SCOTLAND'S AIN GAME.*
THAT the game of Curling should have its history written, and that the history should come forth under high auspices. was a thing to be expected sooner or later. A fitting oppor- tunity occurred when the Royal Caledonian Curling Club attained its jubilee ; and now we have the work in our hands, gorgeous in its binding, profuse in its illustrations, and dedicated to her Majesty the Queen. This game is one of the few things about which Scotchmen get enthusiastic, It is well known that, when they become really en- thusiastic, their enthusiasm passes all bounds, becomes measureless in intensity, and exaggerated in its modes of manifestation. We are far from saying that the game of curling is unworthy of the deep devotion bestowed on it. It is a great game, a game that calls forth the patience, skill, and strength of all who take part in it. There is no game more stimulating, none more picturesque in itself and in its sur- roundings. It is a game which unites men. Here the laird and the crofter, the Duke and the farmer, the minister and the beadle, meet on equal terms ; social distinctions are for- gotten, and the man most honoured on the ice is the man who best deserves honour. In a measure this is true of all manly games, but it is specially true of curling, as all who have played can testify.
The work before us is an elaborate one. In the first part, which deals with ancient curling, we have a discussion of the origin of the game, of the stones which had been used in it, and we have some historical and poetical references, and an account of ancient curling societies. Antiquarianism and patriotism are curiously blended in this part. There is an evident desire on the part of the author to make good the claim of Scotland to be the inventor of the game. He makes it out to his own satisfaction, but the evidence is not clear, and the verdict would, we fear, be the Scottish one of " Not proven." But when the evidence fails somewhat, let us cast some patriotic feeling into the scale, and we can easily make out our case. The historical and poetical references are full of interest.
Then we pass on to the theme of modern curling. Here we may leave behind all the glamour of patriotic feeling, for we are on historic ground, and in the light of common day. We can trace the evolution of the game from the period when it was played roughly with stones taken from the burn or the dyke, on to the present hour, when the stones are polished to the highest degree. Time was when strength was the main element in the game; now it has become a game of skill, a scientific game in the true sense of the word. We find that the game has gone " forth of Scotland," and has obtained a home in other lands; that there are keen and * History of Curling: Scotland's Ala Game. and Fifty Years of the. Royal Calelonian Curling Club. By John Kerr, M.A., F.S.A. Sept., Minister of the-
Parish of Dirleton. Edinburgh : David Douglas. enthusiastic curlers in almost all places where ice is to be had. With - due paternal pride, the author tells of curling clubs in New Zealand, in the Dominion of Canada, in Norway, and Russia. The game, as is natural in a place where the physical conditions are so favourable, and Where Scotehmen abound, has taken deep "Toot in Canada, and the ketch of its progress there is full of interest.
The game also has been productive of much social mirth) and of right good-fellowship. There is quite a number of good stories connected with it, and any amount of kindly feeling and helpfulness. Not many of these stories are recorded in this book ; nor have we many of the songs which tell of the glory of curling. Some we have, such as the
following :---
"THE CURLER'S Gan,.
Losh, man ! I'm glad to see yonrsel', I'm glad to see a freen' ; But, man, the pleasure's greater still When he's a curler keen.
Sae gie's the curler's grip, my freen', Sae gie's the curler's grip ; Loch man ! I'm glad to see yoursel', Sae we's the curler's grip.
We've played thegither mony a time Around the curlin' tee, I've cooped ye aften up the ice, You've done the same to me.
Man! when I feel a grip like that, I'm unca sweird to part; The blood rins dirlin up my arm, An' warms my very heart.
But as the nicht is gye weel thro', Let's has anther And drink success to ilka ane That kens the curler's grip."
The author gives us some wise and pertinent instructions regarding the equipments which are needed for the game, and the manner in which it is to be played. He gives us also the laws of the game, and the rules to be observed by clubs who play in local medal competitions, and he ends with a catalogue of all the books and articles written on the roaring game.
As to the manner in which the book is written, we have to
confess that it needs come enthusiasm for the game to carry us heartily through it. If the writer had been contented to write in a plain, sober fashion, and to arrange his facts and illustrations in a more lucid order, the book would have been easier to read. But he seems to have felt himself bound to write as if he were in uproarious high spirits all the time. He feels bound to make jokes, and these are often of the most ponderous kind,—jokes which need the accompaniment of the ice, and the keen winter air, and the curling stones, and the brooms, and the excited feelings of players and onlookers, to make them tolerable. Here we have them in cold print, and we are doomed to read them in warm summer weather, and they do not tell in any way. The humour—and the writer feels that he must be humorous on all occasions— is somewhat elephantine. It is a pity, too, for there are jokes of the kind most provocative of mirth, and also gleams of humour, tender and touching, which draws forth the kind of laughter which lies near to tears, to be found in the literature of curling ; but they are not to be found in this book. What we have here is rough and ponderous, and has some- thing of the practical joke about it, and the laughter is of the noisy sort. Still, the book does give us a great deal of information regarding the origin, the history, the science and art of the game, and we take it for what it is and has, not for what it is not and has not.
Previous page
