, 1877-08-19

botg kaua2s 2'ef 80 50 eonss ss?ts weht e aoa
cents; and Browns, 80 cents. Then there
are the halls connected with the hotels, which
are probably the most patrontzed Of any. The
hard times really hare had something to do
with the falling of Of what at one time did fair
to become the national gamo OF america. The
expense OF the game has always been extrara-
giant, and It would take the income OF Crrsus
to keep It up great while. Then, too, the
had a. great deal to do With bankrupt
ing the public halls But few
years since it was very
rare thing to see dwelling with table In 1t,
while now no house with any pretensions,
sca1celE. Is without one, and in the construction
OF new and elegant abode, a convenient room
iarls.
But the downtown busines. is ruined, prob
ably beyond recupeEatioo. It is not the ex-
OF interest. The mind SEEKS othor and more
novel recreatiou, and things which were once
prosy and tame are becoming more and more
popular as the work Of enlightenment aud re-
hnement goes on in the land Skating was once
the rage, and was succeeded BY dancing, which
Is already on the Waoe; In few years more it
will not be considered at all fashionable to
dance In company, and croquet will be as old
fashioned as the game Of cat's-cIadie or Cppen-
hagen is now But billiards is IN exceedingly
- e.a..e eMaes 1Guo1ao:s ingenuity anu shll 10
play + successfully; and It is game SO suscep-
tible Of improvement that person may learn
new features IN it every day Of his life.
for1nerlV billiards were charged for by the
game, the popular price being IS cents. The
tables we're thfa larger than at present. and
contained si1 pockets. one at each corner and
one on each side. The chief aim Of the player
was to get certain balls into these pockets and
to keep certain others out Then. the moro
fashionable Of the billiard halls-or saloons, As
1n1
fouspocket toas table, Taa1Rssa Tne st9ns con-. one
tanned 100 buttons, or counters, which
constituted q game. Then the pockets we're abol-
ished entirely. and the carom table took pre-
ccdence~ The string was changed to thirty-(oQr
points. As the players became more sialiful,
one OF the red balls, and playing what is known
as the French carom game The game Was
played rery quickly by the good billiardiss,
while It lasted from two to four times as long
With the poor player The former thus e1pend-
ed double the amount for an hours recreation as
the latter, and it Was SO apparently unfair to
him that he adopted the course of repeating his
string in whole or In part. This the poor play
er observed and Immediately followed suit
Consequence, loss to the proprietor, who set
about devlsnc scheme to counteract the ten
deucy, which resulted IN the charging Of billiards
by the hour, and which has now become univcr-
When match-game took place three or four
years ago. 50 cents and 81 were charged
more difficult to tll a hall 1T IS
cents ahead There IRE two reasons for this,
aside from tho hard times and lack OF interest.
When these matches first began, they we're
played in measure upon their merits; but
in time betting was commenced, which grew In
force until the best seats were all occupied by
professional sports and gamblers, to the exci,,-
sion and disgust Of the more decent portion Q:
the spectators, who withdrew, leaving the field
to the roughs; and thus these matches became.
to certain extent, disreputable.
These are few OF the reasons Why billiards
in public places are 50 fast losing their popu-
laFiLT.