ART OF FENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22709, 23 October 1935, Page 18

ART OF FENCE

WHEN DUELS PREVAILED MODERN REVIVAL With the invention of gunpowder, the old order of things was entirely changed, writes Flinders Barr, in the Sydney Morning Herald. Armour was no longer a, protection, as " back and breast plates " that were even pistol-proof were too weighty for comfort, and the modern idea of musketry and cannon fire rendered necessary the method of engaging from a distance. Cavalry, of course, still used swords and lances, and later on the bayonet was introduced for the infantry; but one may consider that from early Tudor days the sword or rapier became a distinct part of the dress not only of officers of naval and military tank but of private gentlemen. No longer the heavy weapon of the Crusades or the Wars of'the Hoses, it was a long, fine blade, the management of which necessitated special training. There were many methods of fencing, and the English never seem, to have excelled in giving instruction in the art, most of the many English fencing masters having come from abroad, particularly from France and Italy, which countries had evolved distinct schools of their own. Naturally in a rough and ready age when men's passions were easily roused, a man feeling his rapier by liis side felt incited to use it, and hence arose that curse of the European social system from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, the custom of duelling, which it was necessary that a gentleman should conform to unless he wished to be ostracised. AGAINST ODDS. A really skilled swordsman could defend himself against very heavy odds, and we have the instance of that youthful prodigy known as the Admirable Crichton, "who, when in Italy in 1560, was one night atacked when alone by five or six assailants armed with swords. Being one of the finest swordsmen living, Crichton was able either to wound, disarm, or beat back all his adversaries, amongst whom as one of the disarmed, he recognised the young Prince Gonzaga, his own pupil. Although the latter was a worthless youth, Crichton recognised the bitter mortification he must be suffering at the exposure, and taking his_ own sword by the point he presented it to the Prince with some expressions of deep regret at having been compelled in mere self-preservation to so humiliate him, and an assurance that if necessary he would die in the Prince's defence. No sooner, however, had he done this than the Prince, mad with rage and jealousy, without a moment's hesitation ran Crichton through the heart with his own weapon. Elizabeth enacted various regulations governing the length of rapiers, some of which had grown to enormous dimensions, and Shakespeare makes many mentions of swordsmen and " teachers of fence." Ben Jonson has a very amusing passage in one of his plays where a young fop is describing a duel in which he had been engaged merely that he might have an opportunity of describing in detail nearly every article of his extremely elaborate apparel. There was a custom at one time, as may be found in "Romeo and Juliet," of provoking a duel by biting the thumb at a person. Thus Sampson says to Gregory: — Nay, as they dare, I will bite my thumb at them; Which is a disgrace to them if they bear it. A challenge to a duel was always sent by a friend of the principal to the other party, and was sometimes handed to him on the point of a sword. PASSION REMAINS. The centuries passed on, but the passion for duelling still continued, and had reached an extraordinary height by the ,middle of the eighteenth century. It was the prevalent idea even amongst the most orthodox people that some knowledge of the art "of _ crossing swords" was absolutely essential to all who wished to be included in the category of gentlemen. Dr Samuel Johnson was apparently in agreement with this idea, for he asserted in the hearing of Boswell that " he who fought a duel did not fight from passion against his antagonist, but out of self-defence, to avert the stigma of the world and to prevent himself from being driven out of society." Thomas Moore, the poet, preserved a letter written to a member of his family by a gentleman the night before he fought a duel in which he was killed: "London, Wednesday night, September 3, 1783. I commit my soul to Almighty God, in hopes of his mercy and pardon for the irreligious step I now, in compliance with the unwarrantable custom of this wicked world, put myself under the necessity of taking." In Ireland pistols were the favourite duelling weapons, about which we read so much in the novels of Charles Lever, and latterly they usurped the place of the sword amongst English duellists. Gradually the laws against duelling became more and more severe, and popular opinion being aroused . against the custom it disappeared entirely in England, though it still survives on the Continent. As soon as the necessity for acquiring a knowledge of swordsmanship ceased to exist, the art of fencing was placed upon an entirely different basis, and exists to-day amongst us as, possibly, the most intellectual of all the manly pastimes, requiring as it does, great exercise of the brain and the muscular system if one wishes to excel. -i KING AS PATRON. Since the war much attention has been paid to the question of placing the art in a position corresponding with that held by all the other leading sporting organisations, and to-day his Majesty the King is the patron of the Amateur Fencing Association of Great Britain. This association is under the rules of the International Fencing Federation, and pupils trained under the rules of the federation are eligible to compete at the Olympic Games and all the fencing championships of Europe. It would appear that although Sydney possesses some very excellent exponents of the art of fencing, yet these gentlemen have not been in touch with the latest ideas on the subject, consequently no matter how well their pupils might fence, their training was not such that they were enabled when Europe to enter the contests at the Olympic Games or for the fencing championships of Europe. These disabilities have now been removed, and pupils trained under the rules of the International Fencing Federation are fully qualified to enter for the before-mentioned competitions. Besides being an ideal exercise for men, fencing is equally suitable for women, many of whom have become extremely skilful exponents of the art. Although perhaps at first the rules are rather difficult to master, the pupil who is really interested in the subject will have no difficulty with them, and will iu a very short time begin to understand and appreciate the beauty of the delicate and subtle methods of using his weapons which are opened out to him. Three types of swords are in use, the sabre and the foil, wnkh must each weigh when ready for use under 17f ounces, and the epee, which must not exceed 27J ounces in weight. As regards clothing, it must be white and of strong material, and so made as to allow perfect freedom of action. Ladies wear white blouses and short black skirts and stockings, and both sexes wear rubbersoled shoes, properly constructed fencing masks, and gauntlets of special design.