Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1875-08-21
DRAH-POQUlEE.

ABoU Ben ADIIEM's Moral, DnAwS
FROM a PRorRACTED SESSION AT A
PERSIAN AMUSEMENT.
One Of tho best things in D. r.
Inckc's humorous hook, the u or,ls
Of Ahu Ben Adhcln,' is tic following
travsstie OH Il popular American
amusement:
Abou Ben Adhem, In an unplssant
frame Of mind one morning, was up
preached by q long-nosed, sad-looking
man, who propounded to him the
query, What is remorsc?
To which Abu replied, The humi-
liat'ng sense Of al ahjcct failure
'Whnt!' ! exclaimed thcsccker after
truth, lis there no such thing as sor-
row and regret for wrong -dong?'
Frequently, my aged infant, frc-
fuently. There arc minds SO sus-
ccptihlc to proper impressions, so
spiritualizc,l. if may use the express
lon as to feel 4 pang or two after they
have donea wrong thing; bit they arc
not common.
Listen TO my own experience. A
great many years ago, in Persia, l
made the acquaintance OF party of
naem 's!:o NE: frequently TO indulge in
a game played with cards, which
presume, you know nothing Of here,
called, in Persia, drah-poqmicr. 1t is
n curious game. The cards are dealt
one at Il time, till each has five; then
those who are playing, put on the
centre Of the table Il coin, su,h us has
been determined npon-say Il kopcck;
then they are allowed to throw away
rs many cards rs they choose, taking
from the pack an equal number, then
the man who sits next Ia The dealer
remarks sarcas'icalIy, T am tho aged
one, impovcrish me, MD tile betting
begins. 1t is curious nmcau,l l.,
ftuctuatins, the players being kept in
u pleasant state of uncertainty rs to
what the others have, till they come
10 what they call 'show-dnwn.'
We'll, | learned this game, and
played it with unvarying success for
some days, winning, OH M average,
four or i've .lirhems ut sitting. as
| gathered in my spoils saw nothing
wrong i'll the game. Itsccmed to nc
Il most desirable and, in ali respects, II
gcn;lemanly game,
! am sorry said to myself 'for
liaiiz, the hcllows-lnakcr, and for
Nadir, the seller OF shawls; but Allah
knows [ risk my substance TN the
cards as dp they, and had they my
luck they would have my money. Be
chcsm, it is highly moral game, and
had | an hundred children | would
teach it them. Whit is thers wrong
i'll 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 ne make wagers OH oul
judgment or our luck. So doc. the
merchant who buys Tho wheat of
khurd:stan, believing that tbs crop
viii be short, and that it will 60 up.
80 docs the merchant who sells the
corn OF kohlnul, believing that The
crop will be heavy and the prco will
50 down. What is this but gambling :?
If they play with wheat aud corn,
Why should not IIaliz and | play
with cards {? And then it strengthens
the mind, it develops tho Judgment,
quickcns the reasoning powers, and
brcadcns, wide;is and strengthens the
mental man. Il is q noble game and
a great pursuit.
Thus reasoned I, joyously.'
i lad no rcmorse, nor did it occur
to me that it was gambling
But one night it SO happened that
had IL certainty on Ha!iz. | had
three cards alike IN my hand .tbut is
to say three aces-and when the cards
were helped, rs the phrase is, l took
another. IIafiz drew one card to the
four that he had in his hand, and the