Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-10-17

7 have often been asked If wom7
- as q class can shoot a rifle or a
shotgun as well as men. My reply
has been, sex makes no difference"
From many years of experience
have came to the conclusion that,
largely a matter of determination
and practice that make good marks
men and women.
Every day during the summer
women came to me, at the Went
worth IN. H.. school for shooting,
who were so frightened at the sound
of q little twenty-five calber rifle
that they would put their fingers in
their ears. After few days this
. tinaidity would depart and they
would become enthusiastic over the
instructed 5000 Women
Most of them never had expert
ance in any kind of outdoor sport
and with a golf club or a tennis
racquet they would be exceedingly
awkward, yet after little patient at
tention 1 found them doing well
with the rifle and shotgun and Keen
to excel We gave prize each Week
to the woman making the hlghest
score and it was surprising the num-
ber of supposedly idle" women who
became capable of handling fire.
arms.
AS I have taught nearly $4,000
women how to shoot, modestly feel
that have some right to speak with
assurance on this subject. Individual
for individual, women can shoot as
we'll as men.
I had many talks with the late
Theodore Roosevelt and Hudson
Maxim, both of whom had strong
oh0tlf fhtS
ton. 1 have often and persistently
maintained that women should be
prepared; not necessarily for war,
although 1t would not be undesirable
to have them ready for extreme
emergencies in war times, but to de-
fend themselves.
Even in the best and most peace
fully civilized countries many oc-
casions arise when woman versed
IN the knowledge and use OF fire
arms may find that information and
skill of great importance. And sure
" the great war has revealed many
instances when woman with q
pistol and no fear of using 1t might
. have been spared torture, shame and
death We know that some coun-
tries even went so far as to employ
their women on the firing line.
Receives No Compensation
7 have been teaching women to
shoot for many years, at Wentworth,
in summer and Pinehurst in winter,
without compensation, because had
an ideal for my sex I have wanted
them to be capable of protecting
their homes.
T have enjoyed unusual health
most of my life and have been be-
fore the public here and in Europe
for a great many years, but / have
always maintained that outside of
heavy manual labor anything a man
can do a woman can do practically
as we'll. Certainly this is true in
the use and manipulation of fire.
arms.
In all these years of teaching I
have had many interesting cases One
woman, wealthy, from the Back
Bay district Of Boston. came to me
as frightened at the sight of a rifle
or pistol as a rabbit Is of a ferret.
IN very short time she had pro-
gressed so far that her husband pre-
sented her with a fine pistol. She
man in her home with the silver
ware packed and ready to depart.
She didn't become flustered, but she
got her revolver, covered the man
and phoned the police. She wrote
me saying that her successful cap
ture was due to the training she had
had with me. If she had not learn
ed the Use of revolver she would
have tainted and the crook would
have gotten away. It turned out af-
terward that the thoughtful hus-
band had removed the cartridges in
order to obviate all danger. how
ever, since neither the woman nor
the burglar knew that the weapon
was not loaded, the result was Just
as satisfactory.
Fool Piece of Legislation
I think Of all the fool pieces of
legislation the law in New York,
which forbids people to have fire
arms In their homes is about the
worst. It protects the burglar. He
has the advantage. because he has