Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-31
IN FASHION
Washington Society Enthusi-
astic Over the Sport.
IT'S FINE EXERCISE
PROMINENT PEOPLE WHO ARE
EXPERT WITH THE FOILS.
Interesting Career Of a Man Who is
Here Giving Lessons in
the Art.
Written for The Evening Star.

'Lefta! Rfghta! Toucha melt Lefta!
| Righta! Toucha me! Toucha me!!!'
l was waiting in the studio of Prof. Pietro
| Lanzflli, the fencing master, while he fin
| ished lesson with one of Washington's
htterateurs. 1t was all going on behind a
PAIR or forbidding portieres which sepa-
rated the sanctum where lolled behind my
paper from the gymnasium end of the long,
narrow, one-story building. Such fierce
| ciish-ciash of steel I never heard. The
combat waxed hot, then lulled, grew heat
| ed and slackened again and again, amid
''bravos" loud and shrill and a great shut
| fling of feet
When the strenuous instruction had come
to an end man below the medium height
pompadoured above, tapering below; with
the chest of an OK, incased in a tight jer-
| sey shirt which buttoned at the side, part
| ed the curtains and made obeisances low
and courtly.
This was Prof. Pietro Lanzilh the fenc-
Ing master of the Washington smart set"
The official leaders Of Vanity Fair have de-
creed that to be truly smart" one must
now be able to parry and thrust and brag
OF ones special make of foil; must wear
ones heart upon ones breast, though never
upon ones sleeve.
Soldier and Author.
Lanzilli is soldier author, journalist,
athlete. read his diploma on the wall of
his sanctum. Upon it, midst seals of wax,
was the signature Of Masaniella PARSE,
director of the Magistral Technical School
of Rome and professor of fencing to his
majesty King Victor Emmanuel III. certi-
Tying that Pietro Lanzilli son of Angelo
ana Mary Siniscalco, was born in Rodi,
province Of Capitanata, November Z, 1859,
and that he studied fencing under the said
Parise from 1879 to 1884. Lanzilli had
previously graduated from the military
school at Madaloni. and was a captain in
the Italian army. Serving his commission,
he embarked upon a tour of the world.
teaching fencing in Lyons, France; Sydney,
Australia; Alexandria, Egypt; CONSTANT
nople, Tunis, Guatemala, Salvador, New
Orleans and San Francisco.
HIS credentials show that he beat Capt.
Jennings champion fencer of the world in
a bout at Guatemala, in 1895, the score be-
ing IL to 4; that he was professor of fenc-
Ing in the Polytechnic School of Guatemala
and taught the president and ministry of
that republic. He was also editor and pro-
prletor or Ell Sport, Latin-American
magazine, for several years, and is the au-
thor of ''Cadiga del Honor para la Amer
ica-Latina" Code of Honor for Latin
Amertca), volume of 335 pages. He won
the gold medal at the interna tional fencing
exhibition at San Francisco in 1892 and at
Caesars circus, feature of the Olympic
games held in the Golden Gate city the
same year, he was captain of the gladia-
tors. He teaches also the fencing system
of boxing, his own invention He is the
Washington correspondent for several Ital-
Ian papers and speaks several foreign
tongues with fluency.
Italy Taught Our Forefathers.
This has been the career of the man who
comes to the national capital to teach the
art of the foils 1t was his countryman,
Vincentio Saviolo, who first introduced SCI
entifc fencing in ENGLAND duripo tho ro;r,,
of Queen Bess. This Saviolo is described
by historians as fierce and punctilious
Italian. He was the first fencing mas
ter of English-speaking peoples His
Treatise of Honor published in 1894 was
the standard tactics of procedure in all
cases of supposed insult. 1t resolved all
quarrels into the lie; the original insult must
be followed by a regular series of replies
and retorts, until one of the disputants is
reduced to give the lie direct which had to
be followed by an appeal to arms.
But the present mission of an italian
fencing master to an Anglo-Saxon capital
Is more pacific. Laws and institutions of
our race have changed since the DAYS of the
fierce Saviolo. Even a challenge to fight a
duel is now high misdemeanor in Eng
land. In this country, by common law the
survivor and seconds are guilty of murder
when a duelist is killed. Dueling is not
only forbidden to US by statute but is made
illegal in the army or navy by the articles
of war. But notwithstanding the efforts to
suppress dueling made by all other enlight-
ened countries well, 1t persists in Some
form. more or less serious in all but the
English-speaking nations. In Germany
duels are punishable by imprisonment in a
fortress. yet In 1887 officer was expelled
from the army for refusing to challenge one
who had offered him insult 1.-The Ameri
can duef'-how 1t ever derived It's name no
one can answers a fatal method of set
Ting questions of honor still obtaining in
Germany The two disputants draw lots
and the loser is hOnD6 la i,
life in a specified time.
When asked how many serious duels he
had fought in the course of his wide tray-
els, Pietro Lanzlli shrugged his shoulders
and shook his head.
Benefits of Fencing.
Il am now an American citizen" said
he. Il come to teach fencing as q part of
physical and mental training. No more.
Even though the duel should in future
be entirely abolished. why should we lose
interest in this most delightful and bene-
fetal of exercises? 1t is true that fencing
developed through the frequency of single
combat, but today it has different object.
1t must be directed to more noble intent,
because it provides admirably for that
physical education which procures maxi
mum development of all parts of the body
and teaches US to use it in the best way.
''Fencing-but only logical fencing-forms
the most useful, serious and noble branch
cate the intellect and to form the char
acter. 1t is the only instruction that can
strengthen the individual conscience,
thought and life; 1t serves to create the
will. the ego We have other gymnastic
exercises for the body's development; but
to also exercise the mind only fencing is
suited and sufficient. AS a form of gym
nastics it is the easiest means toward
quickneSs of body and intellect. Fencing
is a science through it's relation to mathe-
mates and an art through its relation to
the adroitness of self-defense and attack.
Its influences upon the political, literary,
artistic and even domestic life call 1t to
assume sometimes the character and mis-
sion of a very great moral institution.
Free Fencing Schools.
I'm Italy and France, near schools OF
general culture, there are free public
schools of fencing"
Such was Pietro Lanzillis tribute to his
art. The reader is the loser fnasmuch as
the writer cannot reproduce it in its orig
inaI accents.
Among the fencing masters pupils are
representatives of the diplomatic, army,
navy and literary circles. Society bellies
find in his studio compensation for the ills
to which their life of dissipation would
otherwise be heir. Children, too. are learn