New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-28
THE ART OF BILLIARDS
No Primal Factor, Says Slosson,
in Discussing Question.
PRACTICE KEY TO SUCCESS
PLAYERS of Note Preparing for
Worlds Championship
Tourney.

| Charley" peterson, Oh d. Ao'
written to George F. Slosson, asking he
latter what he considered the most I'M
portant thing in billiards-the primal
factor. slosson has been celebrating on
tba question. ana has finally concluded he
Is not qualified to definitely answer IT,
ct have" said he. studied the thing
carefully. It's character is particular
while its application is general. 1t COM
prehends the whole range of the essen
tails OF the art of billiards. Peterson Is
one Of the best fancy shot players In the
country, perhaps the best, and he ought
to appreciate the full import Of his ques-
ton.
"A man possessing only superncial
knowledge OF the game might presume 10
answer It promptly. The man who knows
the game thoroughly, and In a fair meas
ure understands the multiplicity OF Its ele-
ments, will not venture such reply as Is
desired.
I'm my opinion the individual who can
grasp the philosophy Of the motions OF
the balls, apply the strokes that Will I'M
part those motions has good eyesight and
acquires knowledge by observation is one
one will have chance to become skill
full player The game ID one of problems,
simple or complex, and their solution de-
ponds upon physical and mental equip
ment Throughout II is a matter OF con-
ception and execution.
! TOO much consideration ia usually
given to the proposition How TO hold a
cue The real issue with respect to the
use of cue is how TO deliver stroke
to produce certain effect. And, since no
two men have Identical conformations, no
two can have strokes alike.
Handles Sutton has demonstrated
that any circumscribed scheme of con-
trolling cue is visionary-a barren IDEAL
| fly. He rests cue on a bridge, and, with
| the butt between the stumps Of his fore
arms, delivers every variety OF open table
stroke and accomplshes nearly every
possible result. Holding his cue perpen-
dicularly and resting It on his shoulder,
| he executed astonishing masse shots.
| Jake schaefer was a contortionist at a
! billiard table. He reached and squrmed
over It in a manner that no other player
has ever been able to do, and he never
used bridge
He and / were quite similar in height
and weight, yet could not reach as he
| could and had TO use a bridge. Our atti-
( tudes and our deliveries were radically
different. So were our methods. Never
theless. in the many years we played
against each other there was no material
difference in our records.
when q billiard player goes to a new
| table In q match or tournament he is per-
| picked and uneasy He does not know
what conditions he has to meet The
resiliency OF the ivory. the texture and
tension OF the bed cloth and the action of
the cushion will have 10 be learned by
practical experiments before he can be-
come confident or even comfortable.
THE late DR.. A. l.. Ranney used 10
dwell on the difference between the
human structure and a mechanical device
designed and adjusted TO do a certain
| thing. He maintained that every known
mechanical principle was exempliied in
the normal human frame and it's mus
cular operations, and that while a CO.
ordination between mind and muscle
would make the human machine work
perfectly most OF the time It could not
be depended upon for absolute or con-
tinued exactness.
| Experience has convinced me that DR..
Ranney's view of the unreliability of the
human machine is correct. Every billiard
player has realized that at times, when he
has endeavored to be exact confusing
| failures have resulted.
There is neither a primal nor a final
factor in billiards. Every man must have
his own way Of playing and depend upon
practice and natures endOwments for
success"