Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-06
WALKING ON Stills.
Skill of French Peasants-Stilts Used
All Round the World.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
American boys walk on stills, but as com
pared with French boys they know littl
of the sport
Perhaps the reason for this is that il
one part of Franee-away down in thu
| south of the country-stilts are a neces
sity to the people, who are mostly shep
herds. They must walk on stills in or
der to oversee their vast fiocks Of sheep
as well as to pass through the bogs.
These shepherds-men and women both
walk continuously on stills from six Il
eight feet high. These stills are merely
fastened to the feet. There is no thought
of an upright by which the hands and the
arms may steady the progress.
Sometimes the stills have uprights reach
ing as far as the knees and bound firmly
to the legs.
Generally these shepherds and shepherd
esses carry long poles which they can use
either as balancing poles or as supports
very long canes, as it were, reaching to tbs
ground.
They become so expert in silt walking
that it is no unusual sight to see shep-
herdess striding along on stills that raise
her six feet above the ground, with her
balancing pole strapped to her back and
her hands busily knitting socks for hus-
band son or brother
The complete unconcern with which
these country folk make their way along
on stills is astonishing. One might al
most say that the children have stills given
to them instead of cradles.
A race on stills in the south of France
was one of the sports to celebrate holi-
day.
The course was about four and a half
miles long, and covered by the two
winners in the extra ordinary time of thirty
five minutes. When you stop to think that
the average good driving horse does not
ordinarily trot as fast this, the wonder
full skill of these French stiltwalkers will
be appreciated.
other girl. Both were about fourteen
years old. Entered contestants In the
race were old men and women, as well as
young folk. Third in the race was an aged
shepherd who certainly looked as if he
had well passed his SEVENTEEN birthday.
These shepherd stiltwalkers have had
their influence on boys throughout France.
Paris is a great city for holidays, and on
many of these holidays a part of the cele-
bration is parade. In these parades stilt-
walkers always play leading part.
One such procession was led by a gigantic
and grotesque figure not less than twelve
feet tall. Afterward, when the procession
disbanded it turned out that this figure
was really boy, about sixteen, who was
not more than four feet six inches tall.
Not only had he made the long march
on high stills, but he had still further in
creased his apparent height by binding a
long stick to his back. This reached far
above his head and bore on its upper end
a large false head. A cross bar just under
this head formed false shoulders and arms,
and from these in long, loose folds hung
a calico gown, which reached to the ground
Prizes are almost always given for the
best marchers in these Paris parades, and
on this occasion the boy on stills won first
prize.
Strange stills are those used by Japanese
and Chinese boys. Instead of having side
blocks like the stills used by American
boys, they have foot rests mortised on the
slit stick and projecting backward.
These stills only be, used when the
japanese boys feet are bare, for the Silt
stick must be grasped between the first
and second toes of each foot.
Spanish boys are great stiltwafkers, and
they invariably sticks that reach to
the hips, and are strongly bound there as
well as at the ankles.
In some of the islands in the South Pacific
ocean very rough sport is engaged in by
boys on stills. Perched high on their thin
supports and with their faces and skins
grotesquey painted, these semi-savage lads
sometimes as many as twenty at a time
meet and strive to trip each other up or
knock each other down.
Like most sports and games, stiltwalk-
ing is of very ancient origin. Cut in the
stone which forms the tomb of one of the
Oldest of the Pharaohs there is a crude
picture of man leading procession and
walking on stills. This ancient stiltwalker
must have been very skllful, for he is hold
ing no side sticks but is using both hands
in holding a great horn to his mouth, which
he is apparently blowing.