The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-10-04
THE GAME OF DRAlI.POQUlER.
Abou Ben Adhcm Relates his Experience by
u Curious illustration.


n Curious illustration.
Listen to my own experience: 4 great
many years ago, in Persia, I made the
acquaintance Of n party Of men who met
frequently to indulge in game played
with cards, which, presume, you know
nothing Of here, called in Persia drah-
poquier. It is curious game. The
cards Rre dealt ono at n time till each
has five then those who are playing put
on the center Of tho table coin, such as
has been determined upon-say a ko-
peck then they are allowed to throw as
many cards Us they choose, taking from
the pack m equal number, then the man
who sits next to the dealer remarks, sar-
castically: II nm the aged one, impoy-
erish me, and the betting begins. It
is q curious game, aud is ductuating,
the players being kept in o pleasant
state Of uncertainty rs to what the others
have till they come to what they call n
"show-dOwn.
Well, 1 learned this gamc and played
it with unvaryipg success for some days,
winning, on IN Average, four or five dir
hens at n sitting. As I gathered in my
spoils I saw nothing wrong in the game.
1t seemed to mo most desirable and, in
all respects, gontlemanly game.
81 am sorry," said to myself, "fOr
Ha6z, the bellows.maker, and for Nadir,
the seller Of shawls; but Allah knows I
risk my substance on the cards M 10
they, and had they my luck they would
have my money. Be chesm, it is a
highly moral game, and had ! mn hun
tlred children I would teach it them.
What is there wrong in it I 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
arc fairly dealt, md We make wngers on
our judgment or our luck. SO does tho
merchant who buys the wheat OF Khur.
distan, believing that the crop will be
short and that it will 60 up. So does the
merchant who sells tho corn OF kohmul,
believing that the crop will be heavy
and the prico will go down. What is
this but gambling II they play with
wheat md corn why should not HATH
and I play with cards And then it
strengthens tho mind, it develops the
judgment, quickens the reasoning pow
crs, and broadons, widens, and strength.
ems the mental mau. It isa noble game
and great pursuit"
Thus reasoned I, ioyouSly. l had no
remorse, nor did it occur to me that il
was gambling. But one night it so hap
pened that had certainty on Haiiz.
I had three cards alike i'll my hGnd-that
is to say, three aces--and when the cards
wcre helped, as tho saying is, took an-
other. Hadz drew one card to the four
that he had in his hand, and tho betting
began. Now, four aces is n strong hand,
there being but ono that can beat ii,
namely, n strate-phlush. l wagercd a
kopec to help Haiiz on to his ruin. How
I gloated over those four aces I saw
nothing wrong in those four aces, nor in
making out Of HAiZ, the bellows.
mender, all that he should make by his
trade for n year. He saw my nodestko-
peck md said lie would wagera dirhem
in addition. Exulting in the strength
Of my four aces, I gladly put up the
dirhem, and remarked that such wns my
faith in my hand that I would impover.
ish him 10 the extent Of ten dirhems
more. Hadz-on whose head light
curses saw the ten dirhems and boost.
cd me boosted is Persian phrase) ono
hundred dirhems. ] made sure that the
four aces were not M optical delusion
and went him 1000 tirhems, which ho
saw and came back ut me 5000 dirhems,
which, feeling that it would be cruel to
utterly ruin him, I called without
further gymnastics.
Smilipgly ! laid down my four aces
and reached for the property. Smiling
ly he put away my outstretched and
eager hand, aud hid down beside my
four aces his accursed hand, which WIS
Il strate.phlush.
"The property is mine" said he.
at Isl" said I.
Then I experienced feeling Of ro-
morse. Thea I felt that drah-poquier
was gambling md TINT gambling in any
lOIu WIN ~ SL1l vi tuC LANlst AtAhOuo AIH
turo, and that I had been guilty Of n
crime.
ooh, Why" exclaimed, "diI I ever
permit myself to become infatuated with
tho desire for gamingl II I win, it is
my ncighbor's dirhems !; if loose, it is
my own. In any case, there is nothing
Of Actual value that passes. While We
Use capital i'll gambling, We produce
nothing. One side is richer, the other
poorer, and there Inns been II waste Of
precious time. Besides, it is terribly
dcmonlizing. It infatuates man aud
enfeeblcs his mind. His mind dwells
on the game to the exclusion Of every
thing that is good F.; it crushes out every
thing TINT is high and NOBLE, and de-
velops everything thatis mean and small
in ones nature. It ruins the loser finAn-
chilly and ruins tho winner morally.
Wretch that I nm why did I ever per-
init myself to play at ALI Why did |
permit this cursed infatuation to grip
me! And remorse sat on me and beat
my breast and pulled my hair. Bewail.
ing my wickedness, I determined to
purge myself of the unholy thing.
Would ! hive 30 thought and 30 done
had I held the strate-phlush, and the nc.
cursed bellows-meudcr the four NceS I
do not know,