Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-23
One of the Probabilities of the Future,
if the Interest in Fencing Con-
tinues to Increase.
NUMEROUS GOOD SWORDsMEN HERE
And All That is Needed is a Dispute to
Cause BlOOd-Red Spot to Appear
in Schenley Park.
EAST ENDERS TAKE PART IN The SPORT
Great Benefits to be Derived From the Use Of the Fos
ss an Exercise.

That interesting farcical comedy, "a
French DUEL has gained a wonderful
popularity in Pittsburg, and especially in
the East End, where the clash of the sword
is becoming one of the favorite psstimes.
Fencing, as one of the arts essential to the
refined athletes repertoire, is gaining
great foothold with aristocratic gymnasts,
notwithstanding the fact that it is one OF
the most difficult things to attain. For this
reason, where one American can handle the
foils dozen Frenchmen or Germans are to
be found who are his equals and
many who are his peers in swordsman-
ship. The Turner's of the city make
fencing one of the features of their
athletic training, and it is rapidly growing
in favor with the American athletic clubs.
The East End Gymnastic Club is now max
ing fencing one OF the features of their ath-
letic rooms and although it has been on the
programme but short time several of the
members are growing quite proficient in the
art Prof. Kirchner spent his vacation in
Philadelphia the past summer in training
up on fencing. He had been quite good
with tie foils before, but had laid them
away and be, as well as the foils, had grown
rusty from disuse.
A VERY FATIGUING SPORT.
The professor is strongly built man, but
he had to give IN when he had had three days
of the hard work with his,,fencing master. 1t
is certainly one of the most fatiguing of
sports, and for this reason it is very difficult
to keep the young men at work.
A dozen young men started in to learn
fencing under the tutorship of Prof Kirch-
ner, at the East End Club, and, as all were
ambitious. nothing short of an hour would
do for the first nights work. The boys all
felt excellent after the exercise was over,
and went home and to bed feeling that
there was nothing like an hours fencing to
brace man up. But the next morningl A
dozen young men in the East End were
lying in bed, all tied up in little knots and
wondering why on earth they were living.
At last they managed to get out of bed,
take bath and have good rub down and
all felt better. But yet each imagined he
had been in railroad accident, cut to pieces
and then put together again with only few
mistakes, such as getting the legs and arms
slightly mixed.
One week later the class in fencing was
called, and numerous vacant places and idle
foils were to be found IN the room. The
professor felt rather discouraged to see only
four or five out Of dozen. Those who did
survive were not anxious for an hours |
work, but showed determination to learn |
all the mysteries of the art.
DOING A LITTLE DUELING.
They took their medicine with the stolid-
ity of young Germans, who consider fencing
prime necessity of life. Their second at
tack didn't prove quite so bad, and after
awhile they began to look forward to the
fencing night with pleasure, and even some
times would do little ''dIeling" between
times. Thus it has picked up, and what at
nrst looked like an inglorious failure is be-
ginning to bear the aspect of success.
The class has turned out several good men
with the foils, and as they continue to
rapidly improve they will doubtless soon
become experts, and then blood will surely
flow down the gulleys of Schenley Park or
some other sequestered spot, where mans
wounded honor can be satisfied. Among
those who have proved to be the material of
which good swordsmen are made are H. C.
Fry and Will Myer, and their exhibitions
are not only pretty to look at, but are really
scientific, and show great judgment and |
nerve. George Lang, the clubs correspond |
ing secretary, can also show some excellent |
work. He is greatly interested and will not
allow the sport to fall behind the procession
Of arts acquired in the rooms of the club.
Prof Shearer, of the Forbes street Turn |
ers, is a remarkably fine swordsman, per-
haps the best in the city. He is at least the |
finest fencer among those who make ath- |
letic sports a pastime. There is a young
newspaper man in the city the walls of
whose room could be plastered with certif- |
Gates received in the Hungarian army as
one of the leading swordsmen- He is quite |
small, but his agility, nerve and quick eye
won him many honorable mentions in the |
sword contests during the time he was in
service. He is very proud of these memen- |
toes, though be now has 10 use for thesword, |
the sharpest cutting he now does being with |
the fine point of pencil.
PERsE vERANCE A NECESSITY.
Fencing as an exercise hardly receives the |
proper amount of attention. The fact is
that II requires an amount of perseverance |
that the average American is unwilling to |
bestow upon it. The Germans and French |
as well as our Italian cousins across the |
water, In their SLOW, go-ahead way manage |
acquire skill with the foils that to surpass |
costs the Americans too much time. A few |
years ago French and an Italian professor
gave number of exhibitions in New York |
and created quite an interest ID the sport.
but for some reasons the Young Americans |
seem to prefer boxing to fencing.
There are three specific styles of fencing.
the German, French and Italian, and then |
comes the American, which is a svmpIiica-
tlon OF the French style. About the only
place in America where the art really |
hourishes is at West Point, where soldiers
are made to order and where the young man
don't have time to think OF the fatigue. If
he rebels knapsack filed with bricks and
an extra amount of guard duty makes him
feel that fencing is vacation and picnic to
which Thanksgiving and Christmas has no
comparison. Thus he becomes an expert
before he knows it, and is then ready to 90
70 his regiment at some army post and cone
with the smiles of the young ladies in the
vicinity.
There are no professional fencing masters
In PIttsourg, and only the turn verins ,and
amateur athletic clubs giVl opportunities to
learn the art. The number of these are on
the increase in the city, and thus the oppor-
tunities for acquiring knowledge of the
art Of fencing increase. This sport is one of
the most beneficial for the DEVELOPMENT of
the body. 1t brings into play every muscle
in ones physical being, and also greatlvIde-
velops the mind. 1t quickens the eve
strengthens the nerves and causes a surnris'
ing amount of agility to be acquired. 1t
exercises the calf thigh. arms.
shoulder and entire right side. but at the
same time brings into play all the muscles
nerve and mental force a man can muster.
The system used In Pittsburg is the same
as that taught at West Point. If the youno |