, 1886-03-06
IN BOXING GLOVES.
FAIR HANDS ACQUIRING SKILL IN THE
ART OF SELF DEFENSE.
What a Professional Teacher Says on the
suhjsot-Dimcuit to Teach = Lady to
Close Her Fist-The Physical BENEFITS OF
sparring-A HeaithfuI Exercise.

In one OF his Japanese rOmances Fran
cisquc Sarcey says: "One does take a pas
s n AS he does a cold" This may be true
o. ilc tender passion, but argument ought
to be heard before we accept 1t as a dictum
regarding feminine craze for novelty. As
The New York Athletic club has recently
dJne ia your city, the socially exclusive
Sparring club Of Philadelphia, has been
accustomed to give an annual festival OF
games. The sports have generally in
Guided sparring, except during the reign
II innocent old Mayor King Cwho by
special proclamation forbade anything Of
the kindl and II feature of such occasions
has been the nssemblage OF bright-faced
ladies', who attended as the guests OF the
club. Last falls festival was q memora
BILE one. Many Of the best known and
most respected young gentlemen in the
community put on the gloves against each
other.
The spectacle was a very entertaining
one. The young ladies present. ever in
search OF new sensation, caught at the
idea OF learning to spar. Teachers were
in active demand before the first frost
fell. and the rates have since gone steadily
upward. A young dentist OF our &C
qaintance shortened his office hours under
the pretext hat he had been appointed an
assistant in the dental department of the
University of Pennsylvania. The fact Is
that he gives two lessons Of sparring every
afternoon in the neighborhood Of Ritten-
house square. His pupils are young ladies,
and as the nature of his teaching is on
ldential the feminine passion for "a strong
guard" and a prompt "cross-counter" is
likely to grow.
PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS CHA
Having occasion to pass parto OF an after
- H. IL. -
sional teacher of the heretofore exclus-
lively manly art the writer asked him
for some information regarding the
growth among ladies OF this fancy for iisti-
cuffs. Ny remarks must be promised by
an explanation that the teacher in ques-
ton has met the best men of his day in
this country and England, though never
for money or with bare knuckles. He is
a graduate of Dulwich college, in the Sur
rey suburbs OF London, and was for sew
eral years a private tutor in one OF the
best preparatory schools OF Philadelphia.
He is a gentleman in his instincts, and
loves the art OF self-defense as many a
good American dotes on polo, rowing or
cricket. He admitted to me that he was
teaching several ladies to spar, but said
frankly that he did not enjoy giving the
lessons, because he was in constant fear
Ol ACcluentdn1 inJuTlnB MS pupllS- VI
course he dare not infiict any punish
ment" for carelessness, and the girls were
Dften so intractable that he lost patience
with them.
A lawn-tennis suit. with a w~ell-padded
Jersey, was the usual costume. The
skirts must, OF course, be short, so that
the limbs can have full play. The gloves
were Of the medium size, but always re-
quired much making over. He always
adds extra hair stufhng. Into the fingers
and thumb he inserts a castor glove,
about one size larger han that usually
worn by the lady. The kid fingers Of the
boxing-glove he cuts off at the k~nuckle,
so that the castor-covered fingers may
protrude. This enables the lady to close
her fingers easily, thus retaining the
gloves firmly on her hands. This altera-
tlon in gloves is rendered necessary, he
says, by the universal inclination among
the female sex to strike with the hand
open. Thinking the teacher intended to
perpetrate a joke, l smiled at this remark
He grew grave, and by his manner re-
buked me.
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