Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-31

With the animated revival of card
PLAYING in Wilmington as elsewhere an
amusement ofnecessity shelved for the time
of the wars duration. it is interesting to
read of society and cards in early Engia nd
days. the days of Hannah More, or
"Holv Hannah" as Horace Walpole dub
bed her: Banny Burney, Mrs. Siddons'
.tbe admirable Mrs. Chapone, the
Duchess of Portland, Lady Townshend
and Others of the galaxy of wit and beauty,
among whom Elizabeth Montague was
the first great lady to give precedence TO
wit over rank. Until Mrs. Montague ana
q few of her friends established the start
ling scheme of entertaining people without
cards society was nearly gwen over to
high play One writer, describing the
time, says:
No place was exempt. At the bishop
of ST. Asaph's card tables were set out
whenever the palace was opened to com
pany, and much money changed hands'
This is the picture drawn of the bishop $
parties by the sprightly pen of Hannah
More: Conceive to yourselves, one
hundred and fifty or two hundred people
met together. dressed in the extremity OF
the fashion: painted like bacchantes; ten
or a dozen card tables crammed with
dowagers of quality, grave ecclesiastlcs
and yellow admirals, and they invariably
made a might of it. At the French Am
bassador's there was faro every sunday
night. One Sunday, the Ambassador
fell down in an apOplectlc hit, but the
plav went on in the drawingroom, while
the man lay dying in the next room. AT
the Duchess of Chandos lady related
to the duchess dropped dead at the card
table. Her diamonds were stripped OIL,
I
two gentlemen took the body away IN a
coach but the game was continued Just
the same. Even at Sir Joshua Reynolds
house, loo was played on the nights when
he had company When the biue-
stockings" as Mrs Montagu and her
friends were called. determined TO Danish
cards from their parties, they were forced
10 find substitutes They went hon hunt
ing and brought home bigger game than
society has ever vet been able to snare
The name bluestockin g came from joke
Of bluff old Admiral Boscawcn's s concern
ing his wife's conversation parties,
without cards. Yet, the parties became
80 much the fashion that even those who
came to scoff remained to praise. Horace
Walpole laughed at them, IN the beginning,
but was glad enough to come 10 them IN
The end; and such black sheep as John
Wilkes and ''the wicked Lord Lyttelton
made their way in by virtue OF wit, not
character.
The annual meeting of the Groupe dc
Wilmington Of the Alliance Franchise,
held last week, was presided over by the
president. Mrs. Thomas T. Bayard. Mrs.
William c. Speakman read the secretary
and treasurers reports.
The groupe is now near the close Of its
twelfth wear. The meetings have always
been At the Misses Hebb's school. In
the future the members of the groupe will
he the hosteSses for the meetings.
The groupe has sent $4,000 TO France
for relief work among children. A large
part of this fund WAS raised through pri-
yate subscriptions, while other sources
of donation were the Poppy Day sale,
the proceeds of the Salmagundi Dance,
the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad Women :
Division for War Relief, the Daughters
OF 1872, Caesar Rodney Chpter, ID. A. r.,
the Women's College at Newark.
Mrs. Edgar NJ. Hoopes. Mrs. ". c.
Nesbitt and Miss Betty Nesbitt will re
Misses Mildred Simpson, Miriam Haw-
kins and Edith Belts are at home from
Smith College.
Miss Louise Sterling, whO is q Wellesley
College student. is at home for vacation
Mrs. Charles NJ. Handy. Miss Margaret
Handy and Charles Handy, Jr., are at
Atlantic City for stay OF two weeks
Something unique and really worth
while in the prize line was offered by an
attractive Wilmington hostess this week
to her guests for bridge. Instead of the
proverbial trinket or candy, fine rooster
straight from her Delaware farm, was the
first prize, bushel Of potatoes the second
and a dozen eggs the consolation. The