HOW THE SWORD DEVELOPED

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 December 1929, Page 8

HOW THE SWORD DEVELOPED

ARMS ANCIENT AND MODERN. Bhe sword has long been a military weapon. Its exact origin is unknown, but its use may be traced from the earliest ages. Among the relics of primitive man are daggers made from reindeer antlers. Swords yrere to be found among all peoples skilled in metal work. . In shape the sword has varied from ago to age, and from its varying shapes have grown -up the different purposes of this weapon. -The Assyrians used a straight and narrow sword which was better for thrusting than for cutting. The Greeks, on the other hand, favoured a leaf-shaped weapon which

had definite advantages for a cutting blow. The use to which the sword was put in itself is an index to the degree of civilisation of its wielders. Uncivilised peoples used the edge of the sword, while attention to the point is. an indication of more advanced civilisation.

The Romans- laid emphasis on the pojnt of the sword, and through its use were able to best the Britains whose weapons were blunt and their usage, therefore, more clumsy. St. Louis anticipated Napoleon in calling on his men to use the points of their swords. The Asiatic scimitar, which was cres-cent-shaped, differed from the swords of Europe, and influenced the modern weapon, which combines some of the characteristics of both the straightedge and the Eastern scimitar.