the world, affiliated to manufacturers
and producers equally free, each under strong temptation to do what may
be wrong in the pursuit of his own interest, and the only security of
doing right being to follow steady lights of information and economic
science common to all. Easy transport of goods by land and sea, prompt
intelligence from every point of the compass, general prevalence of
mercantile law and safety, have all been accomplished; and the world is
opened to trade. But intellectual grasp of principles and details, and
the moral integrity which is the root of all commercial success, are
severely tested in this vaster sphere.

See TRADE ORGANIZATION; ECONOMICS; COMMERCIAL TREATIES, and the
sections under the headings of countries.

COMMERCE, the name of a card-game. Any number can play with an ordinary
pack. There are several variations of the game, but the following is a
common one. Each player receives three cards, and three more are turned
up as a "pool." The first player may exchange one or two of his cards
for one or two of the exposed cards, putting his own, face upwards, in
their place. His object is to "make his hand" (see below), but if he
changes all three cards at once he cannot change again. The next player
can do likewise, and so on. Usually there are as many rounds as there
are players, and a fresh card is added to the pool at the beginning of
each. If a player passes once he cannot exchange afterwards. When the
rounds are finished the hands are shown, the holder of the best either
receiving a stake from all the others, or, supposing each has started
with three "lives," taking one life from the lowest. The hands, in order
of merit, are: (i.) _Tricon_--three similar cards, three aces ranking
above three kings, and so on. (ii.) _Sequence_--three cards of the same
suit in consecutive order; the highest sequence is the best. (iii.)
_Flush_--three cards of the same suit, the highest "point" wins, i.e.
the highest number of pips, ace counting eleven and court-cards ten.
(iv.) _Pair_--two similar cards, the highest pair winning. (v.)
_Point_--the largest number of pips winning, as in "flush," but there is
no restriction as to suit. Sometimes "pair" and "point" are not
recognized. A popular variation of Commerce is _Pounce Commerce_. In
this, if a player has already three similar cards, e.g. three nines, and
the fourth nine comes into the pool, he says "Pounce!" and takes it,
thus obtaining a han