The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-11
GAMES OF ALL NATIONS.
THOSE or TEE PRBsENT TIME sUR-
VITALB OF DlTINLTART RITES.

Hvea tho Indians Had Their HAysuts BEFORE
the Discovery Of Aunvies-hna FehsF VITA
Slight Dinerauee fren the Gsns sn 10
IL Eew Rpown. was Rlnyea In Pe-ais-
Trop the Hashtn0ioa Pos.
MI. Stewart Culin, director Of tho Museum
OF Archaeology and Paleontology Of tho Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, whose advance art-
Giles o. tho work he is compiling on the games
Of the world has attracted 30 much attention,
has been spending q fcw days at tho National
Museum In pursuit of his studiea. For tho past
eight years Director Culin has bean collecting
data and specimens OF the games which arc
played by all the nations OF the world, and has
also made as complete ce lection as possible OF
specimens oKtant Of the games played by tho
most ancient peoples.
Games generally" said Mr.. Culin, "are re-
mnrkablo for their similarity, which extends
practically to Identity, in all parts Of the Garth.
in all times and among people Of tho highest and
the lowest culture. Any differences In refer
once to the contact of races and migrattons
must DO made with extreme caution, as we fnd
pretty much the Same games everywhere. Tho
games OF Amusement played at the present day
by civilized people are clearly surviyals Of divin-
itary rites, this fact being shown by the position
which all games occupy among the people
whom we COLL savagos. The more complicated
games, such as playing cards, appear to have
direct relations with the divtnitary calendar.
And the counting boards or cables, upon which
pieces Of wood arc moved, ~ In backgammon
or chess, have similar relations.
"1he collection shown at Atlanta, while 90
oupying q great deal Of Spaoe and apparently
diversified in character. merely represented an
attempt to illustrate tho development Of two
types OF games which are represented to-day by
playing cards and chess. In tho course Of these
investigation It Is shown that In q sense playing
cards in one form or another are nfnCdCallv
universal. and were known to many Of the
tribes Of tho American Continent antedatins
occurs in tho gambling sticks OF the Indians
OF our Northwest coast. These gambling
arrow shaftments marked with the emblems Of
place and personality.
used in Korea, reveal precisely The Same origin
as these arrow shaftments. Chinese cards con-
n 1spd, yin \ "a them hem ', and our own S cards s, may a, be re,
SERIES
Incidentally In the collection q number of
hibbit.Ssd. i intended Ra to ili Hl GlsE,n &c oa ancient afe s sai
existing cards Of the principal nations. 4 Per
i, artistic beauty. The card pieces are painted
with delicate,niniatures:executed upon q ground
" %lt I'D tht foil i, c Our f%ini ffinGr game the sfs ssRs played
Gen. A. ,Houtun-schindler Of TeEeran in re-
Ply, to a letter Of inquiry. has furnished tho
game is called "As," and Is exactly like poker,
but without any iushes or sequences. There
dealt to the right. The dealer puts down q
II he goes. he says 'di dam Il have SEEM,
and covers the stake or raises 1t. II he does not
wish to play he says "Nadi dam" Il huve not
seem, and throws down his cards,
He may also go" without looking ut his cards
that is. In poker parlance, ''straddle,' and he
says "nadid di dam mot seeing, l have seem.
The second player, II he wishes TO play, must
cover the stakes, and can also raise. The third
player and the dealer then act In the same WY,
just as In poker. and when the stakes Of all play
ers arc equal and no one raises any more, the
cards, arc, turned up and the player holding the
best hand wins the stakes. The hands in the
order OF their value are three of a kind and q
pair. q full, '. three, ace, king, &C; two pair,
aces highest; one pair, aces highest. When two
players have the same pail. or pairs, the other
soldier. and some.card OF little value. Blufiing ia
a feature Of the game, and Is called zadam, lit
orally, 'Fire,off..a gun"
backgammon is one of the few classical
games TO which the present day attains. It is
extremely Interesting from the fact that 1t 10
Identical with the Roman gaming, dice being
cast from q dice box into O little tower. the
Turiccula Of the classical writers. In tho
museum . backgammon board Is shown from
the Malay Peninsula, which Is used in a game
Identical with our own A Syrian specimen Is
beautifully iilaid with mother ~of-pearl.
Modern ingenuity" said Mr.. Culin, Com
not BIO said to have risen to the point of Invent
Ing a game. All games were invented ages
ago, and 1t is to be questioned whether a single
application, for a patent upon the idea o a
| and AcCessibla'