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No. LX. THURSDAY, MARCH 20.

.........Hæc ego mecum

Compressis agito labris, ubi, quid datur oti,
Illudo Chartis,...........

Let not a word escape the lips...but hist...
And think in silence on the rules of whist.

HOR.

WHOEVER has had occasion often to pass through Holborn, must have taken notice of a pastrycook's shop with the following remarkable inscription over the door; Kidder's Pastry-School. I had the curiosity to enquire into the design of this extraordinary academy, and found it was calculated to instruct young ladies in the art and mystery of tarts and cheese-cakes. The scholars were, indeed, chiefly of the lower class, except a few notable young girls of the city, with two or three parsons daughters, out of the country, intended for service. As housewifely accomplishments are now quite out of date among the polite world, it is no wonder that Mr. Kidder has no share in the education of our young ladies of quality: and I appeal to any woman of fashion, whether she would not as soon put her daughter apprentice to a washer-woman, to learn to clear-starch and get up fine linen, as send her to the pastry-school to be instructed in raised crust and puff paste. The good dames of old, indeed, were not ashamed to make these arts their study: but in this refined age we might sooner expect to see a kitchen-wench thumbing Hoyle's Treatise on Whist, than a fine lady collecting receipts for making puddings, or poring over the Complete art of Cookery.

The education of females is at present happily elevated far above the ordinary employments of domes. tic economy; and if any school is wanted for the im

provement of young ladies, I may venture to say, it should be a school for whist. Mr. Hoyle used, indeed, to wait on ladies of quality at their own houses to give them lectures in this science: but as that learned master has left off teaching, they can have no instruc tions but from his incomparable Treatise; and this, I am afraid, is so abstruse, and abounding with technical terms, that even those among the quality, who are tolerably well grounded in the science, are scarce able to unravel the perplexity of his cases, which are many of them as intricate as the hardest proposition in Euclid. A school for whist would, therefore, be of excellent use; where young ladies of quality might be gradually instructed in the various branches of lurching, renouncing, finessing, winning the ten-ace, and getting the odd trick, in the same manner as common misses are taught to write, read, and work at their needle.

It seems to be a strange neglect in the education of females, that though great pains are taken to make them talk French, they are yet so ignorant of the English language, that before they come to their teens, they can scarce tell what is meant by lurching, revoking, fuzzing the cards, or the most common terms now in use at all routs and assemblies. Hence it often happens, that a young lady is almost ripe for a gallant, and thoroughly versed in the arts of the toilet, before she is initiated into the mysteries of the card-table. I would, therefore, propose, that our demoiselles of fashion should be taught the art of cardplaying from their cradles; and have a pack of cards put into their hands, at the usual time that the brats of the vulgar people are employed in thumbing their horn-book. The mind of man has been often compared (before it has received any ideas) to a white piece of paper, which is capable of retaining any impression afterwards made upon it. In like manner, I would

consider the minds of those infants, which are born into a well-bred family, as a blank pack of cards, ready to be marked with the pips and colours of the suits: at least I am confident that many of them, after they are grown up, have laid in very few ideas beyond them. What therefore Mr. Locke recommends, that we should cheat children into learning their letters by making it seem a pastime, should be put in practice in every polite nursery; and the little ladies may be taught to dis.inguish ace, deuce, &c. as soon as they could great A, little a, and the other letters of the Chris-cross row: as to the four honours, they will readily learn them by the same method that other children get the name of dogs, horses, &c. by looking at their pictures. After this, in order to complete her education, little miss (when of a proper age) should be sent to the whist-school, or have lessons from private masters at home. She may now be made to get by heart the laws of the game, read a chapter in Hoyle, and be catechised in laying and taking the odds: and in process of time, she may be set to solve any of Hoyle's hardest cases, or any of the propositions in his Doctrine of Chances; for which, (as Mr. Hoyle himself tells us) no more knowledge of arithmetic is required, than what is sufficient to reckon the tricks, or score up the game.

All sciences appear equally abstruse to the learner at his first setting out: but I will venture to say, that the science of whist is more complex in itself than even Algebra or the Mathematics. The Ass's Bridge in Euclid is not so difficult to be got over, nor the Logarithms of Napier so hard to be unravelled, as many of Hoyle's cases and propositions: as an instance of which, take the following most obvious and easy one.....A and B are partners against C and D. A and B have scored three, and want to save their lurch. C and D are at Short Can'ye: and consequently

both sides play for two points. C has the deal, and turns up the knave of hearts. C asks his partner D, who refuses. B has the lead, and runs his strong suit, spades, two rounds, with ace and king. A discards his weakest suit, diamonds. Then B forces his partner. A leads a strong club, which B refuses. A forces B, who by leading spades, plays into A's hand, who returns a club, and so they get a saw between them. After this A leads through C's honours. B finesses the ten, and plays a spade, which A trumps. Now B by laying behind C's king and knave of trumps makes the ten-ace with ace and queen; and A having the long trump brings in his thirteenth club. Consequently A and B get a slam against their adversaries C and D, and score a single game towards the rubbers. Since, therefore, this science is attended with so much difficulty, the necessity of a school for whist is very evident: and if the plan of education, above proposed, was put into execution, I will venture to pronounce, that young ladies, who can now scarce be trusted at any game beyond One and Thirty BoneAce, or Beat the Knave out of Doors with the maid servants, would be qualified at twelve years old to make one at any card-table in town; and would even excel their mammas, who have not had the same advantage of education. Many an husband, and many a parent, I am sure, have had reason to lament, that their wives and daughters have not had the happiness of so early an instruction in this branch of female knowledge and I make no doubt, but several boarding schools will be set up, where young ladies may be taught whist, brag, and all kinds of card-work. How many ladies, for want of such a school, are at present shut out from the best company, because they know no more of the game than what is called Wh ́teChapel play! In order therefore to remedy this deficiency as far as possible, I would further recommend

VOL. II.

M

it to Mr. Hoyle, or some other eminent artist, (in imitation of Messieurs Hart and Dukes, who profess to teach grown gentlemen to dance) to advertise, that grown gentlewomen may be taught to play at whist in the most private and expeditious manner; so that any lady, who never before took a card in hand, may be enabled in a very short time to play a rubber at the most fashionable routs and assemblies.

W

No. LXI. THURSDAY, MARCH 27.

Coelum ipsum petimus stultitia.........

Hon.

E'en Heav'n we covet by preposterous rules,
And form t'ourselves a Paradise of Fools.

IT is observed by the French, that a cat, a priest, and an old woman are sufficient to constitute a religious sect in England. So universally, it seems, are learning and genius diffused through this island, that the lowest plebeians are deep casuits in matters of faith as well as politics; and so many and wonderful are the new lights continually breaking in upon us, that we daily make fresh discoveries, and strike out unbeaten paths to future happiness. The above observation of our neighbours is in truth rather too full; for a priest is so far from necessary, that a new species of doctrine would be better received by our old women, and other well disposed good people, from a layman. The most extraordinary tenets of religion are very successfully propagated under the sanction of the leathern apron, instead of the cassock: every corner of the town has a barber, mason, bricklayer,

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