The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-09-30
THE GAME OF DRAif.PoQUlER.


Abou Ben Adhem Relates his Experience by
Curious Illustration.
Listen to my own experience: A great
many years ago, in Persia, made the
acquaintance of a party of men who met
frequently to indulge i'll game played
with cards, which, | presume, you know
nothing of here, called in Persia drah
poquier. 1t is curious game. The
cards are dealt one at time till each
has five then those who are playing put
on the center of the table coin, such as
has been determined upon-say ko-
peck then they are allowed to throw as
many cards as they choose, taking from
the pack an equal number, then the man
who sits next to the dealer remarks, sar-
castically: &C. am the aged one, impov-
erish me-, and the betting begins. 1t
is curious game, and is fuctuating,
the players being kept in pleasant
stateof uncertainty as to what the others
have till they come to what they call q
showdown" "
Well, [ learned this game and played
it with unvarying success for some days,
winning, on an average, four or five dir
hens at sitting. AS 1 gathered in my
spoils saw nothing wrong in the game
1t seemed to me most desirable and, in
all respects, gentlemanly game.
" am sorry" l said to myself, for
Hafz, the bellows-maker, and for Nadir,
the seller of shawls but Allah knows 1
risk my substance on the cards as do
they, and had they my luck they would
have my money. Be chesm, it is a
highly moral game, and had I an hun
dred children L would teach it them.
What is there wrong in it 1t is my
money which risk it is their money
which they risk. There is no trickery
or cheating in this game, for the cards
are fairly dealt, and we make wagers on
our judgment or our luck. So does the
merchant who buys the wheat of Khur-
distan, believing that the crop will be
short and that it will go up. So does the
merchant who sells the corn of Kohmul,
believing that the crop will be heavy
and the price will go down. What is
this but gambling ? If they play with
wheat and corn why should not Hafiz
and [ play with cards2 And then it
strengthens the mind, it develops the
Judgment, quickens the reasoning pow
ers, and broadens, widens, and strength
ems the mental man. 1t is noble game
and great pursuit. -
Thus reasoned J, joyously. / had no
remorse, nor did it occur to me that it
was gambling. But one night it SO hap
pened that / had a certainty on Hafz.
had three cards alike in my hand-that
is to say, three aces-and when the cards
were helped, as the saying is, I took an
other. Hafiz drew one card to the four
that he had in his hand, and the betting
began. Now, four aces is a strong hand,
there being but one that can beat it.,
namely, strate-phlush. L wagered a
| kopec to help Hafiz on to his ruin. How
nothing wrong in those four aces, nor in
making out of Hafz, the bellows
mender, all that he should make by his
trade for year. He saw my modest ko-
peck and said he would wager dirhem
in addition. Exulting in the strength
of my four aces, [ gladly put up the
dirhem, and remarked that such was my
faith in my hand that 1 would impover-
ish him to the extent of ten dirhems
more. Hafz-on whose head light
curses saw the ten dirhems and boost
ed me (boosted is n Persian phrase) one
hundred dirhems. l made sure that the
four aces were not an optical delusion
and went him ZOO dirhems, which he
saw and came back at me 5000 dirhems,
which, feeling that it would be cruel to
utterly ruin him, called without
| further gymnastics.
Smilingly / laid down my four aces
and reached for the property. Smiling
ly he put away my outstretched and
eager hand, and laid down beside my
q strate- -phlush.
"The property is mine !" said he.
"It isl" said L.
Then / experienced a feeling Of re-
morse. Thea 1 felt that drah-poquiel
was gambling and that gambling in any
| form was sin of the most heinous ma
ture, and that had been guilty of &
| crime.
"Oh, Why" exclaimed, "did L ever
permit myself to become infatuated will
the desire for gaming9 If 1 win, it is
my neighbor's dirhems if L loose, it is
my OVID. In any case, there is nothing
of actual value that passes. While We
use capital in gambling, we produce
nothing. One side is richer, the othel
poorer, and there has been a waste o.
precious time. Besides, it is terribl,
demoralizing. 1t infatuates man ant
enfeebles his mind. His mind dwell'
on the game to the exclusion of every
thing that is good it crushes out every
thing that is high and noble, and de
velops everything thatis mean and small
in ones nature. 1t ruins the loser finan
cially and ruins the winner morally
Wretch that am why did L ever per
NIT myself to play at all3 Why did
permit this cursed infatuation to gril
me2 And remorse sat on me and bea
my breast and pulled my hair. Bewail
ing my wickedness, l determined t.
purge myself of the unholy thing.
Would have SO thought and SO don
had held the strate-phlush, and the &C
cursed bellows-mender the four aces
do not know