Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-12-13
WHIST LEADS.
1t Is Regaining It's Old Time Prestige
Many Clubs Devoted to 1t.
Chicago Herald.

1t Is Regaining It's Old Time Prestlge--
Many Clubs Devoted to 1t.
Chicago Herald.
There was a period when whist Ian
guished and seemed on the point of Civ
ing up the ghost. at least so far as this
city is concerned. Other card games
obtained the favor Of society, of clubs
and of other amusement-loving folk.
Various forms of poker obtained the
ascendency for a time, and even the
ladies quickly acquired the theory and
practice of ''raising the ante" OF ''go-
ing you five BETTER" and of "raKing in
the pot'-whateve these heathenish
phrases may mean. "Quiet little
games" were started every evening in
thousands of otherwise vlrtuous house
holds, and poker club after
poker club was organized. AT
the same time with the fasci-
mating pastime which General Schenck
inocuisted even on the British body pol
itic other and more vulgar games, OBJ
tanned foothold here in social circles,
such as eucbre, California jack, cinch,
hearts and even skat, the great German
diversion at cards. They all basked in
the sunlight of popular favor for time
and much to relegate the soberer and
more scientific and difficult whist into a
state OF innocuous desuetude. For a
while, in fact, it was only the small
array of the old-fashioned people, the
"old guard" so to speak, who remained
faithful to their rubber Of whist, while
the young and giddy, the fashionable
and select, the swell and dandified por-
ton of society chose other social dissi-
pations with which to beguie the time,
especially the easy and amusing "pro-
gressive euchre."
But shat time is gone. 'Incessant
poker playing-since the stakes, even II
low, had to be actual money-led to
justifiable objection on the part Of the
serious-minded, and undoubtedly for o
while there was good reason for declar-
ing that II another limping devil had
uncovered the roofs OF all the Chicago
houses and peered in he would have
found, at every second fireside, a game
of chance-draw poker-in full blast.
Ladies were caught at cheating and men
were discovered "blufing" outrageous
". In short, the prevalence OF poker
led to a general Generalization, more or
less. While nice, it had to be univers-
ally conceded naughty. Thus poker
came to be tabooed, slowly but surely,
in nearly every fashionable gather
ing. Progressive euchre enjoyed q
longer run of prosperity, and it still
counts many enthusiastic devotees
among the elect Of local society. But
though prizes were offered in order to
stimulate the players and render the
game itself less tedious and though 1t
bore for time the stamp Of fashionable
approval, the inherent insipidness OF
the game, the dearth of variety in its
features and the child-like simplicity Of
its rules soon made even the most
amusingform Of the game distasteful to
all those who required some mental zest,
excitement and effort even in their
social relations.
In a word, whist came back cons
queror, and it seems to have come back
to stay. 1t has regained all its former
prestige. Nay, more, it has attained to
a popularity in Chicago which no other
card game ever enjoyed before. Young
and old, fashionable and unfashion-
able, men and women, everybody, in
fact, plays whist to-day, or tries to do
so, which is q distinction with differ
ence, as every real whist player knows.
The number of devotees to whist is
larger to-day, probably, than that Of
all the other games combined, possibly
excepting poker and skat. And in club
life whist has regained q proud pre-
eminence over all other diversions.
There is no social organization Of any
size in Chicago where whist is not q
feature Of some magnitude. And still
the influence of the game is spreading
and enlarging, and every day adds to its
disciples.