Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1885-01-22
sCRIPTURAL POKER.

iuhS I0ceHgiy phbentSu ht w ahniuRtoH
what he calls certain improvements
in playing cards" This invention 10
designed to combine religious instruc-
ton with innocent amusement and
also ''sdperosds useless card-playing."
The inventor assures the public that
his new cards will aid very material
" in fastening the great truths Of the
Bible, on which the game ia founded,
firmly in the minds OF che players.r
Certainly an Invention which will ac-
1complish ell this deserves to be widely
known.
The improved playing cards are
slxty-six In number, each one repre.
senting book Of the Bible. On each
card is q brief history of the partiou-
lar book after which ID ia called, and
also two numbers, one representing
the number Of chapters contained in
the book, and the other Its place in
the Bible. There is also neat and
appropriate text engraved on every
card, and care has been taken that no
sectarian doctrine is taught BY any Of
these texts.
Az the inventor wishes to do away
with useless card-playing," by which
he doubtless means games In which
no money Is at stake and no player
can win anything, we may assume
that the new scriptual cards can be
used for poker. 1t could be wished
that the inventor had taken the
trouble to inform US precisely how
game is to be played with his cards.
We may suppose that any three gos-
pels, for example, will take any single
pair Of epistles; that pair Of gospels.
and epistles and, say, three prophets
will beat any pair, and that any four
books of kind will make an almost
invincible hand.
OF course, if the new cards are to
supsrceds all others they will be used
for whist-playing as we'll as for other
games. II 10 understood that in order
to fit the cards for whist fourteen Of
them are discarded and the remainder
are classed in four suits, known re-
spsotively as the prophetical, historic
cal, doctrinal and general suits. OF
course we can understand that play
or must follow suit, and that trump
card will take any other card Of
plain suit. For instance, If prophets
ere led and doctrines are trumps, any
doctrines are trumps, and doctrine
played by a player who has no pEQnhets
will take the trick .nEoasia 81 the otheA
two players have followed suit What
we do not know, however, Ia the rela-
tive value of the cards OF each suit.
Is Isaiah the highest card Of the
prophetical suit, or does that honor
belong to Jeremiah or Ezekiel
Will Genesis take Exodus, or will
Judges take them both This 10 o
matter concerning which rules must
be laid down If people are expected
to play whist with the new cards; 9TH
erwise, the public will cling to the
old-fashioned worldly cards, and will
not try to learn "the great truths of
the Bible" by playing scriptural whist.
In all probability the inventor of
the scriptural cards expects that his
invention will become extremely pep
ular in households where Sunday il
strictly kept, since it will furnish the
children with a new Sunday game.
Hitherto such children have been con-
fined on Sunday TO only two methods
Of relaxation--the contemplation OF the
animals Of Noah's ark and the unex-
citing game Of Sunday school" II
they are permitted TO play scriptural
poker and thus combine religious in
struction with innocent amusement"
they may lose a good many marbles
and things, but they will regard the
inventor as one of the noblest bene-
factors of his species that the world
has ever seen. The new cards may
also be hailed with joy by theological
students who still in secret pine for
the whist of their worldly days. Still
it ia, on the whole, doubtful If the re-
ligious public generally will look on
the scriptural cards with favor. It
will be said that religion and card
playing cannot be combined with BEN
eft to either, 1t must be very poor
whist player who would consent to
play with the scriptural cards, and 1t
must be a very curious variety Of
Christian who would use texts ofScrip-
turs az the implements of game.
The invention 10 striking illustra-
ton OF the utter inability Of certain
good people to distinguish between
devotion and blasPhemy. Indeed, it
is not easy to write Of the matter
without seeming to be guilty in some
degree Of irreverence and indecsncy.