Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-07-18

battlements of house. are like the figures which
we see In the paintings and tapestries OF that
time incidentally the meaning OF the name for
this card has changed greatly through the years
In those days the term Of knave was used In the
same way as the French varlet or valet and
meant merely q son or young servant. Later II
came to mean rogue and from that meaning
our present term, jack is supposed to have come
1t was probably jackanapes, originally, which was
derived from Jacka-naipes, 'napes being the
Spanish word for cards.
Card playing grew In great favor In England
during the reign Of Henry VII and the king him
self was an addict. Among his private expenses
are several entries for money at cards His
daughter was also fan and OF james Nv and his
bride 1t Is written; 1.-THE kynge came priyly TO the
said casteIl and entered within the chammer with
a small company where he found the Queene
playing at Cardes" When English royalty was
oyerthrown and the commonwealth came into
power cardpinying fell under the stern dispeasure
Of the puritans. But under the gay rule OF
Charles III 1t was again in favor. Moreover. be-
sides the playing cards with the conventional
suit signs we find many other early English cards
bearing curious pictures, political satires of the
day which served much the same purpose ms the
cartoons and comic strips OF the present time In
view of the recent revival Of the Beggar's Opera
in this country 1t Is interesting tc note that one
pack of English playing cards was adorned with
songs from that famous composition. (Figure
No. % 1t Is also curious to find that despite the
Puritan dsapproval Of playing cards, one of the
well-known card makers af that period was L.
Hewson. who son of Cromwell's general
"Hewson, the cobbler."
The practice Of printing upon the cards many
other things besides the figures of the various
suits had great vogue. In Europe during that
time For instance Cardinal Mazarin. In an
effort to interest the young prince, who later be-
came Louis XIV In his studies arranged for sew
eral sets of playing cards, each bearing some
geographical or historical information. One set
was Illustrated with the pictures of famous
queens and short Biographical sketches and an
other with symbolica figures Of the different
countries and short description of that country.
There was also heraldlc series illustrating the
various coats-of-arms of the nobility, another
Illustrating the famous military operations of
the period and another adorned with various
NEUROLOGICAL figures. Among the English cards OF
this period were some In which the different suits
bore the portraits OF kings and queens Of various
countries Another was devoted to illustrated
proverbs another to Aesop's fables another
showed scenes from the Monmouth Rebellion and
still another scene Illustrative of the reign of
Queen Anne. This practice continued down TO
the Nineteenth century. One set Of French cards
made in 1914 reflected the war-ike spirit Of the
Napoeonic era (Figure ~, being illustrated, pic
lures of soldiers upon whose banners appeared
the suit signs nd numbers. Another set of 1896
bore the music of famous dances of the time and
still another of that period showed the work OF
famous carcaturists The same thing was being
done In England where the playing cards bore
such designs as money tables, the multiplication
tnbles. maps Of the various countries. the signs
of the iodine portraits of all the kings OF Eng
land and various other educational features.
Since England became cardpaying nation
within a comparatively short time after playing
cards were introduced into that country II was
onlv natural her colonies should follow the LEAD
of the mother country. So America. too. hns be
come card-paying nation. perhaps thetgreates
in the world The reason for that statement l.
this last year there were printed In this countr,
aauntHn packs Of cards. This means l,01O.OOt
week All down through the ages man has
PLAYED al cards So America Is simply following
the tradition and In this as In many other
things, SHE leads the world