A GAME FOR THE EVENING OF WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY.
Dear Pansies:
I want to propose a new game for to-night. Let us all see how much good our lessons on American History, and our knowledge of the life of George Washington, "first in the hearts of his countrymen," have done us.
You know that all our studying is for some good purpose; that it is to enable us to do grand service for God, and for others. You know every bit of knowledge upon any good subject is a powerful weapon to help us in the battle of life. God gives us our privileges, our schooldays, our fitting-time. Let us see to it that we make good use of them all—every one.
Now then, here is the game. Choose a bright boy or girl, one who loves history, and who has been careful to come to the class-room pretty well prepared the last year. You know who these nice scholars are. Now send Winthrop or Lucy as the case may be, out of the room, and all the rest of you get up as many questions concerning the early history of our country, before, during, and just after the War of the Revolution, being careful to let the interest centre in George Washington himself, his character, and services to America.
Now call Winthrop or Lucy in, and launch the questions, beginning at one end of your circle of players, and going in turn around the circuit, each player only asking one question, and the boy or girl who stands in the centre of the circle having three moments allowed in which to answer a question. If there is no clock in the room some one must give out the time—father or mother, or aunt Susan will doubtless be willing to do this. If the boy or girl cannot answer the question, he or she must be fined a forfeit. Then proceed with the next one in the circle asking a question—and so forth.
If it is answered correctly the one who asked it must go out, and the successful Winthrop or Lucy can hop into his place.
After this has been played as long as you like, save the questions (which some one in the room can write down, with the answers) and let every girl and boy look over them, and see if they could be answered better, in fewer words giving more information, and more correctly. In this way you will learn to make your knowledge available, and you will be quite astonished to find how much you do know about this subject.
Now for the forfeits, for you will probably have a fine pile to redeem. Let some one be blindfolded and seated in a chair in the centre of the room, while another player holds up each article, and dispensing with the other usual questions, asks, "What shall the owner do?"
He (or she) shall tell when George Washington's Birthday was first celebrated.
He (or she) shall tell some little anecdote of George Washington (not the cherry-tree episode). And so on, to end with a grand march two and two, through the parlors and hall, to the gayest tunes that a deft-fingered performer can give on the piano.
May you enjoy this "Washington-Birthday-Game" heartily.
Margaret Sidney.
