closely adhered to in the game known in America as "Court
tennis," but which is called "Tennis" in England. Lawn tennis
grew out of it.

The old style game was played over a net some 5 feet high, and
the service was always from the same end, the players changing
courts each game. It was more on the style of the present game of
badminton or battledore and shuttlecock.

Gradually the desire for active play had its effect, in a lowered
net and changed laws, and tennis, as we know it, grew into being.
From its earliest period, which is deeply shrouded in mystery,
came the terms of "love" for "nothing" and "deuce" for "40-all."
What they meant originally, or how they gained their hold is
unknown, but the terms are a tradition of the game and just as
much a part of the scoring system as the "game" or "set" call.

In 1920 the Rules Committee of the American Tennis Association
advocated a change in scoring that replaced love, 15, 30, 40 with
the more comprehensive 1, 2, 3, 4. The real reason for the
proposed change was the belief that the word "love" in tennis
made the uninitiated consider the game effeminate and repelled
possible supporters. The loyal adherents of the old customs of
the game proved too strong, and defeated the proposed change in
scoring by an overwhelming majority.

Personally, I think there is some slight claim to consideration
for the removal of the word "love." It can do no good, and there
are many substitutes for it. It can easily be eliminated without
revolutionizing the whole scoring system. It is far easier to