PACK OF CARDS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 October 1917, Page 7

PACK OF CARDS.

A SOLDIER'S BIBLE. A private soldier, by the name of Richard Lit, wa s taken before thu Magistrate of Glasgow for playing card* during' divine sendee. A sergeant took some soldiers to clnueh, and when ilie parson had lead the prayer lie took Uie text. Those who had a. Bible took it out, but this soldier had neither Bible nor Common Prayer Book, but pulled out ;i pack of cards, and spread them before him. lie lirsl, looked at one card, and then at another. The scrgenftit of the eompany saw him, and said : "Richard, put up the cards; this isi no place for them." "Never mind that," said Richard. AVhen the services were over the constable took Richard a prisoner, and brought him before, the Mayor. "Well," said the Mayor, "what have you brought the soldier here for?" "'Fur playing' cards in church."' '"Well, soldier, what have, you got to sti.y for yourself.'" "Much, sir, 1 hope." "Very good; if not, 1 will punish you severely." ''l have been about six weeks on the march. I have neither Bible nor Common Prayer Book; I have-nothing but a pack of cards, and I hope to satisfy your "Worship of the purity of my intentions." SOLDIER. FINDS HIS BIBLE IN BACK OF CARDS. Then, spreading the cards before the Mayor, he began with the ace. "When J see the ace it reminds me thai there isi but one God. "When 1 see the deuce it reminds mo that there are-Father and Son. '"When 1 see the trey it reminds me of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. "When I see the four it reminds me of the four evangelists; that preached -Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. "When I see the five it reminds! me of the five virgins that trimmed their lamps. There were ten of them, but live were wise and live were foolish, and were shut out. •When I see the six it reminds me that in six days the Lord made Heaven and earth. "When I see the seven it reminds me that on the seventh day Go 4 rested from the great work He had clone and hallowed it. "When I see the eight it reminds nie of the eight righteous: person's fnat were saved, viz.—Noah and his wife, his three sonsi and their wives. ''When 1 see the nine it reminds me of (lie nine lepers that were cleansed by our Savior. There were nine out of ten who never returned thanks. "When I see the ten it reminds me of the Ten Commnridmentg which Cod hsiitided down to Moses on the tablets of stone. KINO, UK FINDS. STANDS FOR KING OF HEAVEN. •"AVhen J see the king it reminds me. of the great King of Heaven, which isi Cod Almighty. '•When I see the queen it reminds inc of the Queen of Sheba, who visited Solomon, for she was as wise a woman as lie was a man. She brought with her 50 boys and i)0 girls, all dressed in boy's apparel, for SoTomo'n to tell which were boys and which were girls. The king sent for wate'for them to wash. The girls washed lo the elbows, the boys to the waist, •:o Solomon told by that." "Well." said the Mayor, "you have described every card in the pack but jne." '•What is that?"' "The knave," said the Mayor.

. - 'J will give your honor a description if you will not be angry." "I -will not," said the Mayor, "if you will not term me to be the knave."' "The greatest knave 1 know of is the constable that brought me here." 'i do not know," said the Mayor, "that he i« the greatest knave, but 1 know he is the greatest fool." "When 1 count how many spots' there are in a pack of cards I find • Km, as many as there are days in the yeai - . When I count, the number of cards in the pack I find 52, the number of weeks in a year. 1 find there are 12 picture cards in a pack, representing the number of months in a year, and on counting llie number of weeks ill a quarter l-'i. ''So, you see - , a pack of cards serves as a Bible, almanac, and Common Prayer Book all in one/'