The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-18
WEAPONS OF ANTIQUITY.
Prehistoric Glory of the Tribal how
and Arrow.

PrchtnfOrfc Glory OF the Tribal How
and Arrow.
Chivalrie days OF warfare IL one IS to
believe the writer's of historic novels.
the stories based upon deeds OF the
Indian tribes everywhere, aud multi
tudinous accounts OF the pluck
and glory of achievements of the an
Gent Greeks. Romans, and Egyptians. and
the mighty hosts OF warriors whose valoI
set the world in awe before the discovery
OF gunpowder. began when the weapons
OF opposing armies were the bow and ar
row, the iavelin. the smear, the harpoon,
and the lance. The swur,. has always fig
ured as the insignia of warrior from
date long before the Christian era. IL is
the sign of a courtly soldier. and to de-
prive an officer OF his sword is to consign
the unfortunate victim TO the most hui
initiating disgrace. 1t was so in the past
and is so today.
OF all the weapons that held sway in
antique a5d prehistoric periods, the sword
| still holds its own. 1t Is the first weapon
/ mentioned In the Bible where the Lord
stationed an angel with a flaming sword
to prevent the disobedient Adam and Eve
from re-entering the Garden OF Eden after
their violation Of divine commands.
The bow and arrow followed quickly
upon the sword as a weapon among the
tribes of the earth, which in those remote
periods were constantly at war with each
other. How and where the bow and ar
row originated no one knows. The annals
of history have no reference to the origin
Of this weapon OF great armies. IL is I'M
like any other engine of destruction. The
arrow has the distinction of being the hrst
projectile used on earth, and antedates
the sling, the most interesting work OF
IL ,.. IL 81 ., sf hq
mighty giant Goliath by the doughty lit
tie David. Poets have immortalized the
bow and arrow and artists have in iron,
bronze, granite. and marble shown the
appreciation Of the ages in which that
weapon was the main reliance OF opposing
phalanxes- On high Olympus the heath
en- gods gave the bow and arrow their
most supreme appreciation. 1t was as
potent in love as in war. Cupid used it
in his chase after hearts. Just as Diana
did in her chase after stays in mythology
cal woods.
The fate of nations in the days of antiq-
uity was more often decided by a scien-
tiic use of the bow and arrow than it is
today by modern artillery and high ex-
plosives. True, in those times there we're
more nations to fight each other: every
tribe was a nation. and one battle gen
eraii..s;. decided affairs. That, however,
does not cast a shadow upon the antique
glory and grandeur of the bow and ar.
row.
The lance and the spear were the
winged shafts OF the Trojan war. and
hold the highest place as weapons in the
Iliad OF Homer. though srchers with their
bows do not suffer in comparison. The
battles before Troy were generally hand
to-hand combats, and warriors with lanees
or swords bad better opportunity to show
their powers than the bowmen.
The points Of arrows and the other sharp
weapons Of war, excepting perhaps spears.
lances, and swords, in olden times as we'll
as in comparatively modern days. were of
stone. flint stone, and very sharp at that.
The North American Indians seem to have
become adopts in fashioning them and very
effective these arrows were in their execu-
ton. Nature must have suggested the idea
to the aborignes for there Is no record
that they were taught by any des eendant
Of the ancients OF the old world TO manu-
facture them. a-5Lh
These weapons, together with numerous
others of prehistoric days, are to be found
in the United States National Museum.
There can be found complete display Of
stone weapons used in remote ages, Iang-
ing from the Ratchet to the arrow head.
Many of these have been subjects OF much
superstition in the days of their use
fulness, and were regarded as having a
heavenly origin or supernatural power. Tue
possession of them in some parts Of
Europe has been regarded as a most
fortunate circumstance. The stone from
which they are formed, the uneducated
masses believed, came direct from heaven.
They have been regarded as sffording pro-
lection against fire and other .rnisfortunes.
and by the same token of their divine
presentation as having incalculable value
in battles.
In some parts of Europe, even at this
day, flint arrowheads are considered as
potent spells against witchcraft, and the
evil eye. This ancient superstition exists
in certain localities in Scotland and Ire
land.
The iron age has, however, obliterated
tho stone age in arrowpoints and spear
heads and superstition flies with the adj
vance of progress. Polished stone hat bets
and Clustering stone arrowSpesnfs serve 40
longer either as weapons or amulets and
their only great value consists in the his
tory Of their ancient uses in decisive con-
Gicts between men.
The latest reports show, that in more
than one portion of the globe the imple-
ments of warfare used centuries before the
slight changes. in service today. The spear
every modern army, and are most effective
jectiles, clubs. bows. and arrows, and the
protective shields. are in vogue in every
unciviliZed part OF the globe.