The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-02-05
Card Playing.

DEAR IETELL1eENCER: The other day I
met with an elegant treatise from the pen
of Rev. DR.. W. A. Alexander, of Canton,
Miss on card playing" 1t was really
heightened and dealt with the lovers of
Che game in q most respectful and gentle.
manly manner. Let me present a few Of
his sentiments, hoping they may ba read
by any who are membera or associates in
a'clubs" of ladies and gentlemen.
To illustrate the fact that playing g game
at cards produces neglect Of the decencies
aud proprieties of The parlor, he relates the
following incident of the renowned John
Locke: Mr.. Locke, having been intro:
duced by Lord SALISBURY to the Duke OF
Buckingham and Lord Halifax, these three
noblemen, instead of converting with the
on literary subjects, in a very short time
sat down to cards Mr.. Locke, after look
ing on for some time, pulled out his peck
etbook aud began 10 write with great at.
tention. One of the company, observing
thie. took the liberty of asking him what
he was writing: "My Lord" said Locke,
II am e~ndeavoring, as far as possible, to
profit by my present situations: For, hav
ing waited with impotence for the honor
of being in company with the greatest
geniuses of the age, I thought 1 could do
nothing better than to write down your
conversation. And indeed I have set
down the substance Of what you have
said for this hour or two" 1t was nothing
but the jargon of the game. This well:
timed rldicule had Its desired effect, and
these noblernen, fully sensible of its force,
Immediately quilted the play aud entered
into conversation more rational.
In illustration of its effect upon the pub
IT, ~on1fofton nf a man IF hiuh Hin1nmpfi0
position, he relates the case Of a gentle
man, a soldier distinguished, who was
sent some years ago as the representative
of our government to.a leading European
court. Without naming the person or the
court, he says: This gentleman achieved
fame and eclipsed all his former renown,
by introducing to society the great Ameri-
can game OF draw poker and by publish
ing q pamphlet OF rules governing the
same His eminent patronage made 1t
popular with q certain stratum of society,
but he was recalled by our President
amid the laughter and disgust Of two con
tinente. That ended his political career
In %conne1ion with this incident he refers
to the scandalized public sentiment of
England a few years ago by the affair at
Tranby Croft, when distinguished mem
bers of the royal household, and one OF
them an expectant heir to the throne,
were involved in q card playing soiree,
ending in a gambling club. 1t was not
only a grief to her Majesty. the Queen and
mother, but an ofense to the moral sense
of the Eoglish people.
These instances illustrate the fact, Mr..
Editor, that card.p!aying in cultured and
Intelligent circles is not redeemed by that
circumstance from the odium of offensive
ness to the instructive moral sense of in.
telligent people. And the very frequent
change of the name and forms Of the play
is but an effort to disguise from ourselves
the moral position and bad associations of
it. And therefore DR.. Alexander goes on
to say.
"Why is q glib and de1trous use of
card phrases thus out Of taste? Why
should those technical words fused in the
play) be thus avoided in cultured speech,
If there be not an Improperly in the game
itself that by adoption has become the
peculiar property Of the fraternity of gam
blers for generations? Why IS it indeli.
cate in q young lady to spice her CONVEX
sation with such slang? Why Is it q mat
ter o fioke among men, if any awkward
incident is told or fabricated, which as
sociates q minister of the gospel with the
card d or puts the card players phras-
eology on his lipsP
And let me add to this that If We have
not risen to a higher plane of morals than
the age of Locke, We have risen to an age
of more acute sensibility in things Of taste
"a s%ensibiiity that seeks under the dis
yuises of new names and popular forms to
cover the protests Of an offended con-
science. New forms and polite usages
and elegant fetes can never redeem an
amusement or a game that has acquired q
bad odor from bad associations and con.
tinues through generations to keep it..
D. E. f.