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

0n44danD fftHlltlNe man was accustomed 10 re-
sort to the making of magic to determine what
course he should pursue In world filled with
bewilderment and suEerstltious fears Arrow
divination was favorite kind and to make this
magic a circle WAS drawn on the ground with the
proper rites and incantations and divided into the
-Four Directions Then with more mystic cere
monies arrows we're cast into the ring and upon
the manner Of their falling depended the future
survival Of this rite and these instruments Is
shown In the card game Of the Koreans In which
an arrow feather appears upon the back Of the
playing card. Q'gure No. A.
In fact 1t was among the Asatic peoples that
the beginnings of card games and playing cards.
as we know them now took place. Marco Polo.
The famous traveller. returning 10 Venice nte In
the Thirteenth century, told among other won
ders, how the great Chan In far-off Cathay had
paper money made from the bark OF the mulberry
tree. The Chinese had been making this paper
money since The Sixth century. At first game
was played with the paper money itself but later
cards in the form or paper money were made,
using the old money Symbols a coin a string Of
coins myriad string Of coins and tens of myriads
Of strings Of coins which are the names OF the
Chinese suits today The form of the Chinese
playing cards Is shown In Figure No. 2.
The Japanese IS early rs the Eighth century
were making prints from wood blocks and pilgrims
to the shrines In the monaseries were given
these prints as souvenirs Of their journeyings.
These prints used then. MS now. TO play the
Flower game, founded on legends which date back
to the beginning of the Japanese people. The
Hindus also have card game but their cards
were thin painted disks of wood OF ivory or cotton
fiber paper In their game there are 10 cards to
suit and the number of suits ia pack vary
sometimes eight and sometimes ten The court
cards fking queen and iack) always picture one
Of the incarnatons of Nshnu.
II was probably Chinese cards, however, which
found their way into Italy In the Fourteenth CEN
tury and which afterwards became known In
every European country. The gypsies. after long
wanderings through Arabia and Egypt, from their
homes In India also brought init Europe cards
which carried in their strange designs parts Of
the myths and legends of these countries Grad.
ually there evolved from all of the sources Il
game called "tarotsn late In the Fourteenth CEN
tury These tarot cards were made for the mobiles
and were painted with the greatest care. They
were costly that the poorer classes of people
could not afo.. them hut eventually another card
game sprang up In which common cards made
with stencils were used Johannes q monk at
Buefeld writing In 1877, describes this new game
which "men call game of cards" The pack
consisted of 81 cards with three courr cards to
each suit just like those Of today
1t is believed by some authorities that the
earliest wood-block prints made IN Europe were
playing cards, made about the middle Of the Eff
reenth century BY this time playing cards were
common In all parts OF Europe. Germany espr
cially making great quantities Of them not
only for use n tn I country but In Italy Sicily
and other countries In fact, In l441 the card
makers Of Venice protested To the Doge against
the importation Of these German products by
which our art is brought 70 total decay
The earliest Germa: cards were very large ant
we're painted by hnnd The designs Din them re
hecred the early German fnndness for hunting
since The suit signs werp deer, rugs, falcons nnt
ducks 10 contrasl to The German cards wer'