The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-16
Most Billiard Experts Started Playing Game
 When Very Young

In most of human endeavors sue
 cess is not attained ''by sudden flight"
 as the poet says, but by long and ar
 duous practice. This true of bill l Hard players as of experts in other
 liQes. With very few exceptions the
 cue sharps started playing the game when very young, and have worked hard and constantly to achieve fame. This is true of Ora Morningstar, who, next to Willie Hoppe, ranks as the greatest master in the game in
 America. This is Morningstar' birth day for he was born in Rochester, Ind, November, 16, 1874. His father, 9 German, was the proprietor of hotel in the Hoosier town, and oper- ated billiard room. MOrning'Star's early experience was quite different from that of Willie Hoppe, whose paternaI ancestor kept 8 billiard room in a New York State village. Hopes dad was determined to make great i cue expert out of his young hopeful, and he made Willie play the game when he was so small that he had to stand on a box to reach the table. | Ora's father was equally as deter mined that his son should not fool | away his time with the 'tIoafers'' at l the tables, and the youngster was strictly forbidden to enter the room 1 He found a way around that, how ever, for he built a table of his own, and with some discarded cues and | l the game. In the face of this de- l Termination Ora's parents relented, I and permitted him to play the game
 in his spare time except Sunday.
 Morningstar early showed a genius 1 for the game, and by the time he had reached stalwart manhood he was q ful1-fIedged professional. He added l to his Knowledge of the game by spending three years in Paris, and he Nhas travelled all over Europe and Iof1 1in7 ~6 players of both continents. Next to I billiards, his great passion is paint ing When tired of the cue he takes l up the brush, and his work in both l oils and water co1ors is said to pos 1 ses great merit.
 I George Slosson, the veteran, who recently entered a new field and put put up a good but failing battle l against Alfred De Gro at three | cushion billiards, is now sixty-one,
 and he has been playing the game l since he was fifteen. He was only i ship of the world at 1S.2 ba1k1ine from Vignaux in Paris Schaefer, the
 wizard of the game, also started early in life, and he was master before he 1 attained his majority De Orc, the
 Cuban, is another whose skill has been l gained by long experience
 .l ,Koji Yamada, the Japanese expert, sl who has defeated by Willie Hoppe last month for the worlds 14.1 balk- 5 line title, got his start somewhat late I in life. His father. wanted him to be-
 come a physician. and sent him to Paris to study medicine. Yamada
 found billiards more alluring than the healing art, and adopted the game ! as a profession. The little son of
 Nippon practices almost constantly,
 and he often spends twelve hours at \ a stretch playing the game which
 has made him famous where ever there are green-topped tables.
 There are exceptions to all ru1es,and l William B. Huey, of Chicago, who re-
 oentIy resigned the worlds champion
 ship at three-cushionf carrom billiards is Git" The unbeaten champion rose from the position Of an unknown am
 ateur to the great master of the three
 cushion game in less. than sever months. In the Chicago tournament
 he defeated Alfred De Orc and Johr Daily, both former champions, las spring. Although new conner in the professional ranks, Huey had had con. siderable experience as an amateur
 before essaying his sudden flight te fame.