Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-10-02

be takdh before you can advance one
iota IN he knowledge Of any unknown
tongue.
The Sd snce. or the language of whist
must BID acquired just the same way.
You muS& travel the same route-you
who read these hhes will ask the Ques-
ton, What is the proper step to take,
or what eOurse should one pursue to
acquire this knowledge, and get 1t In
the right way?" The answer is very
simple; but how few will realize the
great Importance Of the two little words
that answer it-study and practice.
You SHOULD provide yourself with
some good whist book, one that has
the code OF laws as adopted by the
American Whist League. Read and be-
come familiar with this code, then COM
mence the 4tudy OF the game, beginning
with the alphabet, the first letter Of
which IL tp learn the leads. In my
opinion there IL none better than the
system known as the American Leads.
Do not try to memorize them, try to
see the reason why you make such and
such a lead, and then learn the proper
follows, 1. e.. the second lead from GER
tain combinations, which you will find
| in any text book. Do not learn part
OF them and guess at the balance,
which is the custom with 80 per cent.
of those who start In with good resolu-
tons. You must know everyone be-
yond the possibility Of doubt. The
| best way Is to spread out the cards be-
| fore you on table; in doing so you
| can more thoroughly impress your
mind. When YOU have learned the
| leads and follows, take up the second,
| third and fourth hand play. This
| much, / should say, most anyone can
| accomplish easily in a month, II they
go at it right. When you have ac-
| quired this much knowledge, sit down
at whist table with someone who has
been studying with you; one who has
| gone over the same course, or one who
| has more experience than you, and
| practice. This much knowledge you
can acquire only. from books, or from
| a competent whist teacher; with 1t you
start in with good, solid foundation,
which everyone desiring to become a
whist player must lay. There is no
getting away from it; you cannot
shirk it and ever hope to get there,
and it Is very foolish to try.
| L WOulU
players, without'this little bit OF whist
knowledge, never to attempt to play
the game, and / will say right here,
without fear of contradiction, that II
YOU make trip from the Pacific to the
Atlantic, and visit the whist clubs in
every city en- route, and saw none at
the whist tables excepting those who
nossess this much knowledge OF the
game, the chances are you Will find
some of the club rooms SHINY attend
ed.
am not pecuniarily interested in the
sale of any whist literature. conse-
uuently will not name any particular
hook: they are all good. could give
| the titles to over seven hundred, but 1t
would be hard to go into any book
store and pick up whist book that
would not be Just the one for you TO
| study.
In conclusion, l NIL state, l am not
| saying this to discourage or dlsnearten
beginners, nor to make them feel or
| think they have an impossible barrier
| or mountain to climb, but on the con-
| trary. it is to encourage them to do the
right thing at the right time, while
they have q chance, and what l neg
lected doing the first ten years OF my
so-called whist experience.
From the day 1 opened my first whist
book with good intentions, some six
| teen or eighteen years ago, to the pres
emit day the beauty and gradeur OF our
noble game has been to me like the
| wonderful work of one of the great
| masters from the plain canvas, palette
| and brush to the finished masterpiece.
| p. J. Torney in Whist Why's.