To fully understand how the game of RINGER has changed, it’s important to know how the game developed in the first place. The preceding comes from one of the earliest accounts published in the United States on the arts and games of marbles, “The Playground, or Out-Door Games for Boys, A Book of Healthy Recreations for Youth,” Dick & Fitzgerald, New York, 1866. Most of the elements described herein became part of the modern game of RINGER.

“THE PLAYGROUND,”

chapter

OUT-DOOR PLAYS AND GAMES

WITH TOYS.

MARBLES.

     THE old-fashioned marbles were made by the attrition of pieces of stone against each other each in a kind of mill, and were far better than many of those now in use, which are made of porcelain. When we were young the painted marbles, now a deal in vogue, were called `` Chinese," and were not valued so much as others. They are generally too smooth to shoot well. Marbles then, and still are wherever marbles is much played, divided into common marbles and " alleys." Of these last a "red alley" is equal to two common marbles, a " black alley" equal to three. and a "white alley" to four.   Very large marbles called "tomtrollers," are sometimes, but not often used -- never the ring games; and the very small marbles, called "peewees," are only fit for children with very small hands.

     There are three ways of shooting marble. 1, Trolling, which  con consists in projecting the marble so that it rolls along the ground, until it strikes the marble at which it is aimed; 2, Hoisting, where the marble is shot from at or above the level of the knee, while the party stands; and Knuckling down, where the player shoots with the middle knuckle of his fore-finger touching the around, but makes his marble describe a curve in the air on its way to the ring. A boy has to be a good player, a "dabester," as they say knuckle down well.

To shoot a marble properly, it must be held tween the tip of the fore-finger and the first joint of the thumb, resting on the bend of the second finger, and propelled forward by suddenly forcing up the thumb-nail. Some boys place it between the bend of the first finger and the thumb-joint. This is called " shooting cunnethumb," and not only subjects those who do it to the ridicule of their associates, but tires the thumb very much.

HOW TO HOLD YOUR MARBLE.

Marbles is a game played in different ways. We play it in the Unit States different somewhat from the English, and in different parts of country various games prevail. The old-fashioned

LONG TAW,

Which merely consists in shooting at each other's alleys in turn, the one who hits his opponent's alley taking it as his prize, is very little played.

BOUNCE – EYE

     Is an English game requiring no skill. Each player puts his marble in a ring, and then each in turn drops a marble on the pile. All they knock out they take. Is a player’s marble stays in the ring, it is lost and goes to the general stock.

THE PILE GAME

     Is similar, but requires better players. Three marbles are placed in the ring, and one set on top. The shooters get all they knock out, but forfeit their alley if they miss.

PICKING CHERRIES

     (In England “Picking Plums”) is played by laying the marbles of the players in a row, instead of a ring, and shooting the at them under the same rules of gain and loss as in the “Pile game.”

SPANS AND SNOPS

     Consists of one boy laying down his marble, and giving a distance, his antagonist shoots at it; if he misses, the first boy shoots at the alley of the second, till one is struck, which the striker claims, He also gets it, if he can span the space between the two marbles, so that his thumb will rest on one and his forefinger on the other. Failing to do this, his companion shoots with his marble at that of his adversary, and thus the game goes on, a marble being paid each time a span or spon occurs.

FORTIFICATIONS

     May be called an elaborate version of "picking cherries." The marbles are not merely ranged along a line, but disposed on a diagram, as in the illustration, and the players try to shoot them out of the limits of the fortification, not being allowed to consider a marble, as won until it is quite clear of the outworks. If the taw of the attacking person remains within the fortress,  

it is considered as a prisoner of war, and must remain where it is, until shot out by another player, whose booty it becomes, according to the laws and regulations of war. This " fortification" game is much played in France, and is supposed to have been recently introduced here by some young Americans, on their return to their native country, after a residence in a French college at Paris.

KNOCK OUT, OR LAG OUT,

     Is played by knocking marbles against a wall, or perpendicular board set up for the purpose; and the skill displayed in it depends upon the player's attention to what is called in mechanics the resolution of forces. For instance, if an object be struck against the wall at A from the mark at B, it will return again to B in, a straight line; if it be sent from C to A, it will, instead of returning to C, pass off aslant to D, and its course will form the angle C D; the angle of incidence being equal to the angle of reflection.

     The game is played by any number of players; the first player throws his marble against the wall, so that it may rebound and fall about a yard distant from it; the other players then, in succession, throw their marbles against the wall, in such a way as to cause them to strike any of those already lagged out, and the marble struck is considered won by the owner of the marble that strikes it, in addition to which, the winner has another throw. When only two boys play, each successively throws out till one of the "laggers" is struck, and he who strikes takes up all.

     This game may also be played by spanning the marbles, as in Spans and Snops.

THE RING GAME, OR RING TAW,

     As they call it in England, is the great game of marbles. The English mode is as follows: Two rings are drawn upon the ground, a small one six inches in diameter, enclosed by a larger one, six feet in diameter. Into the small ring each player puts a marble, called "shot." The players then proceed to any part of the large ring, and from thence, as an offing, shoot at the marbles in the centre. If a player knocks a marble out of the ring he wins it, and he is entitled to shoot again before his companions can have a shot. When all the players have shot their marbles, they shoot from the places at which their marbles rested at the last shot. If the shooter's marble remain in the small circle, he is out, and has to drop a marble in the ring, and he must put in besides all the marbles he had previously won in that game. It is a rule, also, that, when one player shoots at and strikes another's marble, the one so struck is considered dead, and its owner must give up to the striker of the taw all the marbles he may have previously won during the game. The game is concluded when all the marbles are shot out of the ring, or all the players' marbles are killed.

     In this country it is played that way in some few places. In others it is varied. The general way is as follows:

 -- Instead of the outer ring, a line six feet off is drawn, and called the base. (See illustration at beginning of marbles.) From this the players knuckle down, unless some one prefers to hoist; when he must call out, " "hoistings." Each player puts one alley, in the ring. If the first shooter knocks any or all the marbles out they are his, and he shoots on until the ring is cleared, or he misses. If his alley remains inside of the ring, it is "fat," that is, he loses it, and is out of the game, unless it remains after shooting out the last marble. After any one misses, the next one may, if be chooses, shoot at the alley of the other, and if he hits it, the other is killed, and is out of the game, and his alley gone.

     The player who has just killed one of his antagonists may then go to base, and shoot at the ring. If, however, he kills all his antagonists, he takes the ring marbles without shooting at them. And when any one is killed, he gives to the victor all the marbles he has won during the game, whether he got them from the ring or by killing his antagonist. If his opponents marble has got in a hole or behind any obstacle, he may cry "puts," which, will give him a right to place it in an eligible position, at the same distance, or may cry "clearance," and then remove any thing from between him and the marble. But if his antagonist cries " fen puts," or " fen clearance," before he cries "puts" or " clearance," he must shoot as it lies. And he must shoot from where his marble lies always. In some places, however, if he cries " roundings," before his antagonist cries "fen roundings," he can go around to some more eligible point at the same distance, and shoot from thence.

     Another way, in vogue in some parts of the 'West: a ring is made, and one marble placed in the centre, and the others at points on the edge of the circle. The player may either hoist, troll, or knuckle down, as suits him. If he knocks out the centre marble at the first shot, it counts him one. If he hits one of the others he shoots on, till he has hit all, or misses. If he clears the ring it counts one, or if he kills all his antagonists it counts one. The players who follow the first may neglect the ring and follow him to shoot at his alley, and he do the same with them. Whoever counts three first wins the game.

     In all these games the players " lag" for first shot. That is, they troll from base to a marble placed in the centre of the ring, and whoever gets nearest, shoots first.

     Remember that a " taw" and " marble" are the same; but in this country the word " taw" is rarely used. Strictly speaking, it only, applies to a marble a player shoots with.

Home    Main Site Map    The History of the Game of Ringer