Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-02-19
FOR WOMEN WHO FENCE,
Useful Hints from a We'll. Known Az.
thorIty.

The following article on the art Of
fencing will, without doubt. prove OF
interest to the young ladies of the city.
who are learning fencing at the Plan
ELI club. During the past year MUM
Der of young ladies have taken up the
practice. and some OF them have be-
come, already, quite proficient in the
use of the foils. The interest in the
art is slowly but surely growing. and
before another twelve months has
passed 1t is likely that the number OF
young ladies who know what it means
to thrust and parry. will be materially
increased. The following paragraphs
contain many useful hints:
Many physical games give health and
strength, especially outdoor ones. Not
all foster graccfuness, however. For
The culture of grace of body fencing is
par excellence the art to learn. If it
can be practiccd outdoors so much the
better. 1t then achieves nearly all the
ends sought to be gained by the various
methods of physical culture.
Wake up. girls, and learn fencing
Know that the most graceful women
living got their suppleness and har-
mony of muscular motion from per-
sistent practice with the foils. Does Il
social leader impress with her 1.-the
beautiful movements? You may stake
almost anything that she got them by
practicing strcnuousiy under IL skilled
fencing master. Undoubtedly the most
graceful women are found among lead
ing actresses. Their profession de-
mands physical perfection. Sarah
Bernhard may perhaps be called the
most graceful woman in the public eye
today. She is one of the most accom-
pliShcd of women fcnccrs. 1t is like
watching Il succession of classic Greek
poses to sec the motions of her arms
and particularly the turn of her wrists
as she gesticulatcs in the passionate
episodes of her stage performance. If
Sarah had slumped down and given uD
her physical exercises when she reached
the age OF fifty she would not now be
able to play to perfection the part of d
sixteen -ycar-old boy.
Undoubtedly steady practice with the
foils has kept her figure young, 1.-THE
lnd graceful and the same is true OF
Mrs. LanEtry, probably the most OK
pert fencer known to British society
for Langtry is u society woman as wei
as IN actress. Marie Tempest is AN
other noted fencer among English ac-
trcSSeS.
In American society we have no dis
tinSuiShcd women fcncerS at all
American women generally are no;
graceful walkers. If they understood
and practiced the art of fencing the
defect in their gait and carriage would
be remcdied. Women walk badly be-
cause the muscles of their lower limbs
N" undcveloped. This is owing tC
log. heavy skirts. which prevent free
motion. Besides this, the feminine
holy between the waist and hips is toe
often smothcrcd in fat. This is Il gross
dCformity. Active practice with the
foiiS in the woman's gymnasium cos
tune VIII remedy both defects-tht
| lac:, of leg development and the smoth.
criug fat.
1T is unfortunate that so little at
to3tion is paid by our women to thi.
art. which has been called the spor
| Of kings Such * was almost litcrall,
two centuries ago. when none below
tho rank of gentlemen of high degree
acquired it and Wnen it was omplOye,
for purposes far more deadly than III,
mere acquiring of physical strength
and grace. Gentlemen IL those day.
eXGertCd 10 practice not always Will
but tons upon the points OF their foiis
As II mere exercise. however, fencing i.
even more beneficial to the stout, mid.
q" aged " Dman than to the slip Of {;
girl. for it counteracts the tendency t.
grow stiff and heavy with advancing
yca,s.
New York is the headquarters fol
women fenccrs in America, while Chi.
c4go. st. Louis ard San Francisco la
dicG to some extent appreciate it's pow.
er Us an aid to beauty culture. II
every town where there is Il women;
gymnasium there might and ought II
h. Il fencing class in connection with
it. The most sililled teachers are usu
ally Frenchmcn. Many French womer
ana some English ones are expert:
| wit, the foils French wear in rrac
ticc loose, though not at all baggy
| iFrickcrboCkers. The champion woma,
| feacer of the world is at present ~
English girl. Miss Lowther. Whci
shall we have an American woman
champion?
THE costume for fencing is not elab
| crate. A loose jersey extending dowl
over the hips is frequently worn owe
| the upper part of the body, while th'
gymnasium "knickers'' clothe the lowe
part. a wire mask protects the fac,
| and leather breastplate and cola
| tho chest and neck. Soft. low shoes
| rubber solad to prevent slipping, com
picte the costume. Clad thus. her sup
pie lower limbs swaying backward
| forward and sidewise in perfect grac
of movement. her eye and mind aler
| to follow every act of her antagonist
her 1.-the. swiftly turning wrists an,
| fingers flashing the elastic foil il III
| T;nI I,f = ;c -rrL