The Cyclopædia of Card and Table Games
Of all the numerous changes that have taken place in the tone of thought of society during the past half-century, perhaps none is more marked than the light in which it regards its pleasures and amusements now, compared with the views taken fifty years ago. In the days of the immortal Mr. Pickwick, smoking in the streets was looked upon as more disgraceful than intoxication; while at the universities, for a man to be even seen at the billiard-tables —as the expression then was-was equivalent to his being considered as utterly lost. In the present day , however, Billiards is universally regarded as the best and most popular of indoor games; and as a game of skill, it not only ranks with, but rivals that of Chess, which is too great a strain upon the mind to be regarded as a complete relaxation.