Morning journal and courier., 1889-02-21

that the queen in our suits is a comparative
 ly modern innovation; the heirarchy at first was purely military-king, knight and knaye The Italians were, it is said, the first to give
 her majesty place. There have also been
 from time to time many changes in the
 suits. Old German cords have bells, acorns
 and leaves instead of clubs, diamonds and
 spades. French writers have abounded in
 explanations of the meaning of the symbols.
 and Pere Daniel endeavors to deduce mili-
 tary moral. The club with it's trefoiI shape
 Is the "trehe," or clover plant, which
 abounds in the meadows of France; this
 shows that chief should encamp his forces
 where forage can be found. The spade is
 the oarreau or heavy square-headed arrow
 shot from a cross bow. "Cpurs," our
 hearts, signifed the courage of the soldiers
 The ace is the Latin "as"-representing money, the sinews of war-and so on through several pages of fantastic symbol ism.
 Some time ago the origin of cards was brought up at the turning point of an im- portant trial in our courts of law. The question in dispute was whether testator was in sound mind when he made his will, and evidence was given that at that period he sat at cards great deal and played 8 good deal. This seemed decisive until the counsel against the will rose and said: "Are you not aware, sir, that cards were first in- vented for the amusement of an insane king2"s This legend of Charles VI of France was for long time accepted, but it is not now generally received. No doubt the king during his fit of melancholy did play cards. but they were of earlier use in France. 9th CT kings have liked them; the economica Henry VII. not only dabbled with the dan gerous playing, but recorded in his diary the little sums he lost. His daughter Margaret, when sought in marriage by James ". of Scotland, was found playing cards; she was only fourteen, rather young for such prac tice; but the king proposed to her and she was married when certainly too juvenile for throne. James I. of England. the British Solomon, played, but did not take much in- terest in the game, for he got sleepy over it and actually employed somebody to hold his hand.
 The popularity of cards has been at some periods so great as to awake the censure of the church. The synod of Langress in 1464 solemnly censured the game of Gall fours," and St. Bernardin so vigorously denounced gambling at Bologna that repentent players made big bonfire of their relinquished cards in the public square, At that period the pastime must have had the charm of comparative novelty, for there is no record down to the end of the thirteenth century of the general use of cards. They are not men, toned by Petrarch, Boccaccio or Chaucer. They could not have been generally known in France until toward the end of the four gCoHon oeu.uy, Loi all oIulHaHce oL Cuafles v. forbidding other games does not allude to them. The thousands upon thousands, however, all over the world who delight in the quaintly painted pieces of paste board care little either for antiquarian lore or ar tistic merit-all they desire is ''good hand" And although much evil has fol- lowed in the suit of these paste board sov- ereigns and their attendants, we must bear in mind how many country hearth or town chamber has been cheered by bloodless bat ties over whist, and how many an old lady or gentleman, debarred active amusements or attentive study, has found harmless relaxa- tion in the sober evening of life.