Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-29


or after the critical inStant-causes a safe
deviation high and to the right But. ac-
cordiug TO Emile Andre an ACCOMPLISHED
authority and the author of four ofrTerent
mahusls OF duel!nS. rs sure a device As any
all lI % ram down a ""d without any ball at
Which do you PREFER" one of his sec
ondS asked a frightened duelist, the duel
ing I'd o. pistols at twenty paces?'
The dueling sword at twenty PAGES" was
.ne an Wef- Gu can make good com
pdtISon OF modern fencing and modern war
rare. heard wel-known m0ltre tl'armes
say at the Automobile Clubs last fencing
evening. In the early part of the century
aea'hs on the duel -ng ground had become so
frequent that the judicial repression II the
duel threatened to become a fact How Is n
at the present day humanltarians do NOT
continue TO exercise themselves over the
matter? There is no law against dusllnu in
r rance Inc evolution OF fencing on the
held of honor has rendered It unnecessary
surprised to hear an adept speak 50 OPEN
~, begged him to so on with the compar.
LonE-Distance DueIs
IN modern fencing the practice of at.
lacking the extremities has become so uni
versal that. Joined to a lively sentiment Of
distance it has reduced the sword duel to
little more than hygienic exercise"
Good graciousr'
1T has often been said of duels, as OF
Is against too quickly coming into contact
that the prudent adversary who desires
not to be worsted even before he desires IN
De victorious, ought always to be on guard
against the Impulses OF a too chiyaIrous
courage whose results might be fatal To
continue the comparison-just as battles
are now fought at greater and greater dis
tancss so is the duel with fencing swords
me practice of attacking the extren,it,es
ndd us great impulse In the teaching OF
"A,
VINO was the first to formulate a complete
theory of 1t.
In Jacobs lessons the attack on the ex.
tremities-that is to say thu part Of your
opponents body that IS nearest to Won the
hanu, the wrist. the head or the leg-had
It's application in the case of an fnexpert-
ehced combatant, having only time to take
TWO or three lessons before going out' to
meet, often, a practiced swordsman. when
one or the combatants does not wish to
wound MS adversary In the BODY either,
OUT OF the goodness Of his heart or thu, pr,,-
dent consideration of avoiding risk tn his
own body. and. in the case of expert
tencers, as false attack At that time
the modern game where all counts' MN.
pot al an usual In the fencing practice Of
Paris Jacobs students. therefore had
great chances against adversaries other-
wise their superiors when it came to the
ouel itself. Their hand-and-arm pricks
to those who in their fencing practice had
not been in the habit of counting snch
touches. '"Ii]
The New school.
Ihis prudent play at the extrem,ttes
counseled by Jacob. its inventor almost as
Trick and forming not at all the whole
VI MS method, has now become so universal
ana SO exaggerated In the fencing schools
that there are astonishing numbers Of
amateurs OF no great reputation at all who
can, nevertheless pink their adversary on
the hand and
solute precision" continued my Informant.
AT the same time. they take particular
care not to be touched on the hand or fore
arm. Inc incessant maintenance of the
point In misunderstanding preferred to
parrying-the sword held far o,1tstretcbeI3
In the arm. mobile. retreating but still
point In line, Is the other great distinguish
Ing feature Of the school. 1t counts in gen.
erai more on the errors OF the adversary
than on Its own offensive means Its chief
danger Is that excitable opponent should
spit himself on that outstretched point by
running .7Ih up against 1t in his hurry
sword duel comes IMP said. beginning to
see clearly. THE adversary who first loses
patience risks catching that fleeing mobile.
o o. point on the hand or forearm,
man has slipped away instead OF parrvinr
ne himself may have so little steel that the
ordinary parade will not suffice him to nre
vent the others maintaining his point in
line. ' "
Yes. But in their preoccupation not to
give STEEL the adopts OF the new play often
sacrifice the center-riposte and the riposte
!tseI' IN place OF parrying the riposte OF
thelr adversary In order to conter-riposte.
they prefer to go for the forearm on the
riposte OF the adversary or else to leave
the tn point In line. in breaking away lightly.
so that the adversary will come and nrick
his forearm against It.
Merciful Conditions.
to ,nr1 nIa
the merit Of SO often winning the game
ends the duel regularly In little pricks Of
the less prudent adversary's hand or fore.
sword duels contribute to the result A
large space Of ground is granted to the
duelists in which to perform their sneak.
Ing away evolutions. The shortness Of the .
only one minute each
assures prudence and GOODNESS. The inter.
diction Of the corps-a-corps Is a great safe.
guard. Above all. the stopping Of the com.
bat at the first scratch clinches the safety
Of the modern sword duel. 1t Is so much
the case that the Academic d'Armes has
thought Of proposing special dueling glove,
the hand and the forearm in the
interest of a little more frank bloodlettina
from the body itself.
In more than half the duels fought in
Paris one or other Of the combatants has
no fencing room practice at all and has
forgotten the escrime he learned at board.
ing school or in the army as a conscript,
1t happens constantly that men 'go out''
utterly ignorant OF their weapon. To such
a one l heard a successful coach" give
the following Instructions:
Instructions From the Coach,
you must rely on what have called in-
Simultaneous fencing. 1t consists. above all,
In play of redOublements at the hand or
forearm without attempting even simple
parade. On every attack Of your adver-
sary you will worry him with one or two
or three thrusts aimed right in front OF
you against his hand or his forearm, and
then you will come back Immediately on
guard. the point slightly low. drawing back
when necessary. but always tabbing out
again one, two or three times If your adj
versary tries to gain steel. II you take
pains to keep your distance by disengaging
Out without exaggeration), If you
keep cool and pursue these tactics without
letting yourself be frightened by the ruses
Of your experienced adversary. you can
make him circumspect. embarrass him
more than a little and even run a fair
chance of touching him on the hand or
forearm. The thing has been tried in q
A student of three lessons,
who knew more than I am telling YOU
actually forced a celebrated swordsman to