This is a rather elaborate but really very easy game to play. One player, who acts as editor, takes as many sheets of paper as there are players and writes at the head of each the title of a section of a newspaper. Thus on one he will write, Paris Correspondence; on another, English Correspondence; on another, Berlin Correspondence; on a fourth, Political News; on a fifth, Our Fashion Page; on a sixth, Reviews; on a seventh, Weather Report; and so on. Each player then, for a given time, writes on the subject allotted to him, more or less in the manner of the daily press, and at the end the result is read aloud by the editor.
The plan is easily adapted to family or village life. The heading may refer to domestic matters, such as Nursery Correspondence, Kitchen Gossip, Fashions for Gentlemen (an account of father's new suit), Garden News, Village Chatter, and so on. Or, instead of a newspaper, a popular magazine may be contributed, with illustrations.
Predicaments
This is a good game for a company of ingenious people, and it will be found that almost every one is ingenious when confronted with a difficult situation and given time to think out a solution. Every one is given paper and pencil (or this is not necessary since the solutions may be oral). Then one player starts the game by suggesting some predicament and asking the company "What would you do in such a case?" Five minutes are given for reflection, and fifteen if the answers are to be written. Then each in turn must say how he would have extricated himself from the scrape.
A few suitable subjects are given here. If you found yourself in a strange city, where you didn't know a soul, with no money and nothing you could pawn, what would you do?
If you should wake up in the night and see a burglar just entering the room, what would you do?
If you should look out of your school-room door and see smoke and fire in the hall, what would you do?
If you should be in a foreign country, not able to speak the language and wanted to order a room and breakfast, what would you do?