The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-23
CARDS IN FORTUNE TELLING
METHODS or SOME FAMOUS
NEW YORK SEERS.

The German Pack Uscd BY an East Side
Prophecies Loss Influenced by the
Cs-Ss .ss. - Operators Intuition.
There are three great systems Of divina-
ion-palmstry, ~astrology and cards.
Tho first u the easiest. because the in
quirer always has his or her palm handy
and no skill 10 needed In combining the
conflicting meanings Of different signs.
Astrology IL the most difficult because Of
tho intricate calculations necessary In
order to determine the houses In which
the inquirer's fortune IL cast. The cards
are the happy medium and probably the
most popular Of al systems Of fortune
telling, \
why cards?' many persons ask when
you propose to tell their fortunes by such
means. what bave cards to do With il
and why should they be supposed to pos
sess any occult power7'
Those who regard cards as having been
invented for the purpose Of playing games
and simply perverted 70 such hasa uses
as fortune telling put the cart before the
horse. Cards wore invented for fortune
telling and for centuries probably were
used for nothing else. II Is the playing OF
games that Is the perverslon.
So far as is known the present system
Of court cards and pips d an elaboration
Of the embiematio picture cards which
were used before the fourteenth century
by the sypsies. and Q brought to
Europe by the Saraoens. The original
cards. used exclusively for soroery. were
called naibis. II Is remarkable that all
the great people Of history seem to have
preferred cards to astrology or palmistry
when 1t came TO reading the book Of fate.
The earliest work that pretends to put
the science Of fortune telling by cards
in order is lie Sorti,' by Francesca Marco
lini, printed 10 Venice in 154o. Theiauthor
speaks Of the art as II Il were something
OF long standing and we'll known to every
one. The only cards used in his system
were the kings. queens and jacks and the
ten, nine, eight, seven and deuce OF dia-
monds.
According to tho father Of modern
fortune telling. Eitella, thirty-two cards
is the proper number. and they should
be single heads, because a court card
standing on its head has q very different
meaning from one standing firmly on its
feet.
There are many cheap books on fortune
telling that give tho meanings Of the
various cards. but they do not agree by
any means There was q famous woman
fortune teller on the East Side who for
many years foretold the fortunes OF New
York's Four Hundred, as we'll as tho
misfortunes Of many Of its four million.
Tho writer has In his possession the
original pack Of German fortune telling
cards which this woman brought from
Europe. They are totally unlike ordi-
nary playing cards, and the meanings
of them, which are printed on tho face
In script, are widely at variance with
those found In modern books Of carto-
NANCY.
For the benefit Of those who may wish
to amuse themselves and their friends
By telling fortunes hero arc the matters
which the various cards In the thirty
two pack arc supposed TO represent.
Tho first given applies whom the card
IL right side up, the second whom it is
reversed.
neoTIB-A. luo. uOuoS, = . NiSi''
K. A liberal man: disappointment. Q.
Mild hammered woman; crossed IN love.
J.. Gay. bachelor: escapadcs. 10. Happi-
ness: anxiety. Q. Joy and wishes gratifed:
chagrin. 9. Pleasant company: unprofita-
Bile aoouaintanoes. z. Pleasant thoughts:
be on FOUR guard.
Clubs-A. Joy. money. good news; OF
short duration. X. Frank man. fond OF
learning: disappointments. Q. Gentle and
pleasing woman; inclined to jealousy.
j. Good friend; grinding his own axe.
10. Success: he careful In business al Fairs.
0. Unexpected gains or legacy: trifing
present. 8. A dark person will bring us
good: bad food. Z. Invitation to some
place Of amusement; unsatisfactory.
Diamonds-A. A letter; cards. a. Mar
Of fair complexion: not true to us. Q.
A false woman; dangerous as a friend.
10. Money. o. knnoyance.<s Marriage
late in life. Z. Success In lotteries or
gambling: small amounts.
Spa6ss-A. Pleasure; grief or bad news.
K. Ambitious man; lawsuita. Q. Gay
widow; q nirt. J. A bad man: injury.
10. Trouble. 0. Disappointment In every
thing. 4, Rad news: money after a death.
7. Family troubles; ouarrels and separa-
ton. F..
ANY one who has studied the matter
carefully and has watched the methods
OF various fortune teIIers must have ar
rived at the conclusion that the cards
themselves have comparatively little to
do with the advice or warnings given
BY the operator who reads them. Any
ono who has consulted a skilful profess
sional palmist and studied his name
must admit that he uses the palm before
him moro a. q mean Of inducing auto
than a. q key to the history
Of tho individual that ~consults him.
There Ii something Of much the same
character In all first class fortune tellers,
which 10 meant all those who a spin
an interesting story aud still stay within
N degrees Of the truth. There Is q woman
on the West Side to-day who has given
up fortune telling since she got religion
hut who consented to read tho cards for
the writer Just to show how 1t was done.
She is . person OF very ordinary educa-
ton, belonging to the working classes.
narrow minded. soft hearted and as gull
Hble a. any Of her former clients. The
cards once shufied and out and her
mind bent to its task OF reading the mes
sage that they we're supposed TO convey,
she was a different person.
Her language was not the same. Her
was almost perfect; her words
vere we'll chosen; the figures OF speech
that illustrated the g~eneralities Of her
utorv vere clear cut. Upon closing the