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INTRODUCTION HERE seems to be no game more be: loved of children in all lands and ali times than the one called Pretend. 'Toysoldiers for the boy, and dolls—few or many— for the girl supply the only raw material required to play this, for of course the charm of the game lies largely in the imagination of the doughty captain who endows his men with life , and ability to go through exciting manceuvres; and in that of the miniature mother who directs so wisely the behaviour of her family. After we grow up we are astonished to learn that this game originated with the old Greeks hundreds of years back, who used to make little jointed puppets of wood or cardboard representing men and women, moving them about in a life-like fashion which was hugely entertaining to both old and young. So popular was the game that soon the Romans wanted to play, too, and then later on the Italians, French and English made puppets for their countries, only they called these little figures marionettes. Shakespeare alludes to this form of diversion in his plays, as do other distinguished writers of those times, The beautiful opera 3
