work breaking up their long words into short ones, and this disposes of the tie nine times out of ten. For a large number of players a large number of letters is of course required, but two people will often play the game half an hour before exhausting a half-dozen complete alphabet?.— Pilot.

Goldsmith, in one of his essays, tells us how a painter of eminence desired to paint a picture which should please all men ; so he exposed one of his masterpieces in the tnarket-placr, placing a placard near, on which was a request tbat each one of his friends should designate by a mark any defect which he saw in the picture. In a short time it became covered by the little marks of the critics. Almost every stroke of the brash had been pointed out as deserving blame. When the canvas had thus become utterly unlike the original, the painter erased the marks, and put up another notice, asking the paaeers-by to point out the features worthy of praise. The marks imme Uately began to appear as before, and shortly the masterpiece was again unrecognisable.

Then the painter ceased to try to please every one, and put his picture away— with the comforting thought, however, that for every one who blames there is, happily, always found one who is ready to praise. — Aye Maria,

Dorothy Deems, in her dove-coloured hat, On a sweet, sunshiny day, Taking her grandmamma's coal-colonred cat, Started to run away : Dorothy Derma Had been— so it seems — Abused and misuei in a terrible way ! A fall turkey-gobbler, with confident pace, Flapping his wings in the air, Fell in with Dorothy Deems face to face But . . . Dorothy wasn't there I Dorothy Deems To judge b" her screams, Regretted exceedingly this whole sffa'r. Dnrotby fled with the coa!-co'onred cat, In an undignified way : Trotted eff , trailing the dove-coloured bat ; Reached home in tears. But they say Doro hy Deemp, In her wildest dreams, Will never again thiok of running away. - St. iricJwlas Nell K. McKlhonk,