The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-01-20

l hIdn ISldlll Ills JuuSHltllI PL ulSLdllCS and force, Watch the results as to the positions of the balls after each shot as made by the %, 20, 15, 10, and men, and you will see the difference in their respective degrees of skill. But each of these men to play what they know must practice the prescribed number of hours. The man with the 100 per cent. of knowledge requires a great deal more practice to do his ability justice than the two man to play up to his form.
 When the 25 man plays the 25 man, :" to quote the authority "he must have the ten foot drive there and back in his Emind and wrist all the time. He schools himself to practice to certain speed and angles, and in public must have the same conditions of cloth and cushions and balls, else he falls down. though his system be just the same. When an important match is made three sets of cushions are furnished, one for reach of the players to prac- tice on and the one for use in the match Now cloth is put on for the match, and the clever player will prac- tice on at least two new cloths, and vii be still better off if he uses three.
 The better the player the more delicate the tools he wants; and the lprofessianls calculate so finely in their play that they are particular about their tols. All balls are not alike. They are of the same diameter, but there are different densities of ivory. Most players are Joking for the light est balls they can get, and have known of experts picking out heavy balls for practice so as to handicap themselves in practice. If they strike heavy balls in the match they are us- ed to them. If the balls for the match are lighter they can quickly adapt their stroke to the different con ditions. From light to heavy balls affects the stroke more than from heavy to light.
 Delicate conditions would not af- feet the two or five men they would the professionals because the former don't play with delicate hair line fine ness of the professional don't play the edges of the balls like the professionals or figure accuracy to pin point minute ness like the professional It is not the shot that makes the professional halt and study, but position, drive and angle that he is figuring out For that reason the professional must practice often to keep the fine mechanism of his skill turned up to the proper pitch.
 There is a certain amount of na- tural aptitude in billiards and no man without that aptitude can get into the 25 class"
 Can't one man have as much know ledge as another and yet not have the execution to become that mans equal?
 That would not be the case if he practises. Practice gives execution. Stroke gives execution, and stroke is hitting the cue ball where you aim to hit it. Practice bets accuracy, and when you've acquired knowledge of twist and angles, study and practice and picking up new ideas impress on you the importance of careful calcula- ton. The top notch professinal figures accuracy down to the apex of the ball, an amount of surface smaller even than the spot. I might say that in this matter of hitting the ball where you aim it is by an easy swing you do it, not by pounding.
 "Th efundamental of good billiards lies in the brain rather than in the arm Professional billiardists pick up knowledge a good deal by discussing it with one another and watching one an other play. One reason why Schaefer is great is because he surrounds him. self with young players, acquires ideas from them and has the execution to make the shots better than the young fellows.
 "A number of years ago I was en- tered in the same tournament with Schaefer. We were practising together and were playing about the same qual- ity of game. Then before the tourna- ment schaefer went to Chicago. The game we were to play in the tourna- ment was inch balk line, and in Chi cago Schaefer got new idea by watching Lon Morris Morris had thought out a new wrinkle of carrying the balls down the long balk line driving to the side rail for position and thus nursing the balls down the balk line. Schaefer saw it was a good idea and at once began to practice it. He didn't say much about it. and he had something on all of us when tho turna- ment took place.
 However think it best to play the balls in the corner of the table as much as the balk line restrictions will per mit--to make litle table out 'of the corner.
 When I first began to play billiards the system was to make the cue ball do all the travelling. To do that now would be to declare ones self a bad player. Now the frs object ball does the travelling.
 q think schaefer was the most ori- ginal billiard player I ever knew. But Ives had the most intense application. never saw him play careless shot not even if it was his five hundredth. D New York Sun.
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