he notable men in the world's history who have depicted
children's games, St. Luke the Evangelist tells in a pleasant passage of
how Jesus likened the men of His day to children sitting in the
market-place and calling to their playmates--

"We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced;
We have mourned unto you, and ye have not wept."

A vivid picture, illustrating puerile peevishness.

In the thousands of years that street plays have been enacted by the
youngsters, no poet's, philosopher's, nor teacher's words have been more
to the point. Every child wants to take the most prominent part in a
game, but all cannot be chief mourners, else there will be no
sympathising weepers.

"Who'll be chief mourner? I, said the dove,
I'll mourn for my love."

To-day things are better arranged, a counting-out rhyme settles the
question of appointment to the coveted post. Like the

"Zickety, dickety, dock, the mouse ran up the clock"

of the north-country children.

"Whoever I touch must be he"

ends and begins the counting-out verse of the Southern youngsters,
which runs as follows--

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
All good children go to heaven.
My mother says the last one I touch must be he."

Of the numerous variations of this rhyme the one at present in demand by
London children is--

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
All good children go to heaven.
A penny on the water, twopence on the sea,
Threepence on the railway, and out goes she."

Another and more generally known rhyme of--

"1, 2, 3, 4,
Mary at the cottage door
Eating cherries off a plate,
5, 6, 7, 8,"

is also used for the same purpose.

But are there no peevish children to-day? None sulking in nursery or
playground over games just as the little Israelites did 1900 years ago
in the market-place at Nain?

Remember the lesson of old--

"We have piped, and ye have not danced;
We have mourned to you, and ye have not wept."

MARRIAGE GAMES.

In India and Japan marriage ceremonies bear a feature of youthful play.
Amongst the Moslems in the former country--where the doll is
forbidden--the day previous to a real wedding the young friends of the
bridegroom are summoned to join in a wedding game. On the eve of the day
they all meet and surround the bridegroom-elect, then they make for the
house of the bride's parents. On arrival at the gates the bride's
relatives shut the doors and mount g