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It must be borne in mind that this term, implying the specific emotion, is much narrower than the term "sexual symbolism," which may be used to designate a great variety of ritual and social practices which have played a part in the evolution of civilization. Sexual Selection in Man, iv, "Vision." K. Groos, Der Æsthetische Genuss, p. 122.
The last position, due to Groos, does not rule out the other two; it holds the first valid for the young, the second for adults; but it comprehends both in a more general explanation. Let us leave this doctrinal question in order to call attention to the variety and richness of form of play in the animal world.
They have been well-known since Darwin's time, he attributing to them an esthetic value which has been denied by Wallace, Tylor, Lloyd Morgan, Wallaschek, and Groos.
In his Spiele der Menschen, Groos applies this idea to the sexual play of children, and brings forward quotations from literature in evidence. Keller, in his "Romeo und Juliet auf dem Dorfe," has given an admirably truthful picture of these childish love-relationships.
The construction in images must justify its existence, in the case of the scientist, by explaining; and in the case of the man of affairs, by being embodied in an invention that is useful and answers its purpose. In the esthetic field, creation is accompanied by a momentary belief. Fancy, remarks Groos, is necessarily joined to appearance.
In this respect the aforementioned book of Groos is a rich mine of evidence to which I would refer the reader. I limit myself to summing up his classification. He distinguishes nine classes of play, viz.: Those that are at bottom experimental, consisting of trials at hazard without immediate end, often giving the animal a certain knowledge of the properties of the external world.
It is also to be noted that those writers on aesthetics who have dwelt most on aesthetic pleasure have come in conclusion only to specific activities, like the "imitation" of Groos, for instance. In the light of the just-won definition of aesthetic emotion, it is interesting to examine some of the well-known modern aesthetic theories.
The view of Groos partial and a better explanation of play proposed as rehearsing ancestral activities The glory of Greek physical training, its ideals and results The first spontaneous movements of infancy as keys to the past Necessity of developing basal powers before those that are later and peculiar to the individual Plays that interest due to their antiquity Play with dolls Play distinguished by age Play preferences of children and their reasons The profound significance of rhythm The value of dancing and also its significance, history, and the desirability of re-introducing it Fighting Boxing Wrestling Bushido Foot-ball Military ideals Showing off Cold baths Hill climbing The playground movement The psychology of play Its relation to work.
Mimicry of hunting, i.e., playing with a living or dead prey: the dog and cat following moving objects, a ball, feather, etc. Mimic battles, teasing and fighting without anger. Doll-play is universal in mankind, whether civilized or savage. Groos believes he has found its equivalent in certain animals.
There is the conception of play, on which Groos has elaborately insisted, as education: the cat "plays" with the mouse and is thereby educating itself in the skill necessary to catch mice; all our human games are a training in qualities that are required in life, and that is why in England we continue to attribute to the Duke of Wellington the saying that "the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton."
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