Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1909-05-20
WILD MEMS WEAPONS
THE PUZZLE OF THE ORIGIN OF
THE BOOMERANG.

HE PUZZLE VI t'G OhohS -
THE BOOMERANG.
Its CIeverness g Design In One OF
the Wonders his Queer Weapon.
The Mexicans' Jse of the Lasso-The
Best "Noose- story.
Among the weapons which the wit OF
primitive man devised to aid him In
the struggle for existence with AMI
mails far more formidably endowed
Sy nature than himself, the way In
which some were suggested to him by
The objects which he saw around him
Is obvious enough, but of others we
are amazed by his ingenuity In their
design and his skill in their use.
The most striking instance Of both
this skill In use and cleverness in de-
sign is perhaps the boomerang. The
perfection of balance, curve and weight
in all it's parts Is so exact that modern
dynamics have been quite unable to
find a formula according to which a
workable boomerang can be turned out
by a carpenter, and the skill needed
for the use of even the most perfect
weapon Is such that the untutored ef-
forts of the most stalwart thrower OF
a cricket bail are ridiculously futile
when he beylns to make trial OF It. 1t
is scarcely too much to say that In
spite of years of practice no white
man has ever succeeded in becoming
effective with 1t.
We are told that there Is IN Australia
q tree whose seed pod Is so formed
that when detached by the process or
natural growth from the branch 1t
whirls through the air with a curve
analogous to that of the boomerang
we see q faint suggestion of a similar
movement in the gyrations of the seed
pods of our own ashland 1t has been
conjectured that the observant black
fellow may have received from this
the first hint of the weapon which he
eventually fashioned into the wonder
full boomerang. 1t is conjecture
which will ever remain conjectural.
Others of mans early weapons-the
club, the spear, the Ratchet Originally,
we may suppose, a stone cleft by acct
dent to a cutting edge(-are easy to
understand. Nature gave them almost
ready made into his hand. The almost
universal use of the bow, weapon OF
much more elaboration, does not sug-
gest puzzle nearly so battling as the
boomerang. The force Of elasticity In
the sapling would be apt almost liter
ally to Jump to the eyes" Of the saw
age as he made his way through the
bush and his friend in front released
q bough from its tension to fly back
and whip him across the face.
To cut such sapling, to fasten to
either end of 1t sinew or a stretch or
tough creeping plant, to fit an arrow
on the string and discharge 1t by the
relaxed tension Of the released string
are no doubt q series Of operations de-
handing much ingenuity and probably
much time for their Development but
we can imagine the steps. We are not
left wondering. Even the throwing
stick-that very effective application OF
the principle Of the lever by which the
wild man added so very greatly to the
force and distance Of his throw of his
missile spear-may be supposed to
have been discovered by accidental
means which we can reconstruct. The
boomerang still remains the biggest
puzzle.
There is another adaptation Of a
very simple instrument which we do
not know to have such antiquity as
some Of these, yet must always seem
very marvellous when We first witness
the variety of uses and the perfection
to which it has been brought-that use
of bit Of rope which we call lassoing.
The value of the moose we can easily
imagine to have been brought very
early to the notice Of man in his more
or less natural state. Its efficacy In
arresting his progress through forest
thickly hung with lianas must soon
have struck him as one Of the incon-
veniences Of his existence, but we do
not seem to find record at very early
stage Of any practical use to which ne
might have put the hint so given him.
The greatest wonder in the history Of
the moose Second only to the marvel
Gus skill exhibited by the experts In
its use) Is that certain nations should
have acquired the skill that they did
acquire In 1t with so few generations
of practice.
We may probably take it for granted
that the American red Indian did not
begin to use it until after the Spaniards
had made their way to America. The
origin Of the word Is Latin, ''laqueus."
There is Portuguese "laco." We 'las-
so" or 'lace" our boots every morning,
presuming that we do not spend the
day In slippers. But apart from that 1t
Is not easy to see that the lasso could
have had value without the horse. 1t
Is the instrument Of riders on horse
back. There were no horses in Amer
lea, according to all who claim to
speak with authority, until the Span
iards arrived here The apparition Of
their cavalry was so strange as to
strike terror into the hearts Of the ma
tives, who deemed horse and man
some fearful composite animal.
The most sklllful artist In the world
with the lasso is that compound-who
shall say what is the exact mixture of
the ingredients ?-of SpaniarG and In
dian that is known as Mexican, espe-
cially the Mexican Of the southwest
ern states Of the Union. But we read
Of various tribes Of the red Indians,
probably quite free from any infu-