The Washington times., 1922-10-29

to Assume. Any Player of
Beaver" Who Sees the Royal Whiskers
First Wins the Whole Game at Once.
at is a game that can only be played
by race of men who can keep their faces
straight. Foreigners are too excitable.
They would come to blows. Boards would
be plucked and hair pulled in revenge.
"Englishmen can play the game, how
ever, with calm faces and without rowing
q muscle, even in a smile. The bearded
man knows that he is under observation,
but so guileless, so impassive, are the
faces of those whom he meets that he
never knows by whom he is being OBJ
served. He feels as if he were being
shadowed by secret society, SO polite, so
grave, is every face he sees.
Elderly people say that it is silly
game, and that is true enough. 1t may
be that all games are silly. But, then, so
are human beings. This does not happen
to be the planet into which the wisest
choose to be born"
The rules of Beaver" are elastic, and
can be very complex. The players settle
upon the rules before they begin match.
In some cases the Imperial Beaver"
such as Louis Napoleon and Buffalo Bill
wore, counts two points. A bearded man
who seeks concealment of his hirsutage in
an overcoat counts three points to the
player calling" him. In all cases where
there is uncertainty whether a person is
q Beaver" or merely needing a shave, he
Is passed over.
Calling Beaver" during golf stroke
Is forbidden, and loses the player the
game. A player who calls Beaver and
finds he has made a mistake, forfeits two
points. Actors may be "Beavered" un-
less it is specifically stated on the theatre
programme that the beard is false.
The London theatres, by the way, have
been forced to specify this on their pro-
grammes. II can be realized that it does
q tragedy or even comedy no good to
have half the audience rise up and shout
Beaver" upon the entrance of an impor-
tant actor with beard! 1t rather tends
to stop the show.
Such are a few of the rules of this
amazing game, which threatens to Danish
not only the royal beard of King George,
but all the boards of England Stakes
are sometimes extraordinarily high. The
Duke of Westminster is said to have won
two thousand pounds, or $4,000, on one
single game.
The wild animal being stalked in the
jungle by hunters can feel no more appre-
hension not impotent anger than the pos
SCISSOR of beard does the moment he
leaves the security of his home. He ceases
to be man. He is a human counter. an
ace in the deck, pawn in a game. As he
walks along he hears with almost every
step that cry of "Beaverp' and knows he
has been counted as a point by players
Even If he moves among company too
polite to shout he is entirely certain that
all about him signals are being given and
that he is being jotted down as a "pointw
One thing must be noted. The game
still has an element of politeness or at
least chivalry. A bearded lady" is not
q Beaver" and if any one so far forgets
himself as to call Beaver in such case
he Is barred from playing for a month.
The Sacramento affair to which "The
New Statesman" refers occurred during
that city's celebration of the anniversary
Of the gold rush of 1849. The old pros
pectors had neither desire nor much op-
portunity TO shave. Their boards were
marvels. So as-Sacramento desired to
turn the town into as close a picture as
possible of the days of '49, the committee
imposed fine on every shaven face and
gave prizes for the longest, most luxur-
liant boards.
There is one place where Beaver will
never be played. That is in Mohamme-
dan countries. One of the most sacred
oaths of the Mohammedan is 'by the
Beard of the Prophet" and there is no
holier relic than the few hairs enshrined
at Mecca and supposed TO be part Of that
same beard.