"Above all, the master's lesson must not lose itself in a maze of
attacks and parries and ripostes, which in some treatises are as
numerous and interminable as the stars of heaven. The strict limitation
of the number of strokes to be taught renders their execution
proportionately easier, and makes a clear impression on the mind.
Experience and fencing instinct teach, far better than any lesson,
certain niceties, which give life and finish and character to the play.
There you have the lesson complete.
"As the scholar gradually grows stronger, he learns to hold himself
correctly, and acquires ease. He understands what to do without being
told, and his hand is in a fair way to become the faithful echo of his
thought.