The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-04-28
SHOOTING IS
 ESSENTIAL SPORT
English Officer Urges That Young Men Be Taught
 Skill With Guns

The following extract is taken from an address by a general in the English { army who advocates rifle training:
 Few people knew when the war cloud | burst what a splendid though unostenta- tious work had been carried on for some ! years by the miniature rifle clubs up | and down the country, intoxicating an i expert knowledge of what comprises 9 | per cent of soldiers training to, all l those young men who cared to take l advantage of the facilities offered i When the call came for men, and still l more men. members rallied to the col ors and Loyalty gave themselves up to the country in her hour of need. Raw uns' they were termed-but they had this great advantage, they knew some thing about the use of the rifle, for any man who has represented his club as consistent shot in interleague club matches has to be smart, keen, and al ways reliable. Thus they entered upon their duties in the army fitted in no small degree at any rate to discharge l them, having learned the way to shoot and the value of reserving ammunition for it's a well known fact that rifle man of the progressive school never | wastes a shot. The value of miniature l rifle schools is vindicated 'PopgunH shooters they were called before the war-heroes they are called now
 No one will gainsay that the muscu- lar development of the school boy is | neglected by those who are responsible | for the recreative side of the lads edu- cation. There must be other recreation l besides an idle pastime with no object | in view, or a mere waste of time by | thousands who are content to watch 1 their heroes of the playing fields, and I that there must be a form of training | for every lad which has a definite end ! e., citizenship. When a boy has | passed through the elementary stages of | education and is being fitted for a ca | reer, he should be told that if he makes | himself a rifle shot he is learning to , become an active patriot and useful | citizen and for this reason, if for no | other, rifle shooting stands on an al | together higher plane than any other form of recreation and is most worthy | of the attention of every British school 1 boy
 Rifle shooting demands pluck and nerve. steadiness under emergency and the | flash of brilliance when a match is' al | most lost. In no other game or recrea tion is such absolute consistency es- | sential; the occasional poor stroke is oft 1 en allowed the brilliant batsman; the oc casional poor shot is just what mars the exploit of the expert rifleman. The foot ball player may play d better game when little annoyed, but the rifleman must | always remain cool as the proverbial f cucumber under the most eXasperatng conditions, knowing that the least flash of temper means a misdirected bullet. | Truly it may be said that rifle shoot ing is an exacting taskmaster, and there r fore a good teacher and discplinarian, a trainer of character and maker of men.
 WOMEN LEARN TO SHOOT
 The modern woman has naturally he- come eager to learn to handle the rifle, and goodly number have surely real ized through the tragic story of Belgium that the self-defense to which no woman ought to be driven may nevertheless il sometimes be necessary. No club ill the country should hesitate to encourage Il women folk Of it's locality to participate fl in the pleasure and fascination of rifle H shooting, provide for them in every way l| and treat them as they so keenly desire as comrades. As a rule the average girl II has a better eye" than the average man II account. OI ner nOnSnOklnS non II drinking habits Man may still be her superior in muscular power, though a few exceptional women are quite capable \ of holding their own, even in a competi- | ton demanding 50 shots fired without | visible deterioration"
 In speaking of the necessity of train ing of this sort T. K. Lee, the well known champion, said:
 Birmingham enjoys facilities for rifle | few n Qf A n
 indoor range is maintained al the Attn ! letic club, where gallery wCk may be , done with the miniature rsfles-22 cali i bre. Also pistol practice may be had, | which is good training for rifle work as l we'll
 RIFLE RANGE AT BOYLES
 "At BoyIes, a few miles from the center ! of the city, is located a 24-target range | for military and high-power rifle shoot ing. This range was constructed by the | government and is as good as any range of its size in the country. It is under | the control of the Jefferson Rifle club | of this city. Regularly weekly practice | is held. It's officers and members arc | only too glad to lend assistance and give | instruction to those desiring to learn to f shoot It numbers among it's members so:ae of the best shots in the country. | It has furnished a great many men to the i service and has assisted many to learn | how to shoot straight Those yet with the club are for various reasons incapaci- | tated for service in the army, but are anxious to help by teaching others to shoot T K. Lee is president of the club and A. F. DeFuniak is secretary.
 No able-bodied person, in the draft age or out. should have to be urged to Iean, | to shoot straight. Those who are within \ the draft age and who will likely see ac- I tive service, should not neglect the op- | pportunity to get expert coaching before !, going to the army. Just so much time II Win be saved your officers in camp, and II IL IS your duty 70 learn anything you Al nave the opportunity to learn before go- Il ing to camp. Shooting the rifle is the i most important thing you will ever be H called upon to do. Upon your individual II ability will some day depend your own I life and the life of your comrades. When Il that situation arises in No Mans Land Il IL VIII 1orever be too late to learn to shoot straight then. If you're fit for II soldier, the moral to this warning won't have to be pointed out to you. War is q mostly shooting. Then learn to shoot"
 |