CHINESE FOND OF GAMING.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 8, Issue 26, 29 March 1907, Page 6

CHINESE FOND OF GAMING.

fWW* Are lKT»l<Mrat« Card PlajVN | and Hava Qiunaa of fbda 1 Own lAvastioit , , _,£s/ ij The “heathen Chinee” portrayed by Bret Harte, with “his sleeves full of aces and bowers,” is not a creation of fiction. In fact, almost every native of the celestial empire k a born gambler and will hazard all he possesses on the turn of a card. If there is one thing the Chinese in America cannot understand regarding our customs it is why the police and courts should take cognizance of gambling. It is a recognized amusement in China and the Chinaman is a reckless gambler. They have several kinds of playing cards, but the general name for them is ohepae, or paper tickets. The cards are two inches and a half in length and half an inch wide and the kind most commonly used are called tseen-wan-che-pae, “a thousand times 10,000 cards.” This pack has 30 cards—three suits of nine each and three independent suits which are superior to the rest. The suits are named respectively “nine myriads of strings of beads,” “nine units of cakes" and “nine units of chains.” There are several queer names for other varieties of playing cards. One is called "the hundred boys’ cards,” another' “chariots, horses and guns” and a third, curiously devised on the principle of some of our historical games, is called “a thousand times 10,000 men’s names cards.” GIVE BABIES SOLID FOOD. f On« Onnis of the Hssmou Deartb »«*• Amojkff Children of Wsw [York's Poor, The average mother in easy circumstances will smile rather derisively on hearing that Prance has a law making it a crime to give solid food to any child under one year old. Yet every tenement house worker, visiting nurse, health department officer or settlement resident can testify that the custom of feeding solid food to toothless infants is wellnigh universal in the slum tenements, says a writer in the New York Tribune. Prance, with her low birth rate, has found that she cannot spare the 20,000 babies that were dying every year before the state took them under its care. The American waste of child life amounts to 300,000 annually under five years, the proportion of deaths being greatest among the foreign population, where the high birth rate is balanced by a heavy death rate. Beer, tea, coflee, condensed milk, watermelon, green corn and pork rind are among the “dainties” handed out to the unfortunate tone* ment house infant. “My baby sit up at table and eat everything all same as grown up, now,” said one young foreign mother, proudly, displaying her saffron colored one-year-old to the pitying eyes of the superintendent of a day nursery, CANNIBALISM IN PARIS. Parts of tke Human Which Bonfe m Delicate Tit-Hits la the Too*. out Quarters. i Cannibalism is still rife among the Paris hooligans. The last case wo recorded was one of ear-eating; the other day it was a nose, says the Paris Messenger. Tastes differ with different localities, and whereas at La Viilette policeman’s ear is looked upon as n delicate tit-bit, at Bercy constable’s nose is not Bercy is where the wine comes from, and It may be that ruddy nasal organ ils preferred to a pale one by the local man-eater. At one a. m. an “agent” of the name of Pedamons was on duty on the Boulevard de Bercy when his assistance was sought by a publican who requested him to act os “chucker out,” one of his customers being drunk and refusing to quit. The customer in question, a man named Bailly, took no heed of the constable and the latter clasped him round the waist in order to evict him. Bailly thereupon started biting and tore the constable’s nose right off. He was subeew fluently arrested and Pedamone was taken to the hospital. If an operation is< performed it would' only be right to take flesh from Bailly’s arm to provide the policeman with a new nose, Hallways Without Halls. * It is suggested that the automobile will give us, after awhile, lines of railway without rails', if such on expression may be allowed. On Long Island, for example, an automobile road of 50 miles in length is to be constructed, to cross other roads either above or below grade, so that the owners may speed their machines as they please. When this has been done, the next step will be, perhaps, to attach trailers, and then passengers and freight will be taken, and a regular traffic established. At least it may reasonably be expected that the building of such roads will result in the running of automobile coaches as feeders to steam or electric lines, where it would not pay to lay a railroad track. An Astonishing: Narrative, “ The Pioneer tells a story of a Wit which on one occasion was caught alive on a ship and thrown overboard. A seagull was floating by the side of the ship. Immediately there ensued a battle royal, and the rat strangled the seagull to death. He then sat upon the carcass of the seagull, unfurled its left wing to catch the wind, and, working the right wing as an oar, sot soil flos the shorol v - ■ ■■ ■ X h« Trade of Smyrna* Smyrna is the smartest town in Turkey so far aa trade is concerned. It does a bigger business than Constantinople. It is the headquarters of the wool pud of the rug and carpet trade. .. ;