The Lake County star., 1874-12-24
Playing Cards.

III iOimci years, PiayiuS Cdtuo Wcic VI
very various design. About 1879 there
was published pack of cards contain
ing, according to the advertisement,
an history Of all the Popish plots that
have been in England, beginning with
those in Queen Elizabeth's time, and
ending with the last damnable plot
against his Majesty Charles H., with the
manner of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey's
murder. In puff collusive' it is stated
'aspersers of this pack plainly show
themselves popishly affected"
Another-pack published in the same
reign appears to have related to the Rye
House plot, which had for its object the
death of Charles III. and James ii. In
the reigns of Queen Anne and George /.
several packs of historical and fanciful
cards were published. The German,
French, and Spanish cards were of very
various design. In the time Of the first
French revolution cards, like other
things, were revolutionized. In one
pack the places of the kings are occupied
by Moliere, La Fontaine, Voltaire, and
Rousseau. The queens are represented
by effgies as prudence, justice, temper
ance, and fortitude; and the knaves by
four Republicans, one ofwhom is grim
looking red-cap-ot-liberty ruffian, another
a soldier, a third an artilleryman, and
the fourth young man in fancy dress,
armed. In another pack Solon, Cato,
Rousseau, and Brutus serve for kings.
A pack published some time ago in New
York, had for kings, in hearts, Washing
ton; in diamonds, John Adams; in
clubs, Franklin in spades, Lafayette.
1t is observed that no cards of an in
structive character have ever been popu-
lar with card-players, who have no taste
or patience for such distractions from
the business of card-playing. Moral en-
blems, and everything intuitive of i'm
proving the occasion, are also exception
ally Objectionable to them. IN fact,
cards offer no machinery to the mission
ary.
Cards are supposed to have been intro
duced to Europe early in the fourteenth
century, but they did not come into
general use until the close of it. They
are mentioned in 1893 by Charles Pou-
part, Treasurer of Charles vi. of France,
in his accounts of that date, under the
title of Jeur de Cartes; and by an edict
of the Provost of Paris, dated 22d Janu-
ary, 1897, working people are forbidden
to play at tennis, bowls, dice, cards, or
nine-pins, while a similar ordinance in
1869 does not include cards.
The clergy early took kindly to the
pastime, which doubtless served to while
away many tedious hours of monastic
life; and DIR. Jean Baptiste Thiers, in
his Treatise ON Games and Diversions, pub
lished in 1886, states that an order of
the Synod of Langres, in 1404, expressly
forbade these holy men to play at cards.
Ola certain John Jackson, Master OF
Wigstow Hospital, Leicester, who was
immoderately fond of cards, and devoted
every evening to the quadrille table,
Cradock says in his memoirs: "The
7 o'clock bell at the hospital called him
to evening prayer in the midst of dis
pute at the game, and he crossed st.
Martins church-yard in great haste to
his constant duty. AS soon rs prayers
were over he returned to the card-table
and said, / am confident that was right
as to that card Il submit replied his
opponent, for you have had leisure to
consider the state of the game atten-
tively."
Mr.. Chatto is of opinion that the
earliest cards were stencilled, not en-
graved. But an anecdote points to the
fact that painted cards were early in
general use. In 1923, st. Bernardin of
Sienna, preaching on the steps in front
of the church of st. Petronius, dwelt
with such power and elOquence on the
evils of gambling, that his hearers made
a bonfire of their cards. But this cut
two ways. A worthy card-maker who
had heard the holy fathers denuncia-
tions submitted to him that his sermon
would be the ruin of his business, mas
much as he had learned no other trade
than card painting. Whereupon, the
priest took tablet, sketched the figure
of radiant sun, with the name of Jesus
indicated in the centre by the monogram
/. II. S., and said, "Paint this figure and
you will never have cause to regret hav-
ing done So" The card painter took the
advice and prospered. In the great
library of Paris-whose name undergoes
80 many changes, in accordance with
political exigencies, that we really do
not know what to call it to-day-there
is an old woodcut supposed to have
reference to this incident, the saint be-
ing depicted holding in his right hand
the symbol which he suggested to the
card painter.
Cheating at cards by those who "ought
to know better" has, it may be feared,
been common to every age since they
were invented. Undoubtedly the follow
ing lines convey the sentiments of large
class:
"He who hopes at cards to win,
Must never think that cheating's sin;
To make a trick where'er he can,
No matter kor, should be his plan.
No use Of conscience must he make,
Except how he may save his stake;
The only object OF his prayers
Not TO be caught and kicked down stairs"
A terrible discovery in this respect
was made last spring in London, when
it was found that member of ducal
family, holding high official position,
had been winning money by foul play at
the Marlbro', the most select club in
London. Perhaps the highest fight in
this role was reached by certain Mon
sieur s. in the time of Louis XIV. He
positively "rookt" the grand monarque
"of near a million livres at basset by
putting false cards OH him, but was i'm
prisoned and banshed for it some years."
We only wonder he escaped breaking on
the wheel. 1t was possibly in conse-
quence of this rocking" that Louis
XIV. issued an order prohibiting faro,
basset, and other games. Whoever
should be convicted of playing was to be
fined 1000 livres, and the person allow
ing them to be played in his house in
Cured penalty of 5000 livres. Cards
have been variously regarded by religi-
Gus men and moralists. DIR. johnson on
one occasion praised them as Cement
ing society" John Locke was opposed
to them.
Satan's Mark.
A few days since, in going into my
back yard, where fresh-killed pig had
just been hung up, a man who knew !
was curious i'm such matters, said,
"There, now, there's the mark rs Satan
made it in the herd Of swine before they
ran down the cliffs into the sea-" point
Il L. xf