The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-28
WIEN PLAY WAS HIGH.
Modern Gambling Not Comparable to
That OF Last Century.
From the Neto York Sun.

LONDON, April 15.-'The great baccarat
case" as it has been labelled from the first,
will soon be brought into court for trial.
Then the stigma Of cheating at cards in
friends house, in the presence Of ladies and
of ian exalted parsonage" will be removed
from or branded on a brave and hitherto
respected soldier, who has served his
country faithfully, and deserved bet
ter than the fate that has overtaken
him. Elf he is found mot guiltyj
and sbsolved by a public Judgment, the
shame and onus will be shifted from his
shoulders TO those OF his accusers; but what
ever be the final sentence on Sir William
Gordon Cumming, it is not less a sad and
painful fact that the ancient traditions of
hospitality which make the person. of a
guest sacred and place him under the pro-
lection of his host, have been violated
grossly in the doings of last winter at
Trenby Croft.
great reaction is taking place against
gambling since these events and objurga-
lions raised against those who allow them
selves the pastime. The objectcrs forget
that gambling, far from being a modern
and helnous crime, was essentially the pleas
ure OF sovereigns, and, as natural
sequence, of the aristocracy. The young
"bloodS" OF former epoch had not 10 re-
sort exclusively to the "hells,n so numerous
then in all great capitals; they could stake,
win or lose patrimony openly, publicly,
gracefully and more or less carelessly az
almost any of the noble houses famed for
the number and splendor OF their entertain
ments.
Al the quesns of England aud all the
Princes of Wales have Invariably played
high. Queen Elizabeth lost her temper
when fortune deserted her, and her ill luck
invariably fOreboded evil to her courtiers.
Brummell often lost large sums to the
Prince Of Wales-perhaps not always by
&C cident-but if he expected to have them
returned wien his royal friend assembled the
throne, he was disappointed, for he never
received guinea
In France as far back as Philippe le Bel,
the monarch made practice daily OF writ
ing down in his account book his losses at
play. Louis XII. had his game of Ftur
even In camp and on the eve OF battle.
Henri ~. was not above mild cheatia" at
cards, but that was considered then a very
venial offense To this day there is q GER
tain game of tarocchi played in Italy where
it is allowable to look into ones partners
hand, if he gives you chance of doing SO.
Under the last three Louises Of France
gambling was passion at court; the games
most in vogue were successfully PdSSe die,
LdnSquenet, Trente,et-ltn, and later, Bos-
ton, of which whist was one of the varia-
tions. Louis NV, was a very cautious
player; lie refused to take the Spanish
golden coirs Of the Chevaiier de Ronun be-
cause he would lose on the exchange, and
insisted in having his winnings paid in louis
dor. The chevalier threw his pistoleS out
Of the window 'for the pages" and counted
out the French coins.
1t had become then 80 much the custom
to cheat at all sorts of play that the ladies'
of the court, to distinguish themselves from
the III )re ordinary swindlers. used to return
to each other the sums they had dishonesty
and unfairly won during the game.
The highest play nowadays, even at he
clubs where the Prince of V ales shows him
self a perfect player, never letting it be
seen by his manner that he wins or loses,
appears absolutely insignificant when com
pared with the sums that changed hands
in those days. Nine. de Montespan lost
9500,00O one Christmas day, and few
nights later won back 100000 francs at
one sitting. Prince CASTOR dOrleans was
compelled to pawn all his jewelry to meet
the debts incurred at cards. Even in the
royal coaches coming or going to Marty,
Versailles aud Fontainebleau gambling
went on. Napoleon l., who was not
fond of cards, somewhat checked the
fashion. He liked chess, at which he
thought himself very clever, SO that he was
correspondngly surprised and vexed wien
ainebeau, all tie more so, possibly because
his courtiers made 1T a practice never to
win when playing with him. Under the
restoration and monarchy Of July playing
was encouraged only in moderation and
for small stakes; during the second empire
it was the same; only at Biarrltz did the
court depart from this rule.
In Germany the Dowager Empress Au-
gusra INDUCED in an occasional game of
pbiSt with haF int har
never. The present emperor is opposed to
gambling, and quite lately has issued very
stringent restrictions to be enforced by the
officers and students at the universities
The Emperor of Austria, if he touches
cards at ALL plays patience: the car finds
no pleasure in cards under any form; King
Humbert hates them, though his father,
Victor Ema luel, thoroughly enjoyed a
game, swearing when he lost, when he won
laughing boisterously, and was not averse
to assisting fortune in a perfectly good
humored and unsoDhisticOted manner which |
no one. Alfonso XII. used to play treSilio
with the Spanish tdret cards, and besique,
which he learned in France; since his death
there has been no playing at all at the court
of Spain.
However, if the reigning sovereigns Of
to-day do not gamble so much as their pre-
decessors, the princes of their families do
not hesitate t. do so, and several have lost
fortunes in that way; among the most notn-
BILE of these was the noted Prince Of Orange,
SO essentially beau joLeltr that never was
any reproach directed to him on account Of
this Partially for play.
1t is well known now that great num-
Der of fashionable people in the London
smart set" attempt to make an additional
income by gambling; the ever-growing in
crease Of luxury, love Of display, and show
is responsible for it. There are ladies of
rank in England who are inveterate, aud
one might almost say, interruptions,
gamblers; but although certain derelIctions
in absolute delicacy and serious honesty
are not ignored, they are consistently over
looked as they would not be- under other cir |
cumstsnces. Only every now and then, as
a salve to sensitive corsciences, an example
is made and a scapegoat selected to estab- |
llsh the immaculate reputation Of the rest.
Formerly when the same thing
was done it was done openly; the
public accepted the fact, aud 10
excuses apparently were deemed necessary. |
The Duchess d'Abrantes, in her most de- |
hghtful memoirs, speaking of the great
Partisan salons, says that men AMI women /
cheated at cards, that IL was well Known, [
and only raised smile. The ComJe de /
Grammonst the King of Fashion, cheated |
and did not care TO dissemble il Hamilton, I
kis brother-in-lew, who wrote his memoirs
during the counts lifetime, and often in his
presence, gives 1t as q good joke that be /
managed cleverly to make his partners dis /
gorge by a little art part Of their ill-gotten |
Uainz Nile da fauuaV r,ovinp n visit in /