The herald., 1895-04-01

1t is not for nothing that the greatest
literateur the world has ever seen makes
such frequent illusions to this beautiful
and elevating science. Tine verv atmos-
phere in which Shakespeare lived must
have been impregnated with whist
1t is significant fact that whist has
been. and is today, the game of the
worlds greatest men. Napoleon craved
whist as soalce for his exile; three OF
Great Britein's master minds sought re-
lease from the cares of the then greatest
nation in the world in quiet rubber y
and this is according to Hoyle.
Why have | occupied your time, Mr..
President, with these remarks? Simply
to lead up to a suggestion OF more i'm
portant and radical haracter-namely,
that in my Judgment the time has come
when we should have established in our
higher schools and universities chair
for disseminating the knowledge OF the
living language of whist. | do not dis
parage the place and the Importance OF
the so-called dead languages but in order
that the coming generation may be fully
equipped for every duty of life, morally
and socially, l protest | know of nothing
that Will 50 speedily raise the standard as
a through knowledge of this language, in
which representatives of every nation on
the face of the earth may enjoy pure
conversation.
Four gentlemen and ladies from the
four quarters of the earth, perchance,
meet on board a train or ocean steamer
Each speaks to the other in an unknown
tongue. The journey promises to be
tedious, dreary, lonesome and even disa-
greeable. Presently one produces pack
of cards, they sit around a table, the
cards are shuffled, cut and dealt, and
thence the four converse with an intelli-
gence and an eloquence never surpassed
BY the glibbest tongue the world ever
vl.x,,r Ia ,,,4
card properly played being an ineligible
sentence, and they can each understand
its infections and revel in its intin te
variety of expression until the journey is
ended What beautiful language it is!
1t is as idle to talk of the beauties of
whist to the uneducated in this science
as it is to talk of the beauties OF Horace
to one who has never studied Latin. Our
conception of the science of astronomy
would be very limited, indeed, if we never
spent night in an observatory or at the
eve-piece of one Of those huge telescopes
which have brought the heavens so near
the earth. Never do we feel our own
nothingness SO much as when the astron
| omer bids us fix our gaze upon the efful-
| gent meteors flaming themselves around
| the heavenly bodies TO the minds of
| the young It is like a pyrotechnic bomb
| thrown into the heavens-it is not ap-
| preciated or understood in any sense un-
| til it bursts forth in all its splendor and
| grandeur disclosing the infinite variety
| OF color and shade. Yet in moment all
| this passes away and leaves nothing to
| remind one of its wonder. But in whist
| the more light we throw upon it, the
| more time and patient study we give to 1T,
| the more we endeavor to fathom is depths
| of mathematical and analytical truth,
| the more do we realize that we have but
| discovered the lead in the mine, and
| that we are gently but forcibly impelled
| to penetrate still further into the delights
and the intricacies of this storehouse OF
| wealth.
| / believe with all the earnestness that
possess that every home in the land
| would be more bright and cheerful, that
our children would be more our com
panions, that domestic annoyances would
| disappear, that great social problems
would be solved, that many a cloud oi
courage in every possible way this inno'
| cent and instructive home amusement.
In proof of this l might give you many
! Illustrations from my own observations
and experience. | could tell you how
men who neglected or were unable tc
study this game in their youth have
| grown up to regret it,. Not long ago one
of New York said to ME; MIR: Iormey
| would give half | possess to be able tc
| play whist, for | know it would prove,
| great comfort and Joy to me IN my ole
age" A few days before | left San
| Francisco received letter from gen
tleman in the east VINO stands in one o.
the high places of a leading city, from
ginning Of my actual whist study was the
| ending with flowers and tears of moro
! than twenty years of perfect welded lift
| with no sunshine by day, with nU stars