The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-02-03
CARDS TELL STORY.
Collector Has Wonderful coIIeo.
ton Of Pasteboards.
Philadelphia Woman Who Has Devot
ed Twenty Years Of Her Life to
Unique study-Has Packs
From All Nations.

London.-An American woman who
Is interested in the history Of playing
cards asked the superintendent Of
prints IN. the British museum not long
ago who was the worlds authority on
cards and card collections.
Il want to consult the best book. y
she explained.
The superintendent took volume
from shelf and gave it to her.
This is the highest authority" he
said the author of this knows more
queer facts about playing cards than
any other living person. She has the
largest collection in the world herself
And this is the best book on the sub
ject that has ever been written" The
author is an American woman.
1.-The Devils Picture Books, by
Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer,, -
the American visitor read. but
haven't you anything else? I've read
this, and wanted to know If there
wasn't another authority could con
suit. l am collecting material for g
book" y -.
you'll find all there is to know
about cards in that one,'' the man in
sisted, and his questioner sighed.
II wanted to find out more" she
said. 81 know this book by heart
you see, am Mrs. John King Van
Rensselaer, "><- . H.
The director gasred, and Mrs. Van
Rensselaer, proceeded to establish hel
identity by means OF a letter from the
Smithsonian institution in Washing
! ton. Then she began to search the
print room of the British museum
where the card collection is kept, and
to consult the museums books.
Mrs. Van Rensselaer's collection, as
1t now stands, is the most comprehen
: sive and most valuable, as we'll as the
! largest, in the world.
Out of it she has given to various
: American museums their assortments
of old playing cards.
4 am quite sure that every public
j collection in America has come out Of
this private collection of NINE" she
said. 81 am sure that have gathered
together all the strange and historic
playing cards that are shown in Amer
! lea today"
! playing cards, you see." Mrs. Var
Rensselaer, went on, may be studied
! under three grand divisions. There
are fortune-telling cards, gambling
cards and the various kinds of educa
tiOnals cards. Educational cards. are
not Of particular interest and gam
bling cards are but the modern adap
tation of the old fortune-telling cards
These fortune-telling cards are by fa1
the most interesting, and it is from
them that one can read strange sto
ries Of the history of the world and
the customs of the people.
"Fortune-telling cards are an evolu
tion of the great Egyptian mysteries
They We're first brought into Phoeni
cha, Greece and Italy by the Egyptians
! or gypsies. know that great many
people do not believe that the gypsies
are descendants Of the old Egyptians
but I do, and my study has confirmed
this belief. -..
"The use of fortune-telling cards
may be traced back to the rites con
| nected with Marduk, in the Bible, ant
his son Nebu. In chapter II Of the
book of Numbers the divine com
mands are given to consult the cards
The people believed in the fortune
telling and the oracles, and the for
tune-telling cards were an importan
feature in their life.