The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1889-08-07
FEMlNlNlTY AND POOL.
The Methods Adopted In Teaching yyome,
tho Intricacles OF This Game.

The Methods Adopted In Teaching Women
tho Intricacles Of This Game.
Did you ever watch man trying to
teach woman to play pool-pretty
womanp
He puts the cue tenderly into her
hand and begins his instructions by
telling her how to hold it. ''Grasp it
lightly, something as fiddler does his
bow, don't you know; there, that's it,
you've got it precisely! Now, just re-
lax your arm little, so that the
muscles will have free play from the
shoulder
She has taken physical culture"
and understands what he means. She
swings the cue back and forth few
times to convince him that she does
and to give him chance to admire the
graceful motion of her wrist. For
what woman would care to learn pool
If there was not bit of coquetry con-
neeted with itp
Now he proceeds, "put your left
hand down on the table-so. No, make
little bridge Of it-seep to rest your
cue on
She humps up her knuclxles and OBJ
oRA
not beautiful--and Immediately flattens
| it out.
mo, that is not quito right; raise
your thumb little, Allow me-"
He fixes it himself, handling the un-
bruly little member with much delicate
respect. There, now you are all
right he encourages her; snow you
are in splendid position to send yonder
red full into the corner pocket"
He skips around TO the other side of
the table and carefully sights the ball.
She as carefully sights him. She has
no notion of taking aim. She SIM
ply moves the cue to tho right or to the
left as he tells her, and when he gives
the word she draws back and lets
| fly with momentum that drives the
enemy clear out of the field, while the
white ball goes scurrying round the
table and finally lodges mischievously
into remote pocket.
ooh, myp she cries triumphantly,
81 never intended to do that at ALI 1t
| Just went in itself. How many does
that count mepn
She is surprised and rather in
dignant when he gently explains the
ooh, then it only counts when you
get the red ones into the pockets and
| 1t discounts when the white ones go IMP
What an absurd game. Well. III look
out for that next time"
| He carefully gets her into position
again. She has forgotten all about his
previous instructions, her right arm is
as rigid as blacksmith's when he is
about to deal blow ON his anvil. and
her left hand again refuses to make q
fulcrum of itself, and has to DO ad-
| justed with "beg pardon" for the
liberty. Again he places himself OPP
! posite her and the ball and resumes
the sighting process. "You will OBJ
serve,n no says, "that this ball is not
exactly in line with the pocket. We
shall have to make very obtuse angle
here.n
ooh, dearl What is thatp'' she asks.
al haven't thought of angles since
studied arithmetic. -
He smiles patronizingly. "Well,
never mind tho angles, just touch the
ball little to this side. about there's,
he puts his finger on il. Now, them
not hard. y
She gives very gentle tap this time
and tho ball rolls leisurely off and
wanders stupidity round the edge of
the pocket and lodges against the COR
ner of the cushion. ..Oh. dearln she
cries, ''why ceuldn't it have gone IMP
1t came so near" Never mind; it
was capital shot, anyway" he as
| sures her.
The next vancouver was an attempt
at an acute angle, but again they
| failed.
'That was little too thin," he re-
marks.
She is offended that he presumes to
talk slang to her and plainly shows her
displeasure.
| With covert amusement he explains
that IL is merely technical expression
appertaining to the game and business
proceeds.
In the course Of the evening, by
means of Herculean exertions on his
part. she succeeds in pocketing eight
balls, which he tells her Is game,
and she joyously reports to her friends
next day, declaring that she ''justloves
to play pool and it's awfully easy when
Il person knows how"
| l saw married man undertake to
give his wife few points on the game
at tho Occidental club last ladies'
night. He handed her cue and she
made ready just as any woman would
just as the pretty young lady at the
other table did.
You've got too much Of grip ON
it," he said. Don't clutch IL us If 1t
was a crowbar. Do you suppose it
takes sledge-hammer blow to send q
little ball like that across tableP"
She blushed and giggled and tried
to profit by the hint. But two or three
cratic and spasmodie passes at the
balls satisfied her that it was no use
for her to learn pool and with sigh
she laid down tho cue.
| The chief trouble with her was his
skepticism of her ability to master the
accomplishment and his neglect to
hide 1t under the polite mantle of gal
lantry.
He inconsiderately remarked to
bystander of his own sex; "Something
funny about woman trying to play
this game; she never seems to get hold
of the science of the thing"
My private reflection was that woman
hasn't much Of chance--after all the