, 1876-06-13
hlNEMON.
TRUMPs.

High. Low, Jack, ap,1 tho Game--- NeIng n
lftstury of tbs Four Klngs and Aome Ucu-
ernl ohterrat1oua on Playing Cards.
Cincinnati ConmeTctai.
The origin Of playfng-cards is cnVc!opcd In
obscurlty. Some Of our hcst-tnfor,ned writer's,
whose knowledge in tho matter, however, ID
founded altogether upon tradition, have traced
the invention to m Aslattc source, while 9TH
ers, Will, less plaasblLty, perhaps, maintan
that the credit should be awarded to the ancient
Humans. About the earliest authentic record
Of the existence and use OF plnytng4arda Is
found In the stadtbuch Of Augsburg for tile
yenr 1275, Just six centuries ngo; and this fact
in itself Is sufficient to dispcl thu popular nlu.
ston, founded upon the Abatement Of Atezcs!an,
that they wcre Invented In 1890, moro than
CENTURY later, for thcamuscmcnt u thu French
Charles W. Games With cards are mentioned
by Tirabosc.l as being III vogue in Italy In tho
thirteenth century, aud there arr frequent ref
erenccs to them in numerous German works Ut
the fourteenth century.
Thc figures of tfte four suits were formerly
syn,b0llcal representations o the four classes uf
men, and their present English Ippclations arc
thu result either Of Misrepresentation or cor
rurtion u the original names. 1icarts signify
the geHt dt ea9ur (C0ur), the choir men or ctrc-
inr.ls eo9n.a or cla!!tcs. The Spanish wurd
eslAtio, Or sword, Indicates tho wnrrior classes
or the nobility, an! u slight variation III its
0rthography with n broalcnlng Of the sword,
which aorils the sp9nsll card, gives us tl'e En-.
gllsh word apatle, Clubs were originally fre7ct
(rcfnl fcavcs}, und denoted the peasnntry, The
Spnniards IMPLYING the word ttttto, common, to
tic sanc catd. Merchants and citizens were
designated by diamonds, called by the French
carrsauz, Or square tiles, from which our d!a-
lllona derives It's ahapc, aid by the Spanish oras,
from tho word ora, which signifies gold aud
riches.
Fur long time the kings iu paek nj French
cards retained thu nu,ncs u the four nlonnrchs
David, Alexander. Cesar, and Cl,nrlcs-rcprc-
srnting respectively the Jcsvisll, Greek, Roman,
und Frnnk Eulprcs. The titles At The sa,ne time
applied tn thu ltuGens-hrgine, judith, Esther,
thu thSugn onv wses Ter 81 Suggests tut Argne I ial
nisllus capital anagrn1n 1or FtgtHu, u Queen,
and TINT tho others nay have Gccn chosen as
types. Of Wisdom, purity, and courage. The
, word & kpayc II TON inc S,at se9y1, was
the Knights, that being the slyni1cation Of the
word sofa, which tho spanfards apply totlle same
cnr1. Following out ths idea, ,Sc have, proba-
BY sone fonnaaton IT, the EnElisf ter1n ink,
tan instrument thatsltppltcs the place Of boy;'
q boot -jncls, for instance.
From cilr.ory glance at playingcartl, one
would infer that they c9uld 6u manufactured
ing.ofllcc; hut this6s a'gscat mistake, NJ their
construction rrqurcs great dcal of iilnrhinery
especially adapted to the purpose, anl knowf-
cdHe md experienced which arc rarely to be met
four play!ng-vard .fae.orIes In America, ono Of
thcac being stlnted III the vicinity Of ClncIn-
natl, and the others ut Philadelphia md New
York. These ESTABLISHMENTS supply the United
i,nportattons tnadc By the agents OF Goudall, u
London manufacturer.
Tl,c first step III thu construction OF plnyiug-
cards Ii naaklng tue cardboard ltsolf, which liz
aeeenplished q pa,stng together sheets q paper
1y this past!ng WIS ali douc by hnnd, Iut All In
Ecnioup inventor uf our own city las patented
,lnrhuc, now extensively used, Into which tho
paper Is fed us IN nprinttng-preke, and ,O00 ear1
In an hour anl III much better style thai could
be lone by baud.
After they nry pasted tho boards ase place.l
In hydraulic pr1ss of llluny to1s capacity, and
subjected 10 an in.,ncnsc pressure, Utter which
tEcy are removed aud thoroughly dried. Iinv-
Ing passed through calender, II the card-buurl
Ia designed for common Or stenfnbpat cards, It Ia
rcn,ly tor printing. II, however, II Is intended
for II finer Crude of card, It next goes through
hard, white coating Of cnan,el, the composition
of which Is secret possessed by but q few men
in this country. From the enamcler the board
is carried to a. polishing where II is
tIlaie IL pnSs between Il number ut rapl1y<rc-
vUlving brushes, which administer very hIgll
polish to the surface, aMl prcparc II for the
priMtlng.prcss.
Tic }.cc-prcss, upon which tile faces Of play
hllit expressly for tliat purpose, aud printing III
four eolura ut ono impression. a sheet Of card
hoard is :s3,x.5 iaches In sze. and this, being fed
Into the facc-preast Ia turned ont ngain almost
printed in four gaudy colors upon It's fnre. Thc
carlbacks arc printed In tho full Fhect also. one
color ut time, on an ordinary Hoe prcss, much
care being required to secure Il pgricet register,
III order that the backs may correspond exuctiy
The printed sheets of carl-bnanl arc now cut
IN IN rotary cartl-cllttrrs, which nre nt!iastct
with such ntcty TINT there cnnnot bo dcsrcteI
the difference 1t hairs brtatth In the tIzo of
the cards. The cards aro then very carefully as-
aUrtrd aud wrapped In deck, half-tlozen aud
quartcr-gross wrappers, tr inferior grades being
branded Us seconds, and eoit! at reduced rates;
Female t!elp t. Rrinsipally spIys;d n tho
bylng engaged n he cstalltsl,.l.rnt nclr tllis
city. Their ,lf,l,1it fingers aud qu!rk eyes arc
well uliapted tu tho nssnrtng Ut carlh, and VIZ
Arr Informed TINT IL llns been found very dttli-
cult to Instruct nalo llrlp IN the sa,ilc labor
playing .rurtih arc 30 marked TINT they can bic
TcA,l with us nucl facty aa their farrs, by the
Initiated, but thIs ts another popular errnr, W
the flack OF nlu rlTd Is thu exstct counterpart Of
from the salno block. Nntc OF this
manufacturers muke tnarktl cards,
although tl,eru are q few III thu market Of an
inferior sort. none Of them. however, bearing
tho BRAND of tho maker. Gamblers, as n rule,
do not uso marked uutls, a.lI when they do they
manage TO secure c4rt!s Ut soine honest brand,
mud mark them 10 suit themselves. |
With tbs reduction Of Government taxes on |
auR tho removal of stanpJ, theirs
tus hcrn no change In tho tux on p!uyii,g-earIs.
5.cunt stamp ID stll required TN every puck Of !
cards turned uut BY tic luctuEy, ur this, In
view OF the great number manufactured aud
so!dt Ia undoubtedly u suurre of considerable
rcyrntlc. Still there Is no decrease III the cun-
sumption, and IL they who danes must pay tho
1llcr, 10 they who PLAY. cards must pay this
lar, ~ tho manufacturer always adds tllu valuc
u the stump to lie prlrv of tho carsi.
Tie for1iler stringent Htate laws regulating
the sale Ut playing cards have bcen generally |
although uur sister stats, Kentucky,
torbll!s by atatuto The selling Of cards anu pub
tc earAplaying, Which H. perhaps, rutl.rf 4l,-
,urt, when We consider tho licelisc allowed by
hut Commonwealth In tlu way of hotso.raclng |
aud lottery dealing.
Col. Delevan and lIls Turnout,
tSe'o FORK E:rTstponstfnrs 81. Lonss Rfpuaieds. -
" guds! What slslt It Is tu scu Cul. Dele