The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-10-28
CARD-PI .AYING


Possibly no other invention has ever
given rise'to so much merriment and
sorrow, has called forth so many
smiles, frowns and tears, and has been
the agent in so many tragedies as a
pack Of cards. The actual source of
this invention still remains a mystery,
the generally accepted story of origin
being that in 1893 cards We're intro
duced at the French court as diver
sion for King Charles VI. during his
temporary attacks of insanity. From
this date they spread rapidly through
every country in Europe, and received
such a warm welcome from all classes
that laws had to be made for the better
regulation of dice-t throwing and card
playing.
During the commonwealth card-play-
ing shared the Punishment of every
other amusement but with the restored
monarchy a reaction set in, and heavy
play became the fashion Basset and
ombre were the games most in favor at
court, and in the graphic picture given
by Evelyn of the last Sunday spent by
King Charles II. at Whitehall he
speaks of "at least two thousand
pounds in gold' on the basset table
round which about twenty of the
great courtiers'' were sitting. Ombre
was also court game. Waller has q
poem "On card torn at ombre by the
queen" Pope, also, in ''The Rape of
the Lock-" gives such faithful de-
scription of Belinda's game that the
Hon. DANES Darlington, writing in the
Universal Magazine for December, 1888,
says: when ombre is forgotten (and
it is almost so already it may be re-
vived with posterity from that most
admirable poem" In it's turn ombre
was deposed for quadrille, and for
time no one who aspired to be counted
among the beau monde condescended
| to play any other game. Mr. Urban, in
| the Gentleman's Magazine for 1886,
gives Cautions against Quadrille, :"
and warns "the young and unwary Of
| both sexes" against a most growing
| vice which If not timely prevented will
| end in their ruin Il mean," he says,
1.-The great increase of play in private
houses, and more particularly that art
| full and cheating game of quadrille."
| Quadrille was equally popular in Paris,
| and a pamphlet is extant dated 1860 Of
1.-THE game of Quadrille by Four as it
| is now played at the French Court" in
which it says, 'It is allowed by all
players that quadrille is more amusing
and entertaining than ombre or any
other game on the cards, either because
every deal is play'd out. or that it bet
| ter suits the genius of the ladies, to
whom complaisance and good manners
| must prejudice the gentlemen in its ia
| vor." Such a prejudicial hold had this
| e. 70 IL
| a writer of the day deplores that ''wo-
| bling. Their husbands, children, the
duties of society are, without quad
\ rifle wearisome encumbrances. Quad
rifle is the joy that gives life, spirit and
brightness. For this they hurry over
their meals and abridge their most
agreeable refreshments. For this alone
they visit and are visited"
| In the autobiography of Mr.. Freder-
lex Reynolds, he tells us that one of the
most noted card-playing places near
London was Twickenham, and that
| there, in Montpelier Row, lived -four
maiden ladies who were known in the
| neighborhood as Mantle, Spadille, Bas-
| to and Punto. Mrs. Harris, writing to
| her son, the first Lord Malmesbury
| says: Madame de Walderen would
fain have tempted me to her loo table
but l needed little fortitude to with
stand it, as one stake lost would ruin
whole assembly. l preferred a sopei
game of quadrille with Miss Chud-
leigh" The Annual Register" for l'6t
| informs US that "a lady at the west
End lost at a sitting one night last
week three thousand guineas at 100
AS early as the reign of Henry VII,