The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-10
CARDS OF ALL NATIONS.
a Remarkable Collection Owned by
the University OF Pennsylvania.

a Remarkable Collection Owned by
the University OF Pennsylvania.
From the PHILADELPHIA Telegraph.
The university's contribution TO the folk
lore department Of the Columbian exposi-
ton will consist of collection Of games.
The games OF the world. as far as they can
be brought together. will be shown aud
made to tell their story. Especial attention
has been paid to playing cards. The origin
OF playing cards, "a much discussed question
never settled heretofore, will DO displayed
in a series of objects In which cards may be
clearly traced from the primitive astragalt
or knuckle bones through dice and domiuoes
up to the paper card. The place Of their
origin is shown TO be China, and "a collection
of Chinese playing cards made in China
especially for this section OF the Columbian
exposition by IA. II. Wilkinson, Esq. of her
British maiesty's consular service, will sup
plement the university's display.
The cards Of other oriental countries will
succeed those Of China, followed by tho
playing cards Of different European nations
Priority in the use Of cards is disputed by
Spain, France, Italy and Germany. The
Spanish collection will include the cards
collected by Mr.. Culin in Spain, including,
among others, several curious satlTIcal
packs and q modern pack with pictures OF
celebrated bull fighters. Cards were early
introduced by the Spaniards into their colo
MES aud specimens of Spanish cards puT~
chased In Peru and Mexico will DO exhiD>
tied, as well as Apache cards, made on
deerskins, with emblems rudely convention
allied from Spanish designs. Japan even
owes its playing cards to the Spauiards, and
the ordinary hama karuta or Flower cards.
used by gamblers in Japan, which are OK
hibited among the oriental cards, are only
notifications of the Spanish originals.
rda ~ gaVaFaI FpaknFa will
be shown. including packs Of French tarot
cards OF the last century. German cards OF
many kinds are included III the collection,
which embraces many modern packs of
great beauty from Berlin, Dresden and vi
emma, and the reprints OF old cards made
from the original blocks by the chronological
museum In Munich from the originals In
their possession, which were obtained for
the University museum by Mr.. Macauley.
The series is particularly rich IN Italian
cards. A number OF packs date from the
sixteenth and seventh centuries, including
several interesting series OF Florentine Min
chiati two of which bear on the backs che
arms of the Medici family. ar mscauley
collected with great care the cards made by
various makers In the different Italian
cities. They display many Interestingly va
riatlons, not only IN being made in some
cases for special games as the Cucu cards.
but in the different types which are fJugd
in the north center and south OF Italy,
Florence, Rome and Naples, each he's its
own distinctive cards.
The ancient process at card making will
be shown by means OF q set OF stencils,
brushes, aud sheets of steucilled cards III
various stages Of completion, purchased by
Mr.. Culiu from a manufacturer In Florence
who still makes his cards by hand. These,
1t is expected, will be arranged in contrast
with a series Of objects showing the i'm
proved process Of card making as 1t now
exists Ia the United States. The imple-
ments used in card playing in special games
will also be displayed. such as boards for
crlbbAge aud whist and other game mark
ers. There are a number OF sucn objects
which are little kno wn, as the box for the
French game OF main jaime.
Mrs. John Harrison procured for the col
lection, while In Germany last summer the
intricate wheel and boxes for the game OF
Poke Card boxes OF various kinds are
also TO be shown, among them a iar0uered
Canton box of great beauty. Among the
accessories to card playing are many ENDS
of fish" which were formerly used as
chips. made OF mother-of-Dearl. A act Of
these, presented by Mrs. Charles Gusts Har-
rison. once belonged TO Robert Morris, the
financer of the revolution, and bears bis
initials The literature Of playing cards is
also to be well represented, including the
catalogues Of the chief foreign COLLECTIONS