New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-22
Why's OF THE UORLD.
The Card Fad Shoes No Signs OF
D;winiehiae-THe Craze -4broad.

There is great deal Of discussion pro anu
going OF IN regard to the great vogue M
card rlayinC has obtained among women uuiii'e
,be last few years-a craze which has noI PIoNeu
"a ne the transitory fancy that 50 many predicted
h,- which on the contrary. has now become an
i-nportant and acknowledged factor OF the Socld
life Of today So is this that II Is not. 700
much to say that fully half Of the older matrohs
of society (to say nothing of the younger contln-
.srt who have taken il up with almost equal en-
ta,r,siasrnl play cards almost daily and greatly
prefer it 10 any other form Of entertainment
Many people deplore this absorption greatly
said a rnatron They say it is injuring the tone
OF society: that clever women who used 10 1eaNen
Tho llnap' by being interested in the questions OF
the day and being up in the latest literature help
ing thereby 10 redeem the frivoty OF general con-
1-ersstion are now completely wrapped up IN
bridge and care for nothing else. And this Is not
all 1t has the still worse effect Of causing women
TO be away from their homes great deal more, TO
sec less Of their children and TO lessen their inter
est in the management Of their homes
Mamma hardly ever lunches with US any
more said d child TO me the other day she Is
always at some horrid bridge thing
All this arrangement the part Of the cons
has. it must be acknowledged. good deal Of
truth in il On the other hand, however, the
pros" have good deal TO say their side
which sounds reasonable. 4 think I can safely
say that bridge has saved me from a breakdown,
said woman whose anNieties Very wear
ing y can never he thankful enough that ! am
fond of cards. The mental rest that il gives 10
" become keenly interested in a game for a few
hours and 10 forget all ones worries and troubles
is remarkable
THE amount Of good that bridge whist has done
in drawing, out Of their duh seclusiou women who
had fallen into a rut and becoming old before
their time cannot be too greatly praised said
another Of its advocates.
1T pleasure to think Of the enjoyment that
It has brought into hundreds Of womens lives, for,
after all. why should the young. the gay and the
other favored children Of fortune have the monop-
oily Of amusement? We all need II, and it is good
for every one OF course We could say that women
Whs lead dun lives could go in for intellectual
effort for charitable work, FOR pursuit
hut how few Go II fitted for il. Now. !
know q tand she is type Of the MANY
VINO few years eating her heart out
with melancholy. She unmarried. and had
many fads and given Up one after another as fail
ures She becoming a hTpochoudri2c, and
feeling that she had particular place interest
in society. had gradually druf ped CUt Of every
thing. Fortunately. some one persuaded her
ioin bridge class which was then a novelty. She
came parsonage. She invited constantly.
bought pretty gowns and grew younger every day.
Anything that do all this for person land. as
say, Miss r s case Is only one OF many cannot
he called al evil
But whether for good or bad the fondness for
cards seems 10 be increasing rather than dimin-
fishing, beth al this country and England From
she other side a recent letter from the dis
tricts says tina: the spread Of the card mania par
ticUlarly regards bridge whist. is phenomenal
writer. and OLD fogies who have not left their
houses for attend card parfieS