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Show oo BASEBALL OLDER THAN THE BIBLE The origin of baseball Is lost in the mazy labyrinths of prehistoric antiquity, antiqui-ty, says Life. That it la older than tho Bible there can be no doubt, for the good book startB with the words, "In the big inning." A little further on we are given some particulars, showing show-ing that Eve "stole first," Adam "stole socond" and the serpent 'slid home." Genesis vl. 4 reveals the astonishing fact that "there wore Giants in the earth in those days." Job alludes to tho "children of basomen," xxx, 8. and In Isnlah xxli, 18, you will find tho words, "He will surely violently turn nnd toss thee like a ball Into a largo country " Nor did tho interest in tho game lesson with the advance of tho ceu turies. "Catch and hold," said John Hey wood, about 15G5 Shakespeare hints at the game frequently "Tt what base uses wo may roturn. Horatio," Ho-ratio," and "a hit. a vory palpabio hit," are familiar quotations from "Hamlet." In "Macbeth" he says "Fair is foul, and foul is fair," and'ir. Richard III., "Pitchers havo ears." Other famous authors of former days rofor unmistakably to basebalL "Afraid to strike," says Pope; "Delayed "Delay-ed to strike," says Milton Thomas Campbell In "Lochlol's Warning" uaeti the words, "Withhls back to the I field," evidently referring to some fa- I mous pitcher of his time, and tho Earl of Chceterfield tells of "a great rough diamond." But why multiply instances? The game of baseball always al-ways was, is now and over shall be, tho greatest of games. |