Show Y PLATING L A KING CARDS I The invention of playing cards has been variously attributed to India China Arabia and Egypt There seems to be but little doubt that they originated in Asia and were introduced introduced intro intro- into Europe by the Saracens about the close of the Thirteenth century Thorne Thome says in his dictionary of fugitive facts that there is historical mention of the game of cards in Germany in 1275 in Italy in 1209 but not in France until 1393 An active trade in cards sprung up in Germany as early as the Fifteenth century where they were manufactured for other portions of Europe One hundred years later we find the man manufacture of cards a flourishing flourishing flourishing flour flour- bus business ness in England and under Edward Edwardh h 4 I importation was forbidden thus protecting protecting protecting protect protect- ing the home industry Owing Qwing to their supposed sup sup- supposed posed immoral influences they were at times prohibited by various European governments go The marks upon the suits of cards are bel be- be l eved to have been chosen to represent symbolically ym sym the different classes of society Thus the hearts stood for the clergy clubs for the soldiery spades for the serfs serf and diamonds forthe forthe for forthe the merchants In the early French cards the kings were pictures of David Alexander C sar and Charlemagne representing the monarchs of the Jews Greeks Romans and French the queens were Argine Esther Judith Judith Judith Ju Ju- and Pallas The number of the card cards 1 theace theace the theace ace and the knave were probably based on similar ideas The suits on the earliest German German German Ger Ger- man cards were designed by hearts hells bells leaves leaves- and acorns Italian cards had swords batons and money The cups money court card card- were sere at first the king chevalier and knave The queen was first substituted for the chevalier chevalier chevalier chev chev- alier by the Italians The English cards inthe in inthe inthe the Seventeenth century were embellished with heraldic designs the king of clubs being the the coat coat of arms of the pope of Rome and those of of hearts hearts diamonds and spades being adorned respectively with the armorial devices of the kings of England Spain Spam and France The club of modern cards derived its form from the trefoil a French design A pack of cards cards' in the possession possession possession posses posses- sion of the Royal Asiatic society of England is supposed to be fully 1000 years old It consists consists consists con con- of eight suits of divers colors The kings kings' are mounted on elephants the viziers or second second second sec sec- ond honors upon horses tigers and bulls and some of the common cards have such curious marks as a pineapple in a shallow cup and a a. something like a parasol without a handle and with two broken ribs sticking through the top |