South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-07-07
History of Arms.
By THE "FAT CONTRIBUTION"

BY THE "FAT CONTRIBUTOR"
THE history of arms would be interest
ing, properly handled. l never was an
adept at handling arms. / think l could
handle my legs much better in an emer-
gency.
The first arm of which there appears to
have been any record was a club Cain ad-
ministered to his brother on the occasion
of a family difficulty that is historic. Not
w~ithstanding the vast improvement that
has been made in arms since that early
day, clubs are frequently trumps yet. The
club does not always come to the man,
but the man goes to the "Club" greatly to
the disgust of his wife, if he has one. In
such cases clubs are more offensive than
defensive.
Political clubs are welded to demolish
opposing candidates, and are often a very
effective weapon. The reason Women's
Rights clubs break up so often is because
every woman wants to WELD it her own
individual self.
The spear seems to have succeeded the
club as an arm. Mankind growing sharp
er, they sharpened the primitive club to a
point, and in place of bluntly beating one
over the head with a blunt end, they sci.
entiically thrust each other through and
through-called, in the classic language
of the period, going through a man. This
was when they first began to bring warfare
down to a fine point.
Then came bows and arrows. They
were suggested by a young lady too indO-
lent to hurl her spear, who got her beau to
hurl it for her. In those days young ladies
never rel out unaccompanied by their
beauX and arrows. Beaux have never
been entirely superseded for ladies' arms
since their intrOduction-hardly waiting
for an Introduction sometimes. This is
agreeable to the beaux, an arrows the
question down considerably.
The tomahawk is classed among the
primitive weapons. 1t was invented by
an Indian named Tommy who (tOma)
hawked it about the American forests. 1t
was known IN Shakespeare day. Hamlet
says: a know a tomahaWk from a hand
saw"
The scalping-knife usually accompanies
the above weapon by way of side-arn.
As an invigorator for bringing GU the
hair it has never been excelled by any of
the hair tonics.
Sings have been popular in their day,
their success depending a good deal on
who got them up. Goliah was so struck
with one that he never afterwards took
anything else. Besides this implement
for singing stones, the ancients had a ma
chine for throwing mud. Mud throwing
has never gone out altogether. 1t is con-
fined for the most part to a certain class of
newspapers.
Missiles of various descriptions besides
the above have been in vogue from time to
time, not forgetting the mi~stleto-bough.
I nauor haor a lnnf1 hn~ az nfrh4
without feeling an overpOwering inclina-
ton to send a miss'le-to- bow, in the shape
of a brick or paving-stOne.
The discovery of gunpowder divides
arms into two classes, ancient and modern.
(Gunpowder, it will be remembered, was
discovered under the Parliament House
in the days of Guy Fawkes) The ancient
Greek fought with the pike, and the Ro-
with the ~javelin. Imay, remark, in
c~identally, that the Cincinnatians fought
with the Pike for some time, but the Pike
has handsomely captured them at last.
Swords were never the most effective
arm. Rlchelieu said derisively, 1.-THE pen
is mightier than the sword" He forgot
old cheese. That is frequently mite Ter
than pen and sword together.
Daggers have figured conspicuously in
the affairs, as well as the affrays, of men,
and changed the course of history fire.
quently. A dagger thrust overthrow Cesar
as the bristling arms of hostile legions
could not. Macbeth's bloody imsginings
took the form of a dagger. Instead of
saying, however, "Is this a dagger that
l see before meg" his exact words should
have been, under the circumstances, is
this a dagger so persistently after mel"
GunpOWder effected an entire revolution
in the construction and use of arms.
Spears, mauls, ~javelins and the like are
obsolete. Swords are merely ornamental,
and bayonets rarely appealed to. BayoneJs
may think, but gunpowder does the talk
ing. Artillery and musketry settle the
question when diplomacy can't, and per.
cussion caps the climax Cincinnati
Times.