THE SCRANTON TRIBUNE 9 ATURD AY MOKN1NO, ' DECEMBER 19. 1896.
9
SOME FACTS ABOUT :
THE GAME OF WHIST
r
A Vut DlffereKt Bctwtea the Maderi
4 Aickit Gines.
HOW IT SHOULD BE PLAYED
Good JudgemeM, BeUalUe Xea
ry mm Eve Temper Are lh
Thre Prine Keqiiile.-Home
Are Eqaallr at Clever PlMers
Are the MemSome Note Aboat
the Game.
This curioui game when flrst a. novice
tries.
He wonders where Its difficulty lies.
But let such shallow reasoners know
What seems the easiest Is not always so.
The man who wishes well at whim to play
To three propitious powers must homage
pay:
To Memory first, whose fruitful mirror
dear
Before our sight bids all our past ap
pear; ,
To Judgment next, whoso lamp's unerring
Guide, thro' the mates of the doubtful
To Temper last, whose cool and whole
some oreese
From noxious mists the mind's horlxon
Let all who sit them down at whist to play
From foreign objects turn their eyes
And to the verdant boards illumined
Their fears, their prospects and their
wisnes Dounu.
The above lines from "Whist a Poem"
toy Alexander Thomson, published 1808,
will be BDureclated by all whist play
ers, Thomson evidently knew what he
was talking about. It is only after con
siderable study and application that
one perceives the possibilities and
strength of the game. A person can
learn to play a strong game of "euchre"
or other similar games In a month,
but a whist player is always dissatis
fied with his own play.
Many people suppose "Modern Whist"
to be governed and played by rules.
It la true that It requires a thorough
knowledge of all accepted axioms, and
closo study of situations and problems
to become a good player: yet, as a mat
ter of fact, an educated modern whist
player plays less by rule than the or
dinary player. The old rules of "sec
ond hand low," "third hand high," "re
turn your partner's lead of trumps,"
etc., etc., no longer fetter the hands
of the advanced player, whose knowl-
'edgo of the game, acquired by close
study, enables him to avoid the dangers,
which his Judgment and perception tell
him exist in following the above rules.
In certain situations. A knowledge of
rules and axioms often furnishes the
best of reasons for violating the same
and with good results. The ordinary
player while snitfing at modern scien
tific whist. Is at the mercy of the one,
two or three simple rules he has picked
up. A "little" knowledge is as danger
ous In whist as in other things. Hcl
entlfic whist is absolutely free from
rules, while the knowledge acquired en
ables one to use his natural faculties
to the best advantage. The greater
the knowledge, the brighter and less
mechanical the play.
The sentiment as to the possibilities
of women's whist playing has under
gone as great a change In the whist
world, as any other feature of the
gunie. The Introduction of the dupli
rate method of play has doubtless been
the cause of this, as well as other
strengthening features. The equality
of the sexes has been so clearly shown
In this game of skill, which for many
High Grade
m0mm
We Now
SALE
TThe
fenerations- man has claimed as his
alone, that it Is not safe to light longer
on any other .point. The. whist papers
are filled with victories of the gentler
and not less brainy sex; and the men
will have to work harder or stand In
danger of being driven out of the
field.
Challenge gam"s for the Andrews
Trophy will now be the Important fea
ture of games between women. It was
at first proposed to play all the games
In Philadelphia, but as a Washington
team won the trophy at the Women's
congress it was necessary to go there
for it. Mrs. Newbold's team of Phila
delphia, was the flrst challenger and
the match was played at Washington
on Dec. 2. resulting in a victory for
the "Newbolds" by 6 tricks.
At the recent tournament in Phila
delphia, the following n-solution was
unanimously adopted: "Resolved, that
the contestants in the Women's con
gress, held at 1111) Spruce street, Phil
adelphia, Nov. 11, 12 and 13, 1896, heart
ily approve of the formation of a Wo
men's Whist league, and for the ac
complishment of that object call upon
the women whist players of America
to organize whist clubs, and send rep
resentatives from such clubs to a meet
ing to be held for the purpose of
league organization; that Mrs. T. H.
Andrews be requested to act as chair
man of a committee of five, she to ap
point the other four. The duties of said
committee to be to select the time and
place for such a meeting and issue a
call for the same. All women Interest
ed in this ma Iter should address Mrs.
T. H. Andrews, 1119 Spruce street, Phil
adelphia, Pa."
There Is no reason why Scranton
women whistcrs should not take an
active Interest in this organization.
There Is unquestionably sutticlent tal
ent here to make a satisfactory show
ing. Form a club and make arrange
ments with Mr. Otis, of Newark, to
drill five or six or more of the best
players. Mr. Otis is a whist teacher
who is very successful in his work.
He has a ladies' club at Pottsvllle at
the present time. Last month a team
of twenty women at Toledo played a
team of twenty men composed of the
best whist players of Toledo. When it
was all over, it was found that the
ladles had made the top scores both
"N. and S." and "K. and W." with
plus 7 and plus S. The best the men
could do was plus 2.
In the ladies' game at the Philadel
phia Whist club on Nov. 19, a most in
teresting question of discard arose.
The dealers hand was as follows:
Spades None.
Hearts A. K. 8, 7, 5, 3. (Trumps.)
Clubs A. Q. J. 7.
Diamonds K. 10, 2.
The first trick produced the follow
ing play: 8-2, S-Q, 8-4. Question:
What should the dealer discard? Shall
the D-10 be dropped, thereby signalling
for trumps or the D-2. If the latter,
partner will either continue with win
ning spades, allowing further discard
ing, or lead clubs, which will suit the
dealer's hund. The D 2 Is evidently
the best discard.
.
Here Is a pretty coup for a not un
common situation. It occurred in ac
tual play in a game In Scranton:
North holds twelfth trump (a loser),
sinull diamond, ace and two small
spades, Th? previous play cleurly
marks the high trump and four spades
with East: four established diamonds
and one spade with South; and two
established hearts and three spades
with west. North has the lead and
should lead the losing trump: East
takes and must lead a spade; "N. and
S." will tuke four of the five tricks.
In actual play North led the diamond,
forcing East, and "N, and S." only
tuke two tricks.
In the recent game for the challenge
trophy between the Hamilton club of
Philadelphia and 'the Boston Duplicate
Whist club, a Boston player led Ills
fourth best trump Instead of a club
front the following hand:
WE HAVE
Lien's. Boys' and Children's
F
AT 40
Offer the
WILL
And Ml De Continued
Man h a tfca. m
222 LACKAWANNA AVENUE; SCRANTON, PA,
B.-.
D.-l, 5.
C Av 8, 4. 3. 2. '
H. A, 8, 6. 3, 2. (Hearts trump.)
He lost four tricks. It is true that
the result in any particular case is no
argument, yet It Is a fact that none of
our leading players In Scranton would
think of making an original lead of
trumps from this band.
On Thursday night the Scranton
Whit club had Its first ladles' night
and the Innovation proved so successful
and agreeable that other ladles' nights
are bound to be given during the win
ter. Progressive compass whist was
played, Mrs. C. R. Parke and Henry
Belln, Jr., leading the wining section
with a score of 180, and Mr. and Mrs.
L. U. LaBar, the losing section, with
a score of 177. Souvenirs In the shape
of sterling silver coffee spoons were
presented the wining ladies. The de
tailed score is as follows:
NORTH AND SOUTH.
Score.
Mrs. C. It. Parke and H. Belln, Jr..... 180
Mrs. John Owens and V. P. Price 178
Mrs. W. J. Brown and C. B. Penman . 176
Mrs. J. S. Klrkpatrlck and J. 8. Kirk-
putrlck 174
Miss Scranton and C. R. Fuller 174
Mrs. S. T. Hays and 8. T. Hays 172
Mrs. ('. K. Fuller and H. 8. Kobinson.. 168
Mrs. T. H. Dale and T. H. Dale It
Mrs. C. D. Jones and C. D. Jones iBS
Zki
Average, 172 1-3.
EAST AND WEST.
Score.
Mrs. L. O. IaBor and V. O. LaBar ... 177
Mrs. I. F. Meg-urge ami I. F. Megargel 172
Mrs. E. J. -Parrott and O. E. Wade 170
Mrs. tl. B. Jerniyn and Dr. C. K. Parke 1B7
Mrs. Myron Hanson and J. W. Dusen-
bury 165
Mrs. C B. Penman and W. J. Brown . 163
Mrs. F. W. Flelu and F. W. Fleits .. K3
Mies Dale and M. H. Dale 108
'Mrs. I. H. Allabach and Thomas
Evans G5
1,41
Average, ICS 2-1
The Scranton Whist club will play at
Easton Dec. 28. The game will be
played under the regulations governing
the challenge trophy for teams of four.
Scranton will send one team of four
sure, and two If suitable arrangements
can be made. Mr. Hamilton writes
that they await the onslaught In fear
and trembling; but it sounds like sar
casm. The Scranton men will cer
tainly put up their best game, and will
bring home the ribbon if possible.
Hamilton and Nightingale are a good
pair, and if they can draw to It suc
cessfully, it will be hard to beat, al
though a pleasure to play against.
. ..
TRUMPS HERE AND THERE.
Several of the professors of Prince
tou university have latelv organized
the Princeton Whist club. Application
has been made by this club for admis
sion to the American Whist league,
and also to the New Jersey Wblst as
sociation. The annual congress of the New
England Whist association was held
at Providence last month. It was the
most successful in the history of the
association. The vice-president's tro
phy was competed for by Wen clubs and
won by the Mercantile Library tam
or Boston.
Whist Is flourishing this winter In
Scranton. The Scranton Whist club
rooms are a popular resort for our lO'
cul whisters. With regular club games
on Tuesdays and Fridays, and club
matches on with Elmtra, Binghamton
and Easton, the blood is kept circulat
ing. The club games ure Very popular
and the important contests cleurly
show 'that no one two or three pairs
nave any mortgagtuun the head table.
This club has from fifteen to twenty
players, who play.or know how to play,
a very fair game of whist. This is a
much better situation than to have
three or four who far excel all others.
This will not last long, of course, as
those who study and educate their na
tural faculties will In time naturally
show a slight superiority.
J. W. D.
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