posing centres standing within a 4-foot
ring in the middle of the floor. The referee puts the ball in play by
tossing it into the air over the heads of the centres, who jump into the
air for its possession or endeavour to bat it towards the opposing goal.
From this moment the ball is in play until it falls into a basket, or
passes the boundary-lines, or a foul is made. After a goal has been scored,
the ball is again put in play by the referee in the centre. Should it be
thrown across the boundary, a player of the opposing side, standing on the
line at the point where the ball went over, puts it in play by passing or
throwing it to one of his own side in any direction, there being no
off-side rule--another point of similarity to lacrosse. His opponents, of
course, try to prevent the pass or intercept the throw, thus securing the
ball themselves. When a foul has been called, a player of the opposing side
is allowed a "free throw" for his opponents' basket from a mark 15 ft.
distant from it and without interference. A goal scored from a [v.03
p.0484] free throw counts one point; one scored while the ball is in play
counts two. Hacking, striking, holding and kicking are foul, but a player
may interfere with an opponent who has the ball so long as he uses one arm
only and does not hold. A player must throw the ball from where he gets it,
no running with it being allowed excepting when continuously bounding it on
the floor. Basket-ball is an extremely fast game and admits of a high
degree of combination or team-play. The principal qualifications of a good
player are quickness of movement and of judgment, coolness, endurance,
accuracy and self-control. Good dodging, throwing, passing and team-play
are the important requisites of the game, which is looked upon as excellent
winter training for outdoor games. Basket-ball, with somewhat modified
rules, is extremely popular with young women.

See _Spalding's Basket-Ball Guide_; and George T. Hepbron, _How to Play
Basket-Ball_; and _Spalding's Basket-Ball Guide for Women_.

BASNAGE, JACQUES (1653-1723), French Protestant divine, was the eldest son
of the eminent lawyer Henri Basnage, sieur de Franquenay (1615-1695), and
was born at Rouen in Normandy in 1653. He studied classical languages at
Saumur and afterwards theology at Geneva. He was pastor at Rouen (his
native place) from 1676 till 1685, when, on the revocation of the edict of
Nantes, he obtained leave of the king to retire to