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• Having a Good Memory When Playing Bridge
  on May 12, 2013 in Strategy
  It is not necessary to have a fine memory in order to play Bridge well; but it does require the ability to count thirteen. If you know how many cards of a suit have been played, you soon will be able to tell what cards have been played. Begin with...
• Mannerisms in Bridge
  on Apr 29, 2013 in Strategy
  There is nobody who cares to be told that he plays cards unfairly; but, if you permit your manner to give your partner or the opponents the slightest intimation of the cards you hold, you lay yourself open to such criticism. Cards do not carry with t...
• How and When to Bow Properly
  on Apr 20, 2013 in Bowing Greetings
  The Bow Of Ceremony The standing bow, made by a gentleman when he rises at a dinner to say a few words, in response to applause, or across a drawing-room at a formal dinner when he bows to a lady or an elderly gentleman, is usually the outcome of the...
• Rules for What Not to Do in Playing Bridge
  on Apr 20, 2013 in Strategy
  Don't form the habit of playing slowly. Don't expect your partner to play well when you criticise him. A little encouragement will win you rubbers and will add to your popularity. Don't forget that it requires more skill to play a poor hand tha...
• Finessing by the Bridge Dealer
  on Apr 18, 2013 in No Trump Finessing
  At "no-trump" the dealer has many opportunities to win tricks with cards that are not the best. In attempting this he should be guided by the following principles. It is better to finesse on the second round of the suit than on the first. By...
• The Religious War
  on Apr 18, 2013 in Hugenots Wars of Religion
  To trace each stage of the war would be impossible within these limits. It was a war often lulled for a short time, and often breaking out again, and in which the actors grew more and more cruel. The Reformed influence was in the south, the Catholic...
• The Regency of Catherine de' Medici
  on Apr 2, 2013 in Queens Wars of Religion
  The Guise family were strong Catholics; the Bourbons were the heads of the Huguenot party, chiefly from policy; but Admiral Coligny and his brother, the Sieur D'Andelot, were sincere and earnest Reformers. A third party, headed by the old Constable D...
• The Dealer's Play of a No-Trump Hand
  on Feb 16, 2013 in No Trump
  The dealer's play of a "no-trump" hand is both the most interesting and the most intricate part of Bridge. Very often a single error will result in the loss of three or more tricks; so that it behooves the dealer—as he has no assistance from his pa...
• When A Gentleman Lifts His Hat
  on Feb 16, 2013 in Greetings Gentlemen
  Lifting the hat is a conventional gesture of politeness shown to strangers only, not to be confused with bowing, which is a gesture used to acquaintances and friends. In lifting his hat, a gentleman merely lifts it slightly off his forehead and repla...
• When A Gentleman Takes Off His Hat
  on Feb 12, 2013 in Greetings Introductions
  A gentleman takes off his hat and holds it in his hand when a lady enters the elevator in which he is a passenger, but he puts it on again in the corridor. A public corridor is like the street, but an elevator is suggestive of a room, and a gentleman...
• The Reformation
  on Feb 12, 2013 in Reformation Religion Wars of Religion
  The enmity of the Bourbons and the Guises was much increased by the reaction against the prevalent doctrines and the corruptions of the clergy. This reaction had begun in the reign of Francis I., when the Bible had been translated into French by two...
• Unblocking to Get Rid of High Cards
  on Feb 11, 2013 in Strategy No Trump Leads
  Unblocking is getting rid of high cards so that your partner can make smaller ones. You seldom unblock except at "no-trump." Study the "no-trump" leads, and on the lead of any high card prepare to get out of your partner's way. It is rarely that...
• The Original Lead in No-Trumps
  on Feb 10, 2013 in Leads Examples
  Here's what to lead in no-trump situations: LEADHOLDING ACE Ace, Queen, Jack, and others with a Re-entry card. Ace, with 7 or more others. Ace, Queen, with 5 others. Ace, Jack, with 5 others. KING Ace, King, Queen, and others. Ace, King, Jack, an...
• How to Make Cream Soups
  on Feb 10, 2013 in Corn Cauliflower Asparagus Cream Soups
  From 1919 Cream soups are all made by blending two tablespoons of butter with two tablespoons of flour and then adding slowly one cup of cold milk or half cream and milk. One cup for a thin soup or purée, to one quart of liquid. More according to t...
• Ladies Alone In American Hotels
  on Feb 10, 2013 in Travel
  Editor's note: This is out of date! But presented for its historical interest. If you have never been in a hotel alone but you are of sufficient years, well behaved and dignified in appearance, you need have no fear as to the treatment you will re...
• Spanish Omelet II
  on Feb 10, 2013 in Omelettes
  In a chopping bowl place two nice large ripe tomatoes, first peeling them; one large or two medium-sized white Texas onions, two sprigs of parsley, and one large green-bell pepper, first removing most of its seeds. Chop these ingredients well to...
• Ladies Do Not Travel With Escorts
  on Feb 9, 2013 in Travel
  Editor's note: pretty dated advice! :)   In a curiously naïve book on etiquette appeared a chapter purporting to give advice to a "lady" traveling for an indefinite number of days with a gentleman escort! That any lady could go traveling for...
• Opening Lead at No Trump
  on Feb 9, 2013 in Strategy Leads Examples
  Unless your partner has doubled (see Heart and Weak Suit Conventions) lead from your longest suit. It is not advisable, especially when you hold no cards of re-entry, to lead aces and kings, except when you hope to catch all of the smaller cards. Two...
• Shrewsbury Castle
  on Feb 9, 2013 in Severn River Shropshire
  Shrewsbury Castle Westward of Stafford is the land of the "proud Salopians," Shropshire, through which flows the Severn, on whose banks stands the ancient town from which the Earls of Shrewsbury take their title. We are told that the Britons founded...
• The Ealdormen and the Witenagemot
  on Feb 9, 2013 in Property Rights Medieval
  During the long fight with the Danes commanders were needed who could lead the forces of more than a single shire. Before the end of Eadred's reign there were ealdormen who ruled over many shires. One of them for instance, Æthelstan, Ealdorman of Ea...

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