Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-26


MENTAL woRK-SoTEs-
0NE OF THE AMUSING RESULTS OF
" the contest which took place at the bar
racks range two weeks aSo was the birth Of an
idea that match could easily be arranged be-
tween the twenty third y. y. (5rooklyn) team and
ateam of distiaguishe marksInen OF the regular
army Tha. idea will. it may be officially stated,
never have an opportunity to grow and the rea-
sons why are at least two in number First Is
the one that the general now commanding the
army would never permit an army team to
compete with team whose equip
ment is not military. Tho second reason
il not to be lightly laid aside No one
who is interestered in rife shooting but adj
mire the skill Of the twenty-third aggregation,
but no one but New Yorker would propose to
have n team composed exclusively OF New
Workers represent the National Guard OF the
United States in q contest of such importance
a the one proposed As "a matter of fact there
are numerous riieInen who never saw New
York and many of these experts are IN the NIL
Iitia Of other states than that which seems to
control Creedmoor.
THAT MERCHANTS MATCH.
Preparations for the big shoot next month
are moving along satisfactorily. Attracting
more general interest than any other event on
the program is the Merchants match 1t
will Be open as was announced in last Satur-
days STAR, to all enlisted men in the brigade,
and a great many entries are expected. The
total number of prizes in this match may be as
many as twenty. No attempt has. as yet, been
made to secure donations, but prizes nave been
given Robert Beall. the bookseller. has con-
tributed a fine photograph album; Woodward
4 Lothrep handed out a fine bath robe; Llsner
of the Paiais Royal presented beautiful silk
umbrella, while Ereeborn u. smith, through
Manager W. p. Van Wiekle, gives q handsome
music box. During the coming week the prize
lis. will be completed and published. Those
who intend competing in this match Gas well AS
those who have at least one eye OF some OF the
other contests) would do well to remember
that no one will be allowed to enter unless he
has completed his record scores on the range.
THE VALUE OF NoS-snooTERs STATED.
"A soldier who cannot learn to shoot WELL"
saws Capt Brinkerhof of the army, sis
worth nothing in the fighting force He
may do possibly to drive mules, or
to work in wood or iron, but he is
worthless for fighting purposes. II men were
rushed up in q solid body against an enemy
similarly formed. as in days not long since
passed. and were armed with some Obsolete
weapon, the soldier would need only strength
and courage and discipline to make him peer
of the best But we require more than that
now. We require not alone the old-tine cour-
age and discipline, but we require also marks
nanship and intelligence. Inc soldier in the
ranks must possess all the good qualities that
have heretofore been required of him, and in
addition he must have mastered the art of
manipulating the wind gauge Of his rifle. esti-
mating distances. calculating the effect of
light and wind and humidity and mirage. The
drivers of mules and the .hewers OF wood and
drawers of water have no place here"
No practical soldier will ever dispute Capt.
Brinkerhoff's position, and the average national
guardsman would do vol to ponder carefully
the quoted paragraph In the District militia
every effort has been made to show to both
officers and enlisted men tho military advant-
ages which must accrue from close attention
20 rifle practice, and yet there is much annoy
ing slackness in nearly every company in the
brigade. The season for rifle practice on the
range has almost come to an end, and yet hun
dreds Of men have never even attempted to
face the targets at the Washington barracks.
Company officers do not seem to realize that on
them viii rest stigma II a large proportion of
their respective commands fail to attend to the
most important duty a soldier can have-the
duty of making OF himself effective marks
man. II this national guard work means any
thing-and thousands of thoughtful men are
Of the opinion that it does-it means that a
force is being trained to meet emergency
which may be apparent at almost any time.
There is nothing playful in the militia idea. nor
Is the existence of several hundred thousand
citizen soldiers a uniformed joke.
FINISH Up YOUR RANGE PRACTICE.
Many of the men who have not been seen on
the range during this season stayed away be-
cause it was difficult to cut loose from bust
ness on the particular day set apart for bat
talon rifle practice. and this difficulty
In so many cases-has been the cause Of more
than little thought and consultation at
brigade headquarters Often has it been so
that a number of men could have visited the
range on some day other than the one set
apart for their respective battalions, but that
other day would not do. A new system has
been adopted and will be put in operation Oc-
tober l. From and including that day and up
to and including October Is (Sundays ex-
cepted) the range Will be open from to $50
p. M for the first and second regiments, the
nrst separate company and the engineers. On
each OF these days an inspector of rifle prac-
tice will be in charge of the range and under
his direction any men whose scores at 200 and
$40 yards are incomplete may ill up the
record Ii matters not what command a man
belongs 20, he can go down on any of the DAYS
when the range is open and fire his scores; the
inspector on duty will that the score
reaches the proper company commander. On
October l6 and IL the range viii be open only
for the hrst separate battalion
This arrangement ought TO bring out every
man in the brigade, for there is not a single
member of the guard who cannot manage to
get away from business a. least one afternoon
ay from o. clock.
Anew FACTS AS TO RIFLE PRACTICE.
Some Of the inquisitive members of the Dis
trict National Guard-people who' are very
properly seeking to add to their store of
knowiedse-haye been asking for a Compare
tive statement which would show the relative
efficiency OF those who on the brigade rifle
team represented the first and second reri-
ments respectively. For more than a year the
second regiment has continuously claimed that
IL was the shooting regiment and match in
the gallery was used to support the allegation
that when IL came 10 shooting the first wasn't
In it." An analysis of the work done bv an
equal number OF men from both regiments will
perhaps be in the nature of a surprise to some
Who have not watched the course OF events
since the team started FOR sea Grit and Creed
moor, but the second regiment need not be dis
couraged Some of their team men have not
been shooting more than ten twelve years.
After awhile they will be able to compete with
the twelve-months' veterans of the first The
first preliminary practice at Sea Girt consisted
OF seven shots per man at 2o0 and 500 yards
anc twenty shots in skirmish. Six men OF the
FIRST made 367 at TIE known distances and 800
(s9 hitsJ at skirmish, q total of 6S9. Six men
OF the second aggregated 33s at the known dis
t2ncss aud % (s6 hits in skirmish. In the
Jersey interstate match, ten shots each, at 200
and 500 and twenty shots skirmish the first
piled up AS points in the first stage and 796 in
The skirmish. winning the trophy with its total
Of ], Az The second got AZ at known dis
lance and 746 in the skirmish, an aggregate of