New-York tribune., 1905-06-04
COURT CARDS AT BERLIN.
Unique Feature Of German Crozcn
Princes Weddang Festivities.

Among the features of the wedding festivities at
Berlin will be the spiel-cour, which formerly
sttuted very popular and frequent form of royal
entertainment at court but which now only takes
place on the occasion of the marriage of member
of the Hohenzollern family In the days of old
Versailles, lie jeu de leurs majestes was the
function to which those whom the Amounted of the
Lord desired to honor were most frequently bid
den AS soon as the guests had made their bows
to the sovereign. to hs consort and TO the princes
and princesses of the blood. card tables were set
out, and gambling commenced. those to whom their
nlajesties wished to accord special distinction and
honor receiving royal command through the cham
berains In waiting take their places at the card
tables of the King Of the Queen. as the case
might be.
It was these royal games of cards at the court
of Versailles which contributed in small meas
ure to the downfall OF the old French monarchy
and to the outbreak OF the great Revolution at
Paris hundred years ago. The III fated Queen
Marie Antoinette of France became an inveterate
gambler. 1t her craze for high play that led
her to admit not only to her court but also to
her card table parvenus of doubtful reputation
and of questionable antecedents. such as the in
famous Cagostro. sol disant Count of ST. German,
and others of his class. whose only merit In her
eyes was that they were rich and willing to lose
their money without counting it. Indeed. the cele-
hrated diamond necklace scandal, which COM
promised to such terrible degree the reputation
of this French Queen and preciptated the over
throw of the throne, would have been Impossible
had P4OkCAASAISS'
There Is of course, nothing of the KIND at the
court of the Kaiser. The only game of cards In
which he ever INDUCES, and then only for points
inf1ntesmaily small, is the popular German game
of skat and this he plays only in private Inc
sole occasion in which card playing ngures at any
court function nowadays at Berlin is at the So
cslled spiel-cour when prncesses of the house Oh
Prussia married
The spiel-cour is held In the Weisse-saaI OF the
Berlin schloss. or palace. The Kaiser ana inc
Kaiserfn with the bridal pair. seat themselves a'
n card table under a canopy of gold oFocaOe,
adorned with the imperial arms. The other royal
personages sit at card tables lower down on the
das on each side. There cards on the taple
h,,t thew are not as a rule used. The lnVlteo
gIlests then pass before their najesties, the
Master of the Ceremonies Count Gutenberg stalu
ing at the of the das for the purpose Oh men
tioning to their matesties the names of those VINO
are to pass before Ranged at the back OF the
chairs of state occupied by the Emperor ana Elm
press and the royal and imperial personases are
the palace guards, in their quaint, old fashioned
and exceedingly picturesque uniforms. Inc hf0t ~
pass before the throne is invariably the Chancellor
of the Empire To his salutations to those OF
the personages of minor rank the Emperor and
Empress respond with inclination Of the mead
I NAV add that an indispensable feature OF the
coifure of the women on the occasion OF these
courts is the so-caled ''barbe, sort OF tiny
lace veil suspended each side of the coiffure
and about inches in width. The lace, OF course
must be real though the kind is left to the wearer
choice. 1t is generally white spanish point AeheoA
or Point d'Angleterre
majesties is this spiel-cour over nor do the En-
peror and Empress and the other royal personaSes
arise from their card tables mngle with their
guests