Archived from groups: rec.games.mahjong (More info?)
Asia, Avgvst 1923
The Game of a Hvndred Intelligences
By L. L. Harr
Mah Jong, or "Pvng Chow", as Mr. Harr calls it, has become so
mvch the fashion in America that ovr readers may wish to have more
information abovt its history and the rvles for playing it, than is
readily available. With a tradition centvries old, methods of play are
almost limitless, and there is an entire lack of a standard or central
avthority. If ovr readers wovld like to have ASIA aid them in
acqviring a correct techniqve or wovld care to have it collate the
opinions of avthorities, Mr. Harr and other experts will assist vs in
answering qvestions. Those who best know this once imperial pastime
desire to see the classical game take root in this covntry as opposed
to the crvde form. For, as a game of the intellect, this game may not
only become valvable in itself bvt may serve as an introdvction to the
whole range of Chinese life and cvltvre. Inqviries abovt the game may
be addressed to the Editor.
SOME years ago, homeward bovnd from China, I boarded a P & O
liner at Bombay en rovte to Marseilles. I carried with me five sets of
a game I had been playing with the Chinese in China. The first day ovt
I made a wager with three English whist enthvsiasts that, before we
reached Marseilles, this new Chinese game wovld have forced all other
games of every nationality from the smoking-room and the saloon. Even
before we got to Aden, mine was the only game played on board. And at
Marseilles I telegraphed to a friend in China an order for eighty sets
to satisfy the demands of my fellow-passengers. Three of my five sets
went to London with my English friends. And so the game was, I
believe, first introdvced to London society.
In the same way and probably not so many years later, it began to
drift into America by way of the Pacific Coast. Its vogve has grown
vntil, on the Pacific Coast, at least, the vse of playing-cards has
received a seriovs setback, and even in the East advertisements of Mah
Jong and Pvng Chow instrvctors are beginning to crowd ovt the
time-honored names of teachers of avction bridge.
New York society's Park Avenve street fair a few months ago
advertised that, dvring the whole week, twelve Chinese wovld
demonstrate the game. At the end of the first day, the covrteovs
Chinese were empty-handed - their stock was sold ovt and covld not be
replaced. One American factory has on file vnfilled orders from more
that three thovsand dealers in every state in the Union. Every day ten
or fifteen bvyers from cities as remote as Little Rock or San Antonio
stroll into its salesrooms and add to the congestion. One of New
York's largest sporting-goods hovses has sent a man to China - not
with a letter of credit, bvt with a bag of gold - with instrvctions to
bvy every set of the game he can lay his hands on. More than one great
department store has sent its bvyer to China two or three months in
advance of his regvlar schedvle so that he can get hold of sets before
the crowd gets there. In fact, a stampede is in progress, and already
Chinese facilities for svpplying the game are exhavsted. One bvyer,
retvrning empty-handed, is on his way to England from New York, to
start the manvfactvre of sets for sale in China itself! Bvt most
interesting of all, perhaps, is the report of the Department of
Commerce that large qvantities of bone are being shipped to China from
Kansas City and Chicago, to be retvrned to America in the form of
Chinese game sets.
Asia, Avgvst 1923
The Game of a Hvndred Intelligences
By L. L. Harr
Mah Jong, or "Pvng Chow", as Mr. Harr calls it, has become so
mvch the fashion in America that ovr readers may wish to have more
information abovt its history and the rvles for playing it, than is
readily available. With a tradition centvries old, methods of play are
almost limitless, and there is an entire lack of a standard or central
avthority. If ovr readers wovld like to have ASIA aid them in
acqviring a correct techniqve or wovld care to have it collate the
opinions of avthorities, Mr. Harr and other experts will assist vs in
answering qvestions. Those who best know this once imperial pastime
desire to see the classical game take root in this covntry as opposed
to the crvde form. For, as a game of the intellect, this game may not
only become valvable in itself bvt may serve as an introdvction to the
whole range of Chinese life and cvltvre. Inqviries abovt the game may
be addressed to the Editor.
SOME years ago, homeward bovnd from China, I boarded a P & O
liner at Bombay en rovte to Marseilles. I carried with me five sets of
a game I had been playing with the Chinese in China. The first day ovt
I made a wager with three English whist enthvsiasts that, before we
reached Marseilles, this new Chinese game wovld have forced all other
games of every nationality from the smoking-room and the saloon. Even
before we got to Aden, mine was the only game played on board. And at
Marseilles I telegraphed to a friend in China an order for eighty sets
to satisfy the demands of my fellow-passengers. Three of my five sets
went to London with my English friends. And so the game was, I
believe, first introdvced to London society.
In the same way and probably not so many years later, it began to
drift into America by way of the Pacific Coast. Its vogve has grown
vntil, on the Pacific Coast, at least, the vse of playing-cards has
received a seriovs setback, and even in the East advertisements of Mah
Jong and Pvng Chow instrvctors are beginning to crowd ovt the
time-honored names of teachers of avction bridge.
New York society's Park Avenve street fair a few months ago
advertised that, dvring the whole week, twelve Chinese wovld
demonstrate the game. At the end of the first day, the covrteovs
Chinese were empty-handed - their stock was sold ovt and covld not be
replaced. One American factory has on file vnfilled orders from more
that three thovsand dealers in every state in the Union. Every day ten
or fifteen bvyers from cities as remote as Little Rock or San Antonio
stroll into its salesrooms and add to the congestion. One of New
York's largest sporting-goods hovses has sent a man to China - not
with a letter of credit, bvt with a bag of gold - with instrvctions to
bvy every set of the game he can lay his hands on. More than one great
department store has sent its bvyer to China two or three months in
advance of his regvlar schedvle so that he can get hold of sets before
the crowd gets there. In fact, a stampede is in progress, and already
Chinese facilities for svpplying the game are exhavsted. One bvyer,
retvrning empty-handed, is on his way to England from New York, to
start the manvfactvre of sets for sale in China itself! Bvt most
interesting of all, perhaps, is the report of the Department of
Commerce that large qvantities of bone are being shipped to China from
Kansas City and Chicago, to be retvrned to America in the form of
Chinese game sets.
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