Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-03-21
CARD FAD RAMPANT.
No Signs of Diminishing Interest in
"Bridge"-Factor in So
cial Life.

There is a great deal of discussion pro
and con going on in regard to the great
vogue which card playing has obtained
among women during the last few years
"A craze which has not proved to he the
transitory fancy that so many predicted.
but which, on the contrary, has now be-
come an important and acknowledged fac
tor of the social life OF today. SO true is
this that it is not too much to say that
fully half of the older matrons OF society
Ito say nothing of the younger contin-
gent, who have taken it up with almost
equal enthusiasm play cards almost daily
and greatly prefer it to any other form
of entertainment.
Many people deplore this absorption
greatly said a matron. They say il
Is inJuring the tone of society; that clever
women VINO used to heaven the lump by
being interested in the questions of the
day and being up in the latest literature,
helping thereby to reoeem the friyolity
of general conversation, are now COM
pletely wrapped up in bridge and care
for nothing else. And this is not all. II
has the still worse effect of causing wom-
en- to be away from their homes = great
deal more, to see less of their children,
and to lessen their interest in the man
agement of their homes.
Mamma hardly ever lunches with Us
any more said a child to me the other
day She is always ut some horriI
bridge thing"
All this arraignment on the part OF
the cons has, it must be acknowledged.
a good deal of truth in it,. On the other
| hand, however, the pros" have Il good
| deal to say on their side which sounds
reasonable. Il think | can safely say
| that bridge has saved me from a break
| down" said a woman whose anXletieS are
nrin hg l,ar x =
enough that | am fond of cards. The
mental rest that it gives to become keenly
| interested in a game for Il few hours and
to forget all ones worries and troubles IS
| remarkable
1.-The amount of good that bridge whist
has done in drawing out of their dull Sc
| clusion women who had fallen into IL rUt
and were becoming old before their time
| cannot be too greatly praised, said an
| other of its advocates.
at is Il pleasure to think of the enjoy
ment that it has brought into hundreds of
women's lives, for, after all, why should
| the young, the gay and the other favored
! children of fortune have the monopoly OF
| amusement? We all need it, ana it is
! good for everyone. OF course, we could
say that women who lead dull lives could
/ go in for some pursuit. but how few do Il
or are fitted for it, Now, | know a wonl-
| an (and she is type of the many who
n few years ago was eating her heart out
| with melancholy. She was unmarried.
and had nothing in particular to interest
her. She had tried many fads and given
up one after another as failures. She was
becoming n hypochondriac, and, feeling
that she had no particular place or inte--
est in society. had gradually dropped out
of everything. Fortunately. some one
| persuaded her to join Il bridge class,
| which was then Il novelty. She played
well. and. being among the pioneers. be-
came Il parsonage. She was invited out
| constantly. bought pretty gowns AMI
grew younger every day. Anything that
| can do all this for person land, as
say Miss Il. case is only one of many
| cannot be called an evil"
But, whether for good or bad, the fond
ness for cards seems to be Increasing
| rather than diminishing, both in this
country and England. From the other
side a recent letter from the rural dis
tricts says that the spread of the card
mania, particularly as regards bridge
| whist, is phenomenal. People play who
never PLAYED before" SAYS the writer
'and old fogies vino have not left their
houses for years now attend card parties
| daily. New York Tribune.