Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1871-09-14

With his sweet "sOrry" LOOK
Source OF anxiety,
Pride, pain and JOY
Nv brave blue-eyed darling,
0 ~.l.r,v'. Mussum.
ON STILLS.
BIZ GEORGE Asr1NwALL.
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 far
enough above that to r,ach the knee, just
below which it is to be lashed. Skill is
required, however, 70 walk safely on such
q 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 hes the necessary tool- and ma
terials at hand. Choose for your sand
ards, OF upright pieces, two plain, straigh Mt
strips of wood strong enough to bear your
| weight and long enough 70 reach to the
tops of your shoulders after you are
mounted. For stills to lea1n on, the foot
piece should not be more than fourteen
inches from the ground. or even l-ss 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-pi ce is nailed or screwed to the
standard, from which it projects at right
angles on the inner side, just far enough to
form comfortable rest tor the foot 1t
| should also be supported by brace on
| the under side.
The implement I have described was
known to nearly every lad in America
few wears ago; but of late stills seem to
have gone quite out of fashion In some
parts of the country. l am surprised at
this, since they afford really fa~cinating
exercise to alternate with base. ball, kites,
aid marbles, and can BE- mastered by every
owner of good pair Of legs, hammer and
nails, and jack knite.
Your stills completed, the next thing Is
to mount them. Rest the ends on the
ground, grasping the handles in manner
to br1ng them behind the shoulders; set
your 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 hold
the standards close to your shoulders, un-
der your arms and partly elclrcled oy
them, with the hands near the hips, press
lug forwards. 1t will take you some time
to learn to perform this little feat aud re-
main mounted until you are prepared to
take step. Once well poised on Your
stilts you will find it eaey to keep your
balance as you walk, but not SO easy to
stand still
OF course you will choose hard, smooth
ground for your first exercise. Afterwards
you may lengthen YOUR stills, Cross brooks,
and step over fences.
To become good "stiltist one must
have courage and q pretty large "Organ of
weight" 1t brings into play much the
same faculties that skating does. Ii you
can wear stills made fast to your legs,
you will be skillful walker if yo, can
trust yourself upon them without carrying
pole. Your arms set at liberty, you will
find long light pole wonderfully con.
venient in fording streams, passing rough
places, or resting, when you wish to stand
STILL
The nature of the soil and the character
of the streams have brought stills very
much in use in some countries On the
Landes" of Gascony, i'll France. they are
about as common as shoes: Over those
broad, marshy and sandy plaii;s the shep-
herd goes stalking on bis Oh stills, which
not only enable him to pass the deep
pools and wet places in his way, but also
to overlook his focks feeding among the
low, thorny shrubs and .brushwood with
which the region is partly covered. BE
mounts his stitts, from the roof Of his
house or his stable roof, early in the morn
ing, and does not quit them until light.
They are made 'ast, not at the knee, but at
the thigh, in such a way as to allow the
legs to move freely. He carries long
pole, which serves several purposes. 1t
is his shepherds crook; and With it he
steadies his steps when necess Ary, sup
ports himself VIII n he wishes to rest,
eases his descent to the ground when he
wishes to lie down OF sit, and gets up
again at pleasure. Thus lifted above the
earth, he goes striding 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 some grottkque, half
human crane.
Races on stills are favorite paetime in
Gascony, and other counties Of the South
of France.
The people of Namur, in Belgium, he.
came early famous for their use uf stills,
in CONSCIENCE of the overflow Of the
rivers Sambre and Meuse, which period
ically flooded the city streets. In the
seasons of high water men and women
stepped out of their windows. going about
their business and making calls, on stills.
These, introduced at first as matter of
necessity, at length became q source of
amuse ment, and made Namur famous for
one of the most remarkable games on re-
cord.
This was the battle on stilts. The 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-were constantly at strife
with each other. There fe> ds were of q
good na,ured sort, however, though they
sometimes resulted in some pretty roug h
sport.
TIE Namurois we're fond Of games; and
hundred and fifty years ago the stilt-
fight, introduced nobody knows hen, was
at the height Of its popularity. The COM
divided into two bands, regularly of1 cered,
and distinguished by the colors Of their
costum. s, advanced upon each Other in the
public square, mounted on stills
four feet high. They were un.
armed; but wrestling and kicking and
thrusting with the stilt leg-somt,imes
dangerous weapon-wers Re allowable. The
battle begun with the sound of martial
music, and the armies were led with gay
banners. W,men followed their lovers,
brothers, and husban 8 to the fight, their
mission being to encourage and cheer ths m
on by their presence to support the fall
ing, AMI to assist the wounded from lhe
field
These battles lasted An hour or two, OF
longer, the ombatants often lighting with
great spirit and determination. Marshall
SAKE, who, in 1749, witnessed one OF these
encounters, said of it. "If two armies en-
gagged showed as much valor rs the youths
Of Namur, it W. uld not be merely battle,
but butchery."
Once wheu the Archduke Albert of
Austria passed through B Igium, the Gov
eruor of Namur premise that he should
see battle in which 60 the warriors should
fight neither on foot nor on hOrstb,ck,'
and got up s;ilt combat for his entt r'ain-
ment The Archduke was 80 much de-
lighted that he at once exempted the
Namurois from the pa> m ut Of the tax on
beer-a privilege which they tnjoy,