The sun., 1903-12-06

are trumps2' and to be told. 'Oh, forgo
the ace Of that suit had been played or tt
have some second hand trump a thirteenth
card with two spot
"You see, more than half the women wht
60 in for bridge have never played whist
and, therefore eight lessons, which is con-
sidered q course, don't 60 very far. The
thing above all others that tries my patienct
is that women will not count
Now, II any one counts, she Is sure tc
know when thirteener is put on the table
without wasting trump to find 1t out
There is lot OF counting to do In bridge
anyway. beside counting the number ol
cards that have been played, consequently
some women find the game harder to learn
than whist, although men say 1t il easier.
"To concentrate the attention and to
count come hard to the woman prone to let
her thoughts meander to the bargain she
saw at the milliner's and to the creation her
dressmaker has promised to send home
that night, and yet she must do both il she
would play bridge well. Without putting
them in practice, women may learn the
rules Of the game, but they never will be
good players
But then I think there are very few
really clever women bridge players, any
way"
u am afraid that can't say have many
pupils who play well after one course Of
lessons said another teacher. with a
oubled air. ITO know bridge requires
weeks and months of practice. Practi-
cally all they learn in few lessons is the
rules OF the game.
Il am happy if, at the end Of half a dozen
lessons, pupil knows enough not to trump
her partners ace. In any game, to become
a good player one must keep at it. and bridge
is no exception.
Many and many woman Is now learn
ing the game not for love Of IT, but simply.
as one woman confessed, because she
didn't want to be left out OF everything, or
to be thought behind the times.
Yes. l had a pupil not long ago who
found It impossible to learn bridge. She
said 30 herself. And yet she is very
entertaining and bright appearing woman
-The trouble was that she could not
keep her mind on the cards She never
noticed, or at least she never remembe red
When her partner led a trump-for that
matter she seldom knew what the trump
was-and as for remembering her op-
ponents' original leade, that was not to be
thought Of.
She never orce lost her own temper,
but invariably every one who played with
her promptly few into a rage and then sub
sided into a sort of melancholy despair.
Il tried teaching her alone with two
dummies and at last advised her to give
t1,a otf ut go Iaor hr;l
my advice. But afterward heard she
don't suppose she could help it, though
she is Of such a sociable disposition,
yes indeed bridge clubs, as they ART
called, are now being formed everywhere
Ganbling2 Not at those 1 know anything
about.
~In fact I know very few women who
play for money at any time, although there
seems to be a general belief that bridge Il
seldom or never engaged in without gam
bling"
The specialist who has perhaps coached
more of the fashionable women of New
York than any other teacher, has a mucf
more fattering opinion Of his pupils
ability than the won en- teachers have o
theirs. Says he:
Most of the women l have taught anc
am teaching-for they continue to take
lessons of and on every winter-are accus
toned to using their brains. They travel
they speak several languages. they ar,
studying something or other all the time.
"Why shouldn't they be able to learr
bridge? find that the average woman
learns the game more quickly. il anything
than the avera ge man, although will admit
that the best players are men. The chic
fault in women's play, in my opinion. il
lack of good judgment, and that is some
thing that can't be taught.
Take man and a woman who play
an equally brilliant game. In the lonl
run the former will show better judgment
in playing difficult hands than the woman
I'm sure I can't pretend to explain tn,
reason why.
"On the whole. bridge is easier to learr
than whist. That is one reason. l think
why women are taking to 1t. Every learner
though, may just as we'll make up her minc
to one thing-the game can't be learned
in eight lessons, or in twice eight, either.
"As for women teaching it after a few
lessons from me or some other professional
WE'LL here the teacher gave an expires
sive shrug and sighed resignedly.