Life, 1910-02-24 · page 9 of 36
Life — February 24, 1910 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains instructional content on teaching young women to play bridge, a card game that was a major social activity among the leisure class in early-to-mid 20th century America. The top illustration labeled "SPORTING TERM: THE FIRST LAP IN THE RACE" depicts two nude figures in a forest setting—likely a humorous visual pun playing on the idea of "laps" in racing versus physical contact. The lower photograph captioned "A KNIGHT WITH THE BOYS" shows men in formal attire playing cards, illustrating typical bridge social gatherings of the era. The accompanying article provides etiquette guidance for teaching bridge to young women, emphasizing proper responses, scoring knowledge, and gracious playing style—reflecting period concerns about women's social refinement and marriageability through leisure activities.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LIF B® KS” iS Teaching a Young Girl How to Play Bridge ANY young girls are wandering about aimlessly without proper op- portunities to learn bridge. Women as a rule do not lead out the trumps, so that young girls are likely to be misled about the importance of this. It is very much better that young girls should be taught by nice young men with a deep sense of their own responsi- bility. To teach a young girl how to play bridge does not necessarily require the presence of a third party. Much better progress can be made where you are entirely alone. You can thus put your whole mind and heart on the work. For the purpose select a beautiful young girl who is anxious to learn. The terms should first be memorized. They are many and various. SPORTING TERM THE PIRST LAP IN THE RACE You will first assume that you are partners. When you as‘ her if you can play you must teach her to reply “ Please do!” It is then your duty to get busy. The next term is “ over to you.” This is usually accompanied by a kiss. She “A KNIGHT WITH THE Boys” will naturally respond, “I double.”’ Under ordinary circumstances she could not respond in this manner because she would be a dummy, but in lessons like this she never could be a dummy under any circumstances, so it is quite in order. She will then ask you if you are satis- fied, mererly as a matter of form. Being a good player you will naturally respond “ Never!"* The first thing you must teach her is to play to the score. If you have kissed her fifty times that will often determine her next make. If her mother and the rest of the members of her family are leaning over the banisters this means that all the rubbers will nat- urally be hers. She must never finesse against her partner. If you play out an arm chair against an ordinary téte-a-téte she shoul; let you have your way and use the chair. It is almost sure to win in the long run. comicbooks.com