Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-25
Ancient Sport of Archery Is Revived
By Enthusiastic Washington Group

TT seems-impossible to get away
from the "oid'' things. Old songs,
old dances, old sayings, old Gus
i toms, and even old games are
constantly being revived-a cir
cumstance which often leads to the
assertion that the world moves in
cycles, Perhaps the popularity of
the "old" things lies in the fact that
they have the double recommended
ton of being old. yet new to the pres
ent generation. They bring with them
all the tradition and sentiment or
bygone age, at the same time pos
sessing the fascination of a novelty to
the people of today.
And Ii you want to see real en-
thusiast you should meet some one
who Is responsible for the revival or
an ancient" practice. There Is at
least one such man in Washington.
His daily work has to do with the
most modern method OF locomotion
known to mankind, hut his hobby is
one Of the oldest games in the world.
He is Paul Il. CARRIER, assistant cura-
tor of the engineering division of the
Smithsonian Institution in charge of
air transportation. whose favorite out
door sport is the noble exercise OF
archery"
Mr., darDeT mas Dc0kl al EIiItlubloSlAI
archery fan" practically all his life.
An old Indian chief attached to Buff
falo Bills Wild West circus taught
him how to use bow and arrow when
a boy. The chief had been left in
charge of a wagon train--that was
in the days before circuses travelled
on railroads.&c. a. locality in northern
New Jersey near the town where
young CARRIER was visiting. The two
became acquainted and the red man
| made a bow out of a wagon tongue
for the boy. 1t proved to be by far
the most fascinating toy the lad ever
possessed.
Contrary to popular belief, Mr..
CARRIER declares. the Indians are not
expert at hitting the bulls eye time
after time at fixed distance, Trav-
elers from the Far West often tell
of seeing Indians repeatedly hitting
a small coin placed in a tree with
their arrows, but in such cases the
archer Is invariably only a few feet
away, explains Mr.. CARRIER. Put the
target 40 or more yards off. he says,
and the Indian turns out to be an
inconsistent shot. The reason is said
to be that the red men are taught
to shoot instinctively, which is neces-
sary in hunting, but do not take aim,
as is requisite in target archery.
The local archers use the English
style of shooting. in which aim is
actually taken at the target, the point
of the arrow being utilized in the
same manner for this purpose as the
front sight OF a. rife. But the bow
and-arrow devotees assert their game
requires much more skill than rifle
shooting, for with a gun the projecs
tile and the force behind it are fixed
quantities, while In archery those
factors vary.
Having learned the principles Of
both shooting and constructing bows
and arrows from his Indian friend,
Mr.. CARRIER became an ardent archer
from that time forth. AS he grew up
it became his hobby. Wherever he
lived he had a private range in his
side yard in which to practice. he
became we'll known in Washington
as an authority odl archery, often pc
ing called upon to give public eXhl-
billions and to help instruct the Boy
Scouts in this subject.
About a. year ago ]. G. Plat or the
Department of Agriculture and J. Z.
Nix, two men who were interested IN
archery, got In touch with Mr.. Gar
Der, and the three began practice In
the Smithsonian grounds. Others
Joined in the sport, attended the
Shoots" regularly, and this group OF
modern merry men, under the leader
ship Of robin Hood" CARRIER, decided
to take the name Potomac Archers."
The youngest member Of this infor-
NAL organization is Teddy Winstead,
an 1S-year.old youth, feet tall. whom
his fellow archers delight in calling
Little john"
Watching them practice under the
giant trees of that section of the Mali
| in front of the castlelike Smithsonian
Building Is like stepping back several
| hundred years in history 1t docs not
require much effort to ignore the pass
| ing automobiles on the nearby drive
and to overlook the modern dress OF
the spectators while imagining ones
self among O. group Of old-time yeo-
men at q. test of skill In some sylvan
retreat. And to the trees themselves
i these archery contests must be re-
minders of the days of thedr youth
| when the twang of an Indians bow
| and the deadly flight Of his arrow
were the only happenings that ever
disturbed the forests leafy tranquil
| lily.
| The Potomac Archers, in addition
| to straight shooting"-that Is, dis
charging arrow after arrow at the
| target in an effort to run up big
score--often enliven their practices By
shooting fancy" rounds. One of their
| favor-ite diversions Is to finish their
afternoons archery by placing a small
piece Of paper In the very heart OF
| the bulls eye and shooting until some
| one hits 1t. An appeN Eing supper
awaits them. but they aF8 not allowed
to eat 1t until tho paper III Mt-aIld