The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-16
MORE PLAY BILLIARDS
THAN ANY OTHER CAME
So Says John T. Doyle, Who Backs Up His Statement
With Statistics Showing 100000 Players in
New York, 1900, 900 in Country.

nobody but their owners. Besides those
fellows there arc At least w Dr. three
times a. man. other patrons who have
gone to the trouble Of picking out Q
particular cue but Just take one from
the rack when they come In. Again for
the sake Of conservatism we'll say there
are not two or three times as many
transient patrons as regulars M only
tho same number. That would make
500 regulars and irreeulars altogether.
There are twenty-one tables in my room.
Thus. with 500 players, there are about
thirty players to a table.
Little Else In small Cities.
That average Of thirty to a table will
hold good all over. II 10 probably greater
Than that a. a matter Of fact. Thirty
players to "A table and 5000 tables-that
makes 10000 billiard players in the
greater city. Since Greater New York
has somewhere In the neighborhood Of
5000. 900 Inhabitants. It's population is
about 8 per cent. OF the country. On
that basis the entire United states has
100000 billiard players. The number
in proportion to population IL even larger
In the smaller cities. where there are not
% many other forms Of amusement to
attract the inhabitants"
The chief factor in the growth OF bill
liards IL the elevating Of the game In re-
cent years. Time was. a little over a
decade 60, when mothers and fathers
refused to let their young sons FIRE
Quent pool rooms" The expression pool
room has passed out OF use in con-
nection with anything except places
where race track betting goes on sub
rosa. The game that used TO be called
continuous pool" Ia known nov as
pocket billiards."
Formerly almost always a medium OF
gambling. billiards now Is strictly a
game OF pleasure, There is probably less
gambling in billiards than with any
other sport that has professionals con-
nected with Il. Even the pros do pnc-
tcally no betting now. The upward
progress OF billiards in that respect has
been parallel with the growth Of base
ball. which had a hard struggle for rec
ognition by the best people until gam
bling was stamped out.
Conditions have changed so much now
that fathers and mothers are anxious
for their sons TO play as much billiards
as they will. Every sort OF club now
has its well appointed billiard room.
Lodge rooms OF the Elks. knights OF
Columbus. Free Masons and other SINH
lar societies have them. Every branch
Y. NJ. c. A. Of any size In the country
now has anywhere from one to more
than n dozen tables. Churches are in
stalling them in parish houses and Sun
day school rooms. One prominen!
Brooklyn minister recently delivered al
address before a throng in the Y. NJ
c. A.. in which he declared billiards the
most elevating of games.
The various settlement houses. such
as the Hudson Guild. University Settle
ment and Boys Club. now Offer billiards
as an inducement to take young lads on
the streets and out Of mischief. Per-
haps the biggest billiard tournament in
the world Is the one in which these
youths participate annually. Fifteen
guilds or clubs enter In the competition,
with n total OF 800 players. After a
long elimination series the event gets
down to where there are only eight, sur
vivors for the finals. These eight then
get together up at Doyle's and settle II
In one big nights AFFAIR. playing fifty
points to the game. The competition ID
At pocket billiards.