Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-07-19

The conditions in Europe are totally different
Land is owned 10y the arist"cracy, and since
fcudal times hunting has been Il privilege peculiar
10 that class Unless he secures employment az
Il gtmrkerpcr. the poor man has chance 10
learn to shoot. Nor have the middle Glasses any
better opportunity. Ammunition is expensive
The license fee is excessive running high rs
81. The only good guns are handmade. for the
reason that gunSmithS look only To the upper
class as purchasers Hence no good, cheap. ma
chine-madp rifles are manufactured. Lastly, there
is no open land upon which to shoot.
For all these reasons. the workinSman Of Eu-
rope knows very little about firearms
Man for man. the total number of troops in
the field taken into consideration. Civil war
was the bloOdest seen. The operations in
Europe during the present struggle have always
been over wide front. The numbers engaged
have been enormous and the total losses stagger-
ing. Yet the wastage of human life has been rel
ativey small compared with that of the Union
and Confederate armies. There has been no Get
tysburg, no Bloody Angle in the present conflict.
Why? Neither the forces under Grant Lee
attained the perfection Of training acquired by
the armies of today, with the exception Of a few
star corps composed of picked regiments The
heavy casualties were due to the individual fight
inG ability of the troops, to their expert use Of
the rifle.
From the days of the minute men Of the Revo-
luton, the superiority of the American rifeman
has been conceded by all. MOrgan's backwoods-
men proved their efficiency marksmen in the
War for Independence. The frOntiersman
demonstrated 1t again at New Orleans under
Jackson against Pakenhams trained regulars. At
the Alamo. Crockett and Bowie. with little
handful Of rfemen, held the hOrdes of Santa Ana
at bay. Our history is full of incidents in which
little band of grim men. their backs to the wall,
have held off many times their number by sheer
teIacity and deadly rifle execution.
The reason for this is not far to seek. In early
days America was virgin land peoped by no
madic tribes with an amazing skill at wOOdcraft.
These natives had to be outwitted and outfOught.
No country in the world with the possible ex-
ception Of British Southeast Africa ever had such
a wealth of game this The first settlers were
AngloSaxOns. the greatest spOrt-loving people on
earth With them they brought little but fire.
arms and stout hearts They had to defend them
selves against the Indians and to live by the
chase. Gradually they learned to raise grain,
fruit and vegetables native to the land of their
adoption But for a long time their main source
of supply was wild game.
1t resulted that every boy grew up with rife
in his hands. Inevitably these frOntiersmen,
faced with an opportunity based upon necessity.
developed the keen eye the steady nerve and the
workmanship that made them the best shots
known.
With the growth of the country the tide of
great Northwest Pike led the way 10 the Rock
les Always the adventurous pushed to the
remote frontier. The greatest trek in the
history of the western hemisphere on. For
10 years il continued. Almost every foot of the
West won by toll and hardship at the cost
of sacrifice from which men and women emerged
strong and self-reliant.
The tradition of the hunt persists with us The
used tn trampng the hills for big game
dures hardship and privation for the sake of the
sport. He learns to shoot ut faSt-moving game
under difficulties uf distance and visibility. II
follows that when he is taken out To the rifle
range and instructed he learns in Il few lessons
tn proper sighting and method of using the mill
tary rifle.
These once acquired. he is in class by himself
for he is used tn shooting under the same condi-
lions though with less danger To himself that oh
tam nj the front. No amount al practice nj the
rifle range can q fit substitute for his cx-
perienct.
1t is this fundamental training which lies back
of target practice that is responsible for the
craftsmanship of the American army. The m;i-
rne corps holds the finest record in the service.
Full? one-third of this organization wears The
craftsmanship emblem. AT least one-half of the
marines first-clasS rihenen
To win the expert emblem marksman must
shoot over the qualifying course ut all ranges from