lighter to run in. If the members of the club cannot afford to buy
knee-breeches, they can probably alter old pantaloons into the
necessary shape, and in the case of boys below twelve the common
fashion of Knickerbockers saves all trouble.
In forming Hare and Hounds Clubs, as in Walking Clubs, it is
advisable that the members should be equal in physical strength,
when selected, to insure good runs and general satisfaction. If a
hundred boys at some public school should wish to form clubs, it
would be better to make at least two--one of large, the other of
small boys--than to consolidate them. If both run together, the
little fellows are sure to drop out in disgust when the others force
the pace beyond their abilities, while the large boys will grumble at
having to wait for the little ones. Clubs of small boys can be called
"Beagles" to distinguish them from the larger "Hounds," and can enjoy
a run as much as any one.
We repeat here--the less frippery indulged in by way of uniform, the
better, though all should dress alike, so as to be recognized a long
way off. A white band round the cap, with the letters of the club
name, is enough to show out at a distance; and the captain could
have a different colored cap to distinguish him. The Westchester
club is composed of young men in good circumstances, and they can
afford velvet collars and gold tassels. The less of these that our
schoolboys affect, the better for the success of the club.
ARCHERY.
The pastime of archery, once the national sport of England, has in
late years experienced a sudden and remarkable revival, both in that
country and the United States. In England, as a revived amusement it
became popular about the beginning of the reign of Queen Victoria;
but in that country it has never been more than the pastime of a
few dilettanti, the ladies forming the greatest portion of every
gathering. In the United States it has only become a recognized sport
within the last few years, the archery fever dating from the month of
July, 1877, when Mr. Maurice Thompson issued his first illustrated
article on the subject in _Scribner's Monthly_. Since that time this
gentleman and his brother William have roused a great interest in the
subject, and have superintended or instigated the foundation of a
number of archery clubs in the various sections of the Union. The new
sport spread so rapidly that in 1879 these clubs sent delegates to a
grand archers' congress in Chicago, where they held a successful and
well-attended meeting which bids fair to be repeated yearly and has
roused enthusiasm for archery all over the Union.
The secret of this success lies in the fact that the brothers
Thompson have appealed to the practical side of the American
character in their plea for archery. They have shown that as an
amusement it is cheap and healthful, giving the best of exercise in
the open air. They have further shown that as a means of sport in the
pursuit of game it has many advantages over the shot-gun, and these
advantages are so well stated by Maurice Thompson in his first paper
that we cannot do better than to reproduce them.
He says: "If you can keep the shot-gunners away, three or four miles
of a well-stocked stream will afford two archers plenty of sport
for a whole season. Hunting them with the bow does not drive the
birds off to other haunts; but the sound of a gun soon depopulates a
stream, whether any duck be killed or not. * * * * * * * *
"I do not wish to put in a special plea for archery, but I venture
to say that no man or woman who cares at all for out-door sport
can resist its fascination after he has once mastered its first
difficulties. I have yet to find a person so grave and dignified
that archery could not coax him into a bending humor. Indeed the bow
is the _natural_ weapon of man, and it affords him the most perfect
physical and mental recreative exercise that can be conceived of. It
is to the mind and body what music and poetry are to the soul--it
trains them to the highest degree of healthfulness and strength.
[Illustration: ARCHER'S POSITION.]
"I do not decry angling and gunning, except that the latter is too
destructive of game. I am an enthusiastic "disciple of the rod,"
but whenever I cast a fly or troll a minnow my long-bow is near at
hand, and a well-filled quiver at my side. You cannot combine gunning
and angling on account of the weight of the gun and accouterments,
and still more because the noise of firearms is sure to render timid
fish sullen. I have known the bass in a well-stocked pool utterly to
refuse the most tempting bait through an entire day, for nothing
more than a pistol-shot fired close by. The twang of a bowstring
seems to frighten nothing. It was the old first note of music made by
Apollo."
Nothing that we could add to this little abstract of the advantages
would tell the story more neatly and clearly, therefore we shall at
once proceed to the practical part of the art.
The first thing necessary for archery practice is to secure a good
bow and arrows. Till within a year, Philip Highfield of London was
known as the best "bowyer" or bow-maker in the world; but since the
advent of the American archery fever, Horstmann Brothers of New York
have succeeded in making a line of archery goods that are pronounced
by the Brothers Thompson to be equal in every respect to the best
English make; and Peck and Snyder of New York have also turned out
good work. The best bows of lemonwood, yew, or snakewood, cost $10;
while the best target arrows are worth $9 a dozen; and Thompson's
model hunting arrows are worth $3 a dozen. The other paraphernalia
(targets, quivers etc.) may be home made; but it is poor economy to
buy cheap bows and arrows. The targets are made of plaited straw,
covered with canvas, and contain four rings, which count as follows:
Bulls-eye 9; first ring 7; second ring 5; third ring 3; outside ring
1.
In archery meetings two targets are used, facing each other at any
distance: the archers stand by one target and shoot at the other, any
number of arrows agreed on. When all have shot, they walk over to the
target, pick out their arrows and shoot back at the first target,
combining walking and shooting. The maximum distance is eighty yards
between targets, the minimum twenty.
The dress for an archer should be close, with no fluttering skirts
to entangle the bowstring, and the secrets of position and accuracy
are thus laid down by archery authorities. Roger Ascham, who wrote in
Queen Elizabeth's time, says:
"The first point is, when a man should shoot, to take such footing
and standing as shall be both comely to the eye and profitable to his
use, setting his countenance and all other parts of his body after
such a behavior and port, that both all his strength may be employed
to his own most advantage and his shot made and handled to other
men's pleasure and delight. A man must not go too hastily to it, for
that is rashness, nor yet make too much to do about it, for that is
curiosity; the one foot must not stand too far from the other, lest
he stoop too much, which is unseemly, nor yet too near together, lest
he stand too straight up, for so a man shall neither use his strength
well, nor yet stand steadfastly. The mean betwixt both must be kept,
a thing more pleasant to behold when it is done, than easy to be
taught how it should be done."
Maurice Thompson says:
"A little care at first will save you a great deal of trouble and
annoyance. When you begin to shoot, learn at once to stand firmly on
your feet, the left slightly advanced, the head easily poised, the
upper portion of the body gently inclined forward, and the shoulders
neither lifted nor drooped. Hold the bow vertically with the left
hand, the arm extended straight. Nock the arrow well on the string,
draw with all the fingers of your right hand till you feel your right
ear, fix your eyes steadily on the target and let fly. The arrow
rests on the left hand, and is drawn to the head. The nock end of
the shaft is held between the first and second fingers of the right
hand and upon the string, which is drawn to the right ear by all the
fingers being hooked stiffly over it. The release must be smart and
clear, giving the arrow a strong, even flight.
"Never try to take aim when shooting, but fix your eyes steadily on
the mark, and guide your arrow by your _sense of direction_.
"_Squeeze_ the bow-handle with the left hand. You cannot hold it too
fast. Draw quickly and evenly. Let go without, 'bobbling' or tremor."
In a little story written by William Thompson (the brother of
Maurice and the champion archer of the Union) there is a still more
valuable piece of advice as to how to take aim. He makes one of the
characters, who has hitherto always been unsuccessful at a target,
hit on the secret, which he tells his friend. It is virtually as
follows:
"After nocking the arrow, _draw it up to the right ear with the right
hand, and hold it there as if it was screwed fast_. Think no more of
your right hand, but _point your left fist_ at the target and let
fly."
This tells the secret of archery better than an elaborate treatise.
The aim is taken _with the left arm, not the right_. Target shooting
is, however, a bad school for learning to shoot at game, and here
again Maurice Thompson comes in with his invaluable practical hints
on the subject. He says:
"One who is trained to aim at a large, graduated target, either with
gun or bow, can rarely shoot well at game. The reason is that in
target shooting at a fixed distance he gets used to a certain size,
color, and condition of _background_, and when he gets into the woods
and lifts his bow to draw on a bird or a hare, his accustomed rings
and dark background are not there. His vision is blurred, he draws
waveringly and shoots indifferently. A black rubber ball four inches
in diameter, suspended in mid-air by a string fastened to the low
limb of an apple-tree, makes a first-rate substitute for a bird, and
a small bag of straw, placed flat on the ground and shot at at about
twenty-five yards, makes good hare practice. You will soon learn
the great advantage of not using the same distance all the time, as
in the game of archery. For, after all, a bowman's skill is scarcely
worthy of admiration if it is confined to a fixed range."
A few words about the strength of bows, and we have said enough for
the purposes of a little handbook.
Bows are graduated by the number of pounds' weight required to bend
them. Ladies' bows range from fourteen to thirty pounds pull, while
gentlemen can take from forty to sixty pound bows. The heaviest bows
should be used for hunting purposes, but for target practice at short
range a bow under your strength is recommended, as it is easier to
take aim with such a weapon than with one that tasks all your force
merely to bend it.
THE END.
STANDARD
DIME DIALOGUES
For School Exhibitions and Home Entertainments.
Nos. 1 to 21 inclusive. 15 to 25 Popular Dialogues and Dramas in
each book. Each volume 100 12mo pages, sent post-paid, on receipt of
price, ten cents.
Beadle & Adams, Publishers, 98 William St., N. Y.
These volumes have been prepared with especial reference to their
availability for Exhibitions, being adapted to schools and parlors
with or without the furniture of a stage, and suited to SCHOLARS AND
YOUNG PEOPLE of every age, both male and female. It is fair to assume
that no other books in the market, at any price, contain so many
useful and available dialogues and dramas of wit, pathos, humor and
sentiment.
DIME DIALOGUES, NO. 1.
Meeting of the Muses. For nine young ladies.
Baiting a Live Englishman. For three boys.
Tasso's Coronation. For male and female.
Fashion. For two ladies.
The Rehearsal. For six boys.
Which will you Choose? For two boys.
The Queen of May. For two little girls.
The Tea Party. For four ladies.
Three Scenes in Wedded Life. Male and Female.
Mrs. Sniffles' Confession. For male and female.
The Mission of the Spirits. Five young ladies.
Hobnobbing. For five speakers.
The Secret of Success. For three speakers.
Young America. Three males and two females.
Josephine's Destiny. Four females, one male.
The Folly of the Duel. For three male speakers.
Dogmatism. For three male speakers.
The Ignorant Confounded. For two boys.
The Fast Young Man. For two males.
The Year's Reckoning. 12 females and 1 male.
The Village with One Gentleman. For eight females and one male.
DIME DIALOGUES, NO. 2.
The Genius of Liberty. 2 males and 1 female.
Cinderella: or, The Little Glass Slipper.
Doing Good and Saying Bad. Several characters.
The Golden Rule. Two males and two females.
The Gift of the Fairy Queen. Several females.
Taken In and Done For. For two characters.
The Country Aunt's Visit to the City. For several characters.
The Two Romans. For two males.
Trying the Characters. For three males.
The Happy Family. For several 'animals.'
The Rainbow. For several characters.
How to Write 'Popular' Stories. Two males.
The New and the Old. For two males.
A Sensation at Last. For two males.
The Greenhorn. For two males.
The Three Men of Science. For four males.
The Old Lady's Will. For four males.
The Little Philosophers. For two little girls.
How to Find an Heir. For five males.
The Virtues. For six young ladies.
A Connubial Eclogue.
The Public Meeting. Five males and one female.
The English Traveler. For two males.
DIME DIALOGUES, NO. 3.
The May Queen. For an entire school.
Dress Reform Convention. For ten females.
Keeping Bad Company. A Farce. For five males.
Courting Under Difficulties. 2 males, 1 female.
National Representatives. A Burlesque. 4 males.
Escaping the Draft. For numerous males.
The Genteel Cook. For two males.
Masterpiece. For two males and two females.
The Two Romans. For two males.
The Same. Second scene. For two males.
Showing the White Feather. 4 males, 1 female.
The Battle Call. A Recitative. For one male.
DIME DIALOGUES, NO. 4
The Frost King. For ten or more persons.
Starting in Life. Three males and two females.
Faith, Hope and Charity. For three little girls.
Darby and Joan. For two males and one female.
The May. A Floral Fancy. For six little girls.
The Enchanted Princess. 2 males, several females.
Honor to Whom Honor is Due. 7 males, 1 female.
The Gentle Client. For several males, one female.
Phrenology. A Discussion. For twenty males.
The Stubbletown Volunteer. 2 males, 1 female.
A Scene from "Paul Pry." For four males.
The Charms. For three males and one female.
Bee, Clock and Broom. For three little girls.
The Right Way. A Colloquy. For two boys.
What the Ledger Says. For two males.
The Crimes of Dress. A Colloquy. For two boys.
The Reward of Benevolence. For four males.
The Letter. For two males.
DIME DIALOGUES, NO. 5.
The Three Guesses. For school or parlor.
Sentiment. A "Three Persons" Farce.
Behind the Curtain. For males and females.
The Eta Pi Society. Five boys and a teacher.
Examination Day. For several female characters.
Trading in "Traps." For several males.
The School Boys' Tribunal. For ten boys.
A Loose Tongue. Several males and females.
How Not to Get an Answer. For two females.
Putting on Airs. A Colloquy. For two males.
The Straight Mark. For several boys.
Two ideas of Life. A Colloquy. For ten girls.
Extract from Marino Faliero.
Ma-try-Money. An Acting Charade.
The Six Virtues. For six young ladies.
The Irishman at Home. For two males.
Fashionable Requirements. For three girls.
A Bevy of I's (Eyes). For eight or less little girls.
DIME DIALOGUES, NO. 6.
The Way They Kept a Secret. Male and females.
The Poet under Difficulties. For five males.
William Tell. For a whole school.
Woman's Rights. Seven females and two males.
All is not Gold that Glitters. Male and females.
The Generous Jew. For six males.
Shopping. For three males and one female.
The Two Counselors. For three males.
The Votaries of Folly. For a number of females.
Aunt Betsy's Beaux. Four females and two males.
The Libel Suit. For two females and one male.
Santa Claus. For a number of boys.
Christmas Fairies. For several little girls.
The Three Rings. For two males.
DIME DIALECT SPEAKER, NO. 23.
Dat's wat's de matter,
The Mississippi miracle,
Ven te tide cooms in,
Dose lams vot Mary haf got,
Pat O'Flaherty on woman's rights,
The home rulers, how they "spakes,"
Hezekiah Dawson on Mothers-in-law,
He didn't sell the farm,
The true story of Franklin's kite,
I would I were a boy again,
A pathetic story,
All about a bee,
Scandal,
A dark side view,
To pesser vay,
On learning German,
Mary's shmall vite lamb,
A healthy discourse,
Tobias so to speak,
Old Mrs. Grimes,
A parody,
Mars and cats,
Bill Underwood, pilot,
Old Granley,
The pill peddler's oration,
Widder Green's last words,
Latest Chinese outrage,
The manifest destiny of the Irishman,
Peggy McCann,
Sprays from Josh Billings,
De circumstances ob de sitiwation,
Dar's nuffin new under de sun,
A Negro religious poem,
That violin,
Picnic delights,
Our candidate's views,
Dundreary's wisdom,
Plain language by truthful Jane,
My neighbor's dogs,
Condensed Mythology,
Pictus,
The Nereides,
Legends of Attica,
The stove-pipe tragedy,
A doketor's drubbles,
The coming man,
The illigant affair at Muldoon's,
That little baby round the corner,
A genewine inference,
An invitation to the bird of liberty,
The crow,
Out west.
DIME DIALOGUES No. 26.
Poor cousins. Three ladies and two gentlemen.
Mountains and mole-hills. Six ladies and several spectators.
A test that did not fail. Six boys.
Two ways of seeing things. Two little girls.
Don't count your chickens before they are hatched. Four ladies
and a boy.
All is fair in love and war. 3 ladies, 2 gentlemen.
How uncle Josh got rid of the legacy. Two males, with several
transformations.
The lesson of mercy. Two very small girls.
Practice what you preach. Four ladies.
Politician. Numerous characters.
The canvassing agent. Two males and two females.
Grub. Two males.
A slight scare. Three females and one male.
Embodied sunshine. Three young ladies.
How Jim Peters died. Two males.
==> The above books are sold by Newsdealers everywhere, or will be
sent, post-paid, to any address, on receipt of price, 10 cents each.
BEADLE & ADAMS, Publishers, 98 William St., N.Y.
Popular Dime Hand-Books.
BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK.
_Each volume 100 12mo. pages, sent post-paid on receipt of price--ten
cents each._
STANDARD SCHOOL SERIES.
DIME SPEAKERS.
1. Dime American Speaker.
2. Dime National Speaker.
3. Dime Patriotic Speaker.
4. Dime Comic Speaker.
5. Dime Elocutionist.
6. Dime Humorous Speaker.
7. Dime Standard Speaker.
8. Dime Stump Speaker.
9. Dime Juvenile Speaker.
10. Dime Spread-eagle Speaker.
11. Dime Debater and Chairman's Guide.
12. Dime Exhibition Speaker.
13. Dime School Speaker.
14. Dime Ludicrous Speaker.
15. Carl Pretzel's Komikal Speaker.
16. Dime Youth's Speaker.
17. Dime Eloquent Speaker.
18. Dime Hail Columbia Speaker.
19. Dime Serio-Comic Speaker.
20. Dime Select Speaker.
Dime Melodist. (Music and Words.)
School Melodist. (Music and Words.)
DIME DIALOGUES.
Dime Dialogues Number One.
Dime Dialogues Number Two.
Dime Dialogues Number Three.
Dime Dialogues Number Four.
Dime Dialogues Number Five.
Dime Dialogues Number Six.
Dime Dialogues Number Seven.
Dime Dialogues Number Eight.
Dime Dialogues Number Nine.
Dime Dialogues Number Ten.
Dime Dialogues Number Eleven.
Dime Dialogues Number Twelve.
Dime Dialogues Number Thirteen.
Dime Dialogues Number Fourteen.
Dime Dialogues Number Fifteen.
Dime Dialogues Number Sixteen.
Dime Dialogues Number Seventeen.
Dime Dialogues Number Eighteen
Dime Dialogues Number Nineteen.
Dime Dialogues Number Twenty.
Dime Dialogues Number Twenty-one.
YOUNG PEOPLE'S SERIES.
=1--DIME GENTS' LETTER-WRITER=--Embracing Forms, Models,
Suggestions and Rules for the use of all classes, on all occasions.
=2--DIME BOOK OF ETIQUETTE=--For Ladies and Gentlemen: being a
Guide to True Gentility and Good-Breeding, and a Directory to the
Usages of society.
=3--DIME BOOK OF VERSES=--Comprising Verses for Valentines,
Mottoes, Couplets, St. Valentine Verses, Bridal and Marriage
Verses, Verses of Love, etc.
=4--DIME BOOK OF DREAMS=--Their Romance and Mystery; with a
complete interpreting Dictionary. Compiled from the most accredited
sources.
=5--DIME FORTUNE-TELLER=--Comprising the art of Fortune-Telling,
how to read Character, etc.
=6--DIME LADIES' LETTER-WRITER=--Giving the various forms of
Letters of School Days, Love and Friendship, of Society, etc.
=7--DIME LOVERS' CASKET=--A Treatise and Guide to Friendship,
Love, Courtship and Marriage. Embracing also a complete Floral
Dictionary, etc.
=8--DIME BALL-ROOM COMPANION=--And Guide to Dancing. Giving
rules of Etiquette, hints on Private Parties, toilettes for the
Ball-room, etc.
=9--BOOK OF 100 GAMES=--Out-door and In-door SUMMER GAMES for
Tourists and Families in the Country, Picnics, etc., comprising 100
Games, Forfeits, etc.
=10--DIME CHESS INSTRUCTOR=--a complete hand-book of instruction,
giving the entertaining mysteries of this most interesting and
fascinating of games.
=11--DIME BOOK OF CROQUET=--A complete guide to the game, with the
latest rules, diagrams, Croquet Dictionary, Parlor Croquet, etc.
=12--DIME BOOK OF BEAUTY=--A delightful book, full of interesting
information. It deserves a place in the hands of every one who
would be beautiful.
=DIME ROBINSON CRUSOE=--In large octavo, double columns,
illustrated.
FAMILY SERIES.
1. DIME COOK BOOK.
2. DIME RECIPE BOOK.
3. DIME HOUSEWIFE'S MANUAL.
4. DIME FAMILY PHYSICIAN.
5. DIME DRESSMAKING AND MILLINERY.
==> The above books are sold by Newsdealers everywhere, or will be
sent, _post-paid_, to any address, on receipt of price, 10 cents
each. BEADLE & ADAMS. Publishers, 98 William Street, New York.
PECK & SNYDER
124 & 126 Nassau St., New York
[Illustration: (Sports Shirt)]
We are now manufacturing a complete line of
CLUB UNIFORMS,
In Flannel or Cloth, also
Knit Cotton and Worsted Goods.
Estimates for Special Styles furnished on application.
[Illustration: (Rugby Ball)]
ENGLISH LEATHER FOOT BALLS.
Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
$2.00. $3.00. $4.00. $5.00. $6.00. $7.00 each.
AMERICAN RUBBER FOOT BALLS.
Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
$1.25. $1.50. $1.75. $2.00. $2.25. $2.50 each.
PECK & SNYDER'S
Patent Palm Boxing Gloves.
This line of Gloves are the best Glove on the market.
[Illustration: (Boxing Glove)]
Nos. A. B. C. D. E. F.
Per Set. $2.50. $3.00. $3.50. $4.00. $4.50. $5.00.
Nos. G. H. I. J. K. L.
Per Set. $5.50. $6.00. $6.50. $7.00. $7.50. $8.00.
Trade discount 25 per cent.
For a full description of these Gloves see page 103, our catalogue.
We have issued a complete list of
Base Ball Goods, Fishing Tackle, Archery,
LAWN TENNIS, CRICKET,
And all Sporting Goods, which we mail on application. Address all
orders to
PECK & SNYDER, 124 & 126 Nassau St., N. Y.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Bold text is denoted by =equal signs=.
The 'pointing hand' symbol has been replaced by ==>.
The form of fractions in this book, for example '9 1-4' for 9¼,
has been retained.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
Except for those changes noted below, misspelling by the author,
and inconsistent or archaic usage, has been retained. For example,
trowsers; hight; inclosure; unexcelled; employes.
Pg 10. 'outstaid' replaced by 'outstayed'.
Pg 19. 'as man turn out' replaced by 'a man turns out'.
Pg 23. 'throax' replaced by 'thorax'.
Pg 35. 'Cincinnatti' replaced by 'Cincinnati'.
Pg 45. 'best Engglish' replaced by 'best English'.
Pg 51. 'he placed' replaced by 'be placed'.
Pg 54. 'of the the ground' replaced by 'of the ground'.
End of Project Gutenberg's Handbook of Summer Athletic Sports, by Various