The Lambertville press., 1859-08-18
Playing Cards.


These articles in all probability we're intro
duced into Europe by Arabs, Jews, and other
oriental races before the 18th century, the Sara
Gems especially having made the game popular
in Spain and Aay, whence the taste for it spread
into Germany France, and England. The use
of cards is mentioned in Germany in 1916 in
Italy they are named in 1899, in France in 1893
The Chinese call cards che-pne or paper tickets !;
they have thirty cards in pack, three suits Of
nine cards each, and three single cards which
are superior to all the others. In England 6n-
der Richard Ill and Henry VII, card playing
grew in favor The latter monarch was very
was found playing cards by James ". Of Scot
land, when he came to WOO her. In Pepys Di-
ary under the date Of February 17th 1861, it
is stated that on Sabbath evening he found g the
Queen, the Duchesse of York, and another or
two, at cards, with the room full of ladies and
great men,"
The marks upon the suits of cards are sup
posed to have been originally intended for a
symbolical representation of the four different
classes of society, hearts representing according
to this supposition the clergy, spades the no.
bility clubs the serfs, and diamonds the citizens
The figures originated with military and histori-
cal associations. The kings of the first French
cards represented the monarchies of the Jews,
Greeks, Romans, and French The queens,
knaves, the ace, and the number Of the cards
were based upon similar ideas, but many changes
and notifications have takens place at various
periods according to the customs and tastes of
different countries The above reliable histori-
cal statement is opposed to the common tradi-
tion that cards were invented to please king
during the tedious illness Several extended
accounts of cards have been written, which con-
tain muchcurious information concerning them
Of the four principal card manufactures in the
United States one is at Philadelphia and three
are in New York. The great New England
card establishment was destroyed by fire some
years ago, and was not rebuilt In this part of
the country English and French playing cards
are more used than at the West or South The
price is about the same as for the American pat
terms, but the quality is much superior. For
nearly half a century imported cards paid a
specific duty Of, twenty five cents a pack, which
prevented the importation of common patterns,
and g5vd the American manufacturers nearly the
entire monopoly of the home market. The du-
ty is now "a per cent. ad valoreno and foreign
cards are sold in large quantities.
The largest demand for American cards is in
the Southwest; each pack is used only once or
twice, and then thrown away; q great number
are used once on board steamboats, on the West
ern rivers and then thrown overheard. The
games played with carGs greatly differ in the
various parts Of the country. In New England
whist is the great game, and in most places in
this section of the land a Sarah BattleD whom
Charles Lamb immortalized in his essays of Ella,
may now be found who loves a good game at
whist, and whose hearts wish upon long eve
ming is for I" a clear fire, clean hearth, and the
rigor of the game"