Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-09-14
ON STILLS.
BY GEORGE AsPINwALL.


The best stills are made to fasten firm
ly to the leg leaving the hands and arms
free. The foot-piece should be four or five
feet from the ground,-or even higher,
according to the aspirations OF the walker
and the upright piece should extend lar
enough above that to reach the knee, just
below which it is 10 be lashed. Skill is
REQUIRED, however, to walk safely on such
a pair, and fall with them is dangerous.
A very good pair to practice upon can
be made in half an hour by any school,
boy who has the necessary tools and ma
terials at hand Choose for your stand
ards, or upright pieces, two plain, straight
strips of wood strong enough to bear your
weight and long enough TO reach to the
tops of your shoulders after you are
mounted. For stills to learn on, the foot
piece should not be more than fourteen
inches from the ground. or even less Tor
small boy,-for you will find it necessary
to step on and off good many times be-
fore YOU have learned TO walk securely.
The foot-piece is nailed or screwed to the
standard, from which IL projects at right
angles on the inner side, just far enough to
form q comfortable rest for the foot. II
should also be supported by a brace on
the under side.
The implement l have described was
known to nearly every lad in America
few wears ago; but Of late stills seem to
nave gone quite out OF fashion in some
narts of the country. l am surprised at
This. since they afford really fascinating
exercise TO alternate with baseball, kites,
and marbles, and can b. mastered by every
owner of good pair of legs, hammer and
nails, and q jack knife.
Your stills completed, the next thing is
To mount them. Rest the ends on the
ground, graspipg the handles in a manner
to hung Them behind the shoulders; set
vour left foot in its place and spring up
bringing the right foot to its place while
YOU are in the air at the same time holo
| the standards close TO your shoulders, un
| der your arms and partly encircled by
| them, with the hands near the hips, press
! ing forwards. 1t will take you some time
to learn to perform this little feat aud re
main mounted until you are prepared u
take step. Once well poised on you
, stills, you will find it easy to keep you
ba,.ance as you walk, but not so easy u
stand still. =,
OF course you will choose hard, smooth
Ground for your first exercise. Aiterwardi
Won may lengthen your stills, cross brooks
and 9. p over fences.
Tn ! ecome a good "stiltist one must
have Gu, rage and pretty large "organ OF
we;abt y 1t brings into play much the
Sam. fac,z,, les that skating does II you
can wear a Its made fast TO your legs
Won will no skillful walker If you can
inst Yourself upon them without carrying
a mole. Your A rms set at liberty, you will
fi1d a long Ign pole wonderfully con
venient In Iordinv streams, passing rough
nlaces. or resting. ". hen you wish to stand
still.
The nature of the 30. ! and the character
OF the streams have br, 'ngh! SUITS very
much in use in some CO, ntries On the
Landes" Of Gascony, fla =, rance, they are
about as common as shoes. over those
broad, marshy and sandy plsi. - the shep'
herd goes stalking on high 81 its, Wncn
not Only enable him TO pass the deep
pools and wet places in his way, .put also
TO overlook his focks feeding amo. ~ the
low thorny shrubs and brushwood WIN
which the region Ia partly covered. lie
mounts his stilts, from the roof OF b is
house or his stable roof, early In the morn
ing, and does not quit them until night.
They are made last, not at the knee, but at
the thigh, In such way as 10 allow the
legs to move freely. He carries long
pole. which serves several purposes. Ii
is his shepherds crook; aid with 1t he
steadies his steps when necessary, sup
ports himself when he wishes TO rest,
eases his descent 20 the ground when he
wishes to lie down or sit, and gets up
again at pleasure. Thus lifted above the
earth. he goes gtriding like an immensely
tall, thin. legged giant, over hedges and
bitches and bushes, with perfect ease and
security, and sometimes running with re-
markable speed, like come grotesque, half
human crane.
Races on stills are q favorite psstime in
GascoHy, and other countries OF the South
Of France.
The people of Namur, in Belgium, be-
came early famous for their use VI stills,
in CONSCIENCE Of the overflow OF the
rivers Sambre and Meuse, which period
ically flooded the city streets. In the
Of high water men and women
stepped out Of their windows, going about
their business and making calls, on stills.
These, introduced st first as matter of
necessity. at length became source Of
and made Namur famous for
one of the most remarkable games on re-
cord
This was the battle On stills. Tho city
was divided into two sections, called the
old and the new town, the inhabitants of
which-like those Of many another town
in our own day--yere constantly at strife
with each other. There feuds were Of u
good natured sort, however, though they
sometimes resulted In some pretty rough
sport.
Tie Namurois were fond Of games; and
! hundred and fifty years ago the silt
fight, introduced nobody knows when, was
Il the height Of its popularity. The com
batants, five or six hundred In number,
divided into two bands, regularly ON ,ered,
anA distinguished by the colors Of their
costumes, advanced upon each Other In the
v,ublic square, mounted on stills
four feet high. They were un.
armed; bat wrestling and kicking and
thrusting with the slit leg-sometig.es q
dangerous weapon-were allowable, The