The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-06-23
History OF q Pastime Which Has Ia.
veloped From a Small
Beginning.
II Was 6coffsd at Until It's Latent
Possibilities Were Dis
covered.
Memory and Reason Play Large Part In II
aud II IL = solaco to the
Elderly.
From tho PittsburR pisp.tch.

eE9OuRiIy OoV6Iop0u from small oeRlnnloRa
II had it, origin In triumph or trump
sometimes called English run md hon
ors," . game kuown 10 early ~ the elk
teenth century, and frequently mentioned
w the writer's OF the slime. The woSt
trump IL derived from triumph. meaning
simply q triumphing conqusripg sard; ant
in the simple form In which The Rame mrs
existed II vas natural to give u this nsm'
expressive Of its most salient point. After
ward, ~ II improved and developed. de-
manding closer attention on The part Of tn
player, II cams TO be called whisk or whis
from the old English word meaning silent
We ind shs word. for example, In A ierl
song in THE Tempest"
Come unto theeo yellow sands
And then take hands;
The wild waves whist,
A moro appropriate name could scarcely
be found for a game which requires an M.
usual amount of calculation and reflection,
and which must therefore bs played In alb
solute silence.
Though very popular throughout Eng
land during the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries. whist had not attained any de.
gree OF Importance and was rather scoffsd
n by the fine folks. being considered Z
country squirs's game. In 1928, however.
number Of gentlemen. who wsrs in the habit
Of assembling n the Grown coffee house In
Bedford Row began a scientific study Of
the rural amusement and soon discovered
Its latent possibilities. Then = few years
later the famous Edward Hoyle published
his "6hort Treatise on Whist" and the
game speedily became established In the
favor of the fashionable world. The Lon
don coffee houses adopted IL to the exelu-
sion Of the old favoriteS. quadrille. spadills
and piquet. and II was the rage At
Bath and Tumbridge Wells. Eighteenth
century literature gives us delightfully."-
amusing pictures of the gay society Of the
In '"Tom jones' We ind a description of a
Sabber; and In ''Thrse Weeks After MARI
age" q bright little farce which was pro-
duced in 1776. the whole plot turns upon .
desperate quarrel between \ newly made
husband and wife about the correct play at
The lady insists that 'the diamond was the
plays" the gentleman declares that ''the
club was the card against the world" and
the discussion WAKES 10 hot hat the ro-
nance Of the honeymoon is entirely de-
stroYod and even their Wooded happiness
Be0nb IN UuU40Ts We eau only nope tn&t
the modern interest in whist may net be
productive of such dire results, and would
therefore advise all younR married people.
~ they value their domestic pence, to o.
chew the game until they have thoroughly
tested each others tempsrs.
renaissance of whist. Hoyle. after having
been the supreme authority for more than
100 years. 10 now sursrssded by "Caven-
dish,' who 10 also an EnRlishman. and who
has adopted this imposing nom de auerYe to
conceal the less stately appellation of
Jones. U. B.. Trast ID an American author
ity of no small Importance; and the Ameri-
oan leads have been incorporated BY Caven-
dish with the English game, 30 advantage
Gus does he consider them. In his book,
''Whist Developments" these leads. a. we'll
rs the un%blookinR system, are thoroughly
explained and are necessary subjects OF
study to the player who has already mas.
tered the fundamental principles Of the
game.
SO intricate is tho modern system Of Sig
mails and leads many of them being pro-
foundly logical and others purely arbitrary,
that ono needs to exercise the memory md
reasoning faculties to an unusual degree in
order to become . player. For this reason
whist is rapidly coming to he considered al
most as Necessary a mems Of mental disei-
pline as tho classics INT higher mathemat-
les. and is taught with equal seriousness in
some eastern schools. Would 1t be fair to
suggest, however. that dame fashion per-
Of this special branch OF knowledge than
pure love of intellectual development?
Classes in whis were first formed in Bos.
ton (Of %course) some ton or twelve years
ago, when Miss Maud Gardiner. daughter
OF the ex-governor of Massachusetts. tsok
some friends. in order 10 help her family |
through financial difficulties. Her enter
p Use proved successful beyond her widest
hopes. and shs kept up a busy and lucrative
practice until her marriage with one of
Boston's~ millionaires. Since then teachers
OF every grade of ability have osopped up
in different cities and. for the NEST part,
have found the profession . paving ore.
It is not yet o~vercrowded. and certainly
seems to hold out many inducements to
women who are thrown upon their own re-
sources, as IL involves no manual labo- and
insares association with people of culture.
A logical brain, keen. percepttve faculties,
and an inexhaustibls fun Of patience are
the requirements.
As u solace for old age which IL said to bs
.uneqnaled. grandchildren are generally
supposed to be tho prous for ones declin-
ing years. bnt l believe 1t IL conceded By
old ~hist-lovers that their f~avorite Qamo il
moro satisfactory; it is quite as interestino
and absorbing. and 10 lacking in certain
distu bling characteristic peculiar to the
young OF the human race. 'You don't
know whist" cried Tallyrand to ayeunu
who expressed contempt for tho game.
What q sad old age is IN store for you."
Yes, ths sere and yellow leaf il not what il
once was. Our grandparents NO longer sit
In the chimney corner. spectacle on nose
Bible in hand. instraosing their g,and-
sons and daughters In holy writ, but In
dress suits and velvet gowns thew 20 Of TO
card parties, and can give the Younger gem
Grafton many a pointer about the game.
That Terrible Scourxc,
EAxas aud anna and ia no>.s.