WE recollect reading many years ago a story entitled, "How it Strikes a Stranger." The story in question described the feelings of an imaginary person suddenly transferred from one of the planets to this world, and how some of the ordinary affairs of every-day life struck him as contrary to all reason. We cannot help wishing that such a being would enter some London billiard room and compare the game of pool as generally played with the handsomely-framed printed rules that he would find hanging on the walls, and give us his candid opinion on their utility.
For instance, he would observe that among the rules question, one states that, "Should the striker's ball miss the ball played at, no person is allowed to stop the ball till it has ceased running, or struck another ball, except the striker, who may stop the ball when he pleases."
The first part of this rule reminds us of an advertisement in favour of some wonderful cement for topping cues that has appeared for a long time in many sporting papers. The advertisement is to the effect that some great player has used the cement, and that he will not take the top off his cue till it comes off of its own accord.
We hope that the player in question will illustrate the rule by showing us how to stop a ball at pool "after" it has done rolling. The latter part of the rule is not, however, merely "laughable," but contrary to the invariable custom of every billiard room in the country.
The rule implies that if a player misses the ball, any one has a right to stop it after it has hit another; such, however, is not the case. No one has a right to stop the ball, whether it has hit another or not, except the player, and it would be obviously inexpedient to give any player the option of interference, which would probably be exercised with reference to his own ball only.
Take another ease. Suppose a player holes a ball, but in doing so makes a foul stroke; the ball holed does not, of course, lose a life, but is in hand, and played from hand when his turn comes round. Such, at least, is the rule of the game as we have seen it played in every billiard room we have ever been in; but what say the printed rules, stamped with the authority of the best billiard-table makers in the country, and by them supplied with every new table sent out? "If the striker should move his or another ball whilst in the act of striking his own ball, the stroke is considered foul; and if by the same stroke he pockets a ball, or forces it off the table, the owner of that ball does not lose a life, and the ball must be placed on the original spot; but if by that stroke he should pocket his own ball, or force it off the table, he loses a life." We were in conversation some time with ago Cook, who told us that he was once asked to decide the following case. Three balls, each with one life, are left in a pool—star not gone, say—white, red, and yellow. Yellow plays on red, causing it to knock the white ball into the pocket, after which red runs into another pocket itself; but the moment white fell into the pocket he claimed the star: is white entitled to the star, or can red claim, the star as being the ball played on? Cook decided in favour of the white, as the ball who first lost a life.
Our own opinion, had it been asked, would have been in favour of the red, we candidly confess (loth as we are to differ from so great an authority), on the ground that the stroke is never over until all the balls have done rolling, as until that is the case, it is possible that the stroke may be a foul, or that the striker's ball may run in itself, which in this case would, of course, have resulted in neither white nor red losing a life. Everything or anything is possible at billiards. We have heard of a great American pyramid player who at starting put all the balls in, but unfortunately ran in himself as well, and consequently had to put fifteen balls up, and owe one! What is wanted is a code of rules, simple and intelligible, that will meet most cases at pool, that will be accepted universally as "the standard rules." At present the rules that guide the game rest on tradition only, and vary often with the rooms in which it is played, and with the common sense of the different men who may mark. That cases may often and do occur which no rules can possibly meet, is very probable; as an instance, we can mention one that took place once in a pool at Evans's billiard rooms, in the Quadrant, Regent-street.
Red played on white, and the brown ball had to be taken up in consequence of its being in the line of play. The white ball settled on the spot on which brown ought to have been replaced, and by an extraordinary chance was in the line of play of yellow on red, and in its turn had to be taken up. Consequently there were two balls up on the same spot. After yellow had played, the question arose, which ought to be put down, brown or white, Evans decided one way, and one or two of the most experienced pool-players in London differed from him. We give no opinion, but mention the case as one that very likely may not occur again in the course of a century. We recollect a curious case that occurred at Maidstone, which was unfortunately complicated by red having backed his lives on the occasion for a sovereign against yellow. The red had run at starting dead over the pocket; it was yellow's turn to play, but before any one had time to stop him, the green ball, who, owing possibly to the lateness of the hour, was somewhat excited, played out of his turn, and put the red in. The question then arose, what was to be done? If green lost a life, as he undoubtedly should, who ought to receive it? Red declared that he ought not to lose a life, after what had occurred, at all. Yellow complained that it was hard on him not to have his shot, and said that red ought to be replaced as near as possible to where he was before, and that he should be allowed to play at him. We forget how the case was ultimately settled, but no set of rules that we know of meet the case fully, and unlike the last one it is a case that is very likely to occur again. We, on the whole, take yellow's view of the case. Rules should be framed for a game like pool, on the principle that not only must no one suffer from the mistakes or carelessness of any player, but that no one individually should profit from the same. We hope before long that some steps, that have at our suggestion been already taken, to bring out an authorised set of rules, may meet the wishes of both players and billiard-table makers, and that the present system of having printed rules hanging up in a room, which are in reality a dead letter, may be done away with.