The daily gazette., 1879-11-01
Innocent Games.

desses Of liberty for kings and queens,
and supplying the place Of spades, dia-
monds, clubs and hearts with ars and
other novel figures, may have been pure,
but his conduct was not wholly above
suspicion. He may not have intended
TO assist mendaciOus boys to play cards
and yet with seeming truth allege
that they were playing some entirely
new and thoroughly evangelical game,
but IN at least one conspicuous cas-"
such has been the result of his invention
and it is difficult TO acquit him OF
large share Of the blame.
The Rev. Mr.. Thompson is much re-
spected clergyman Of Clinton, iii. For
many wears he has been local leader
of the extreme Low Church party, and
in private life, without the surplice and
prayer book and other devotional im-
plements, he could with difficulty be
distinguished from Presbyterian. Mr.. |
Thompson was particularly earnest In |
his opposition to card playing. He held
that It was scarcely distinguishable from |
gambling, and that it was nearly as OBJ |
jectionable as ritualism. He never fall |
ed to preach yearly sermon on the |
wickedness of card playing, and his in |
cdental illusions to whist players, who |
value four aces or three of kind more
| than virtue and sobriety, and to puker
PLAYERS who smake it the next" in the
hope of SC ring "four by honors," were
believed by the leaders of the congrega-
ton to show a mastery knowledge of
the ntricacles of those wicked games.
He alway. said that there were many
Innocent and amusing games, such as
4 <l,o nd lr
\ which devout people could PLAY without
immortality, and that 1t was, therefore,
AN unnecessary piece OF wickedness to
play immoral games with the corrupt
and debasing cards used by professional
gambi' rs. Mr.. Thompson has son Of
about fourteen years OF age who is not
altogether as good and innocent as his
father. In fact, he Is regarded by the
public as the kind Of boy in whose
ncighborhood 1t is unwise to attempt to
cultivate an orchard or raise watermel-
ons. His father, however, has the ut
most confidence In him, and has never
d. eamedthat his sons views of property
in fruit are in con6ict with those OF his
neiglbOrs.
Ono evening last winter, Mastt r
Charles brought lone with him PACK
| of the so-called ANat1onal" cards and
II exhibited them to his father. "Thish-
H yer," he remarked, "is first-rate gam ;
Il not bit like cards. 1 wouldn't play cards
no sooner ide steal apples; but thisyer
Ngame was given to me by the Presby-
\ terian Sunday School Superintendent,
and he wants you to see how you like it,
Good Mr.. Thompson laid aside his
newspaper, and examining the cards
with much interest, asked how they
were to be used. This wicked son
thereSpon explained to him the princi.
pies Of q game he called the "National
game,n but which was simply the no
ioriously wicked game of euchre. Mr.
Thompson was greatly pleased with It,
and in the course of the evening attained
so much proficiency that he more thar
. once "went il alone" and beat Master
Charles badly.
Not satisfied with this achievement
Master Charles proceeded to teach hi,
trusting father the game Of whist, in
ducng both his mother and his sister Il
innocently join in the carnival Of crime
To whist he gave the fimsy name {
"family delight and under that nam
the Thompson household played hun
: dreds of games Of whist-ME. Thomp
son himself developing a zeal genius TO
the game, and at times rebuking hi
rartner with a severity that a veteral
}. English whist matron might have envied
Only once was any suspicion OF the tru
character of the game aroused. MIS-
Thompson, who occasionally rea,
novels, once remarked: "Charlie, ism
II family delight something like whist :?
was reading the other day about SOM
people who were playing whist and the.
had trumps and tricks aud long suit
lust as we do" Master Charles, how
ever, did not lose his presence of mind
but replied, "Wot of it? Amt trump
spoken of In the Bible? You aint
going to believe that Peter and Balaam
and the rest of 'em played cards ar
YOU ?" This argument allayed suspicion
I and the game went on without fuithe
..rruples on the part of the bad boy
| sister.
Though Mr.. Thompson liked whis
and had no objection to "bigh-low jack
when disguised as "nl down-and-a across
his Elections were chiefly centred upo
euoa,re. With the exception of Saturda
NIGHTS, he played euchre with Maste
Charles every night and often said to hin
NV son, l hope yon SEQ how muc
more pleasure an innocent and improvin
! | game affords than any that can be derive
from card playing" Master Charlt
greatly enjoyed his deception Of his vel
erable father, and had but one regre
I'm connection with it. This was his I'M
bility to introduce poker in any respec
able auisa. As that game is inseparabl
connected with the betting, its true cha
&C er could net be concealed, and Mastt
Charles was compelled to deny hinse
1 the pleasure of seeing his deceived parer
} betting on a 4full hand" and finding tbi
1 it was not good incomparison with b
sons "straight fufh:n Nevertheless
Charles had done whatf,e eoald, and
felt that few sons had ever " sold" the
fathers as ably and completely as he ha
done.
K 1t was only q short nime ago that fw
of Mr. Thompson's vestrynsen-bot
Low Churchmen of the lowest type
called on their rector and found him 4
earnestly occupied in game OF euchl
that he requested them to sit down for
moment until he should have 1nishf
the game. Those two good men, both I
whom had amassed much sinful learnin
;, in their youth, were struck Win horre
>. at the nature Of the ciergymans occupa
ton. They heard him with Their ow
= ears remark. 81 mako II next ana pia
it alone, "and saw him play both bowen
the ace and the king, AMI end the gam
with "march." Master Charles the
he hastily gathered up the cards. and pieaa