Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-28
sk sTING.
Cutting Figures ~ Distinguished
from Progression.

chatting but when, in addition. progress
/ sion ia only possible hy means OF cor
rect balance. as in skating and bicycling
the fascination IS doubled.
Figure-skatirg. as distinguished from
skating as a means of progression is
comparatively modern. and. curiousy
enough. emanates ,rom Great Britain
and from Eng.ish-spoaNng people. Be
fore the year 1870 ngurc-skatns was in
its infancy. and such movements as were
known were handed down from genera
ton TO generation boy tradition, as the
few books ON the subject that did exist
described only the most elementary
movements and frequently the directions
given for acquiring these were entlrely
misleading. From the year 1862 tll no"
skaters have been gradually taught 10y
good text books. the leading men IN the
art have studied the various moYements
that 20 10 make up hgure-skatlhg' ana
have now practically demonstrated an
the fundamental strokes that are possloIe
10 the felire-skater We are not from
this TO understand that nothing new ln
fgure-skating is possible. Far from II. Al
though every possible stroke Is now
known. the multitude of combinations 10y
Joining one stroke with another is per
fectlv endless but whether the rising
generation will derive as much pleasure
i'm devising these combinations as III,
pioneers of the art dld ln working OUT
the simple initial strokes is doubtful IN
the drawing Of fgure-skating. undounteu-
~ the inside edge was the first Whlch
demonstrated the poss bilty or ieahlhs
over on an edge ana so descilplAs
curve. seeing that this inside edge was
1trr Cd
unemployed leg being always ready ana
available 10 act as prop 90 the nervous
or falling performer.
This inside edge no doubt suggested
the outside and when this was mon
stratod as poss.bl it was practiced TO
the entire exclusion Of the inside D.
cause I'm the early days the position OF
the skaters body when executing the IN
side edge made il an ungdlnly and un-
eracefui movement. In pracIcing the
outside edge our ancestors. no DOUBT ni
holding on" 20 the edge as long as pos
-ble occasionally found that at the end
Of the curve they made an involun-
tary half-turn. placing them on the in
side back and this involuntary turn
being by practice reduc q 10 a certain
turn gives us the common figure 5 II
has. no doubt struck many people as
10 has struck me. as curious and almost
.ucred bl. that. given the landy-horse.
which demonstrated the possibility Of
iding on "a machine having two wheels
in the same plane. II was some forty
years after the advent of the dandy-horse
before il occurred 10 some One 70 put
.ranks on the front wheel to continue
the motion thus virtually creating the
modern BICYCLE. And DO is hardly more
curious that. with the forward COM
m.ncing with an outside edge and
turning TO an inside edge backwards to
guide them, IL was years before the
other turns We're discovered Skaters con-
tinued TO practice only the figures that
had been hand down 20 them 10y ira
dtion gradually and slowly increasing
the number Of possible feures-such, Tor
example. as a second and third turn IN
the g. who II was who had The bold
ness first 20 try the dangerous second
turn is unknown. but the having
three turns and known as the double
g. was undoubt dly skated by the mem
bars OF the Skating Club as early as
1890: but as a single turn from inside
hack TO inside forward. II Is doubtful
If IL was skated tin quite recent years.
Then. again, another movement now
known as "a change Of edge but form
erlv called the "serpentine' mi-ht
easily have occurred 10 skater by
a curve Of outside edge on the right leg
and some one to the left Of him might have
spoken 10 him. and TO answer The ques-
ton asked he might have turned his
body without putting down his left leg. and
have found himself on the inside edge.
AVID II would then naturally strike him
that. while on an edge. he could. by alter
ing his balance change the edge from
out to In. or from in TO outside.
II may. | think. be safely asserted that
the germs Of most modern figures have
more probably been discovered by chance
On the ice while practicing something
else than that they have been thought
ont In the study and declared theOreu-
,anv possible BY lacking on a turn
+ either at the end or the commencement
/ # the newly-discOverc change OF edge.
q large number ~ new figures. known a.
rs and reverse O.. were created, hui
we have 90 thank our Canadian and
merican cousins for showing us how
+ 90 make thu change OF edge means of
f ropu'si0n. and when This was recos
nized. any number of movements on one
I ieg could Doe join . together and skated
! without any assistance from the other
! l.g other than swing l. is only within
/ the last few years that the skating fra
ernity has from time 10 time been star
and diagrams of new figures. some of
them. perhaps. being put forward a..
/ theoretically possible. but practically inn
possible. yet now one sees bows of d
executing these supposed impossible
figures with thu greatest facility. How
is this2 First. the modern neurc-skatei
+ has "a bctter-c0nstructed skate than hi'
ancestors possessed, and. secondly
kating being am initiative art, ht ha.
only 10 copy what DEE sees others doing
or follow The careful instruction given ii
the textbooks, and hc Us thus enahlel
90 acquire facility in executing diflicu
NOV mcnts much more rapidly than of.
the pioneers of the art. but De does uo
attain what was 10 the early figure
skaters the supreme pleasure of thinkir.
1ut ard demonstrating as possible som
movement which az that period was
new departure.
The facility Of communication am oVe
the world has affected heur.-skauug al
IN has other arts. and itinefant prOies
sioual skaters. mostly American estab
nehcd themselves in Germany. Austria
sweden. and Norway. and schools ID
skating were established where the prac
tice Of the art is carried out by tn na
tIves in accordance with the early teach
ing Of their professors coupled with tn
/ desire TOT llfpdA INthldI 10 luitlt iti p
/ The Englishman tries TO. and does. n
TACT. skate the most difficult movements
and az the same time his whole desir
81 10 conceal the difficulty The foreign
crs. on the other hand. exaggerate IN
motion or balance. which emphasizes IN
l'fculty and go for speed and dash
which they attain mostly at the cost o
elegance.
Dr. CASTOR has discovered I'm heap O
/ torn papers sent 10 him from Yemen. 4
Arabia. an ancient book OF magic Gale
I The Sword OF Moses II il written in
: --------.- L-l-A IN MI NM In II-I-r- -A IN