ARCHERY.*
THE thanks of the archery world are due to Mr. Batt for having taken Mr. Ford's Theory and Practice of Archery in hand, and dealt with it so effectively. The forward place he has himself held as a good shot, especially at the 60-yards range, and his long and intimate connection with archery, seemed to point to him as the man beat qualified for the task, and it is fortunate • The Theory and Practice of Archery. By the late Horaoo Ford. Thoroughly Barbed and Rewritten by W. Butt, M.A., for many yearn Hon. Secretary of the Royal Tolophilite Society. London Longman, Green, and Co. 1837. for the rising generation of archers that his services were avail- able. The want of a standard practical guide to archery has been felt for many years past, Mr. Ford's book having long been out of print, and it being only possible to obtain a copy occasionally through the second-hand booksellers. As it is the only book to which archers are accustomed to go for advice, its rarity has doubtless hindered many a young archer from making a start. Mr. Butt has not merely revised, he has rewritten Mr. Ford's book, omitting what was obsolete or unpractical, but substituting plenty of fresh information, which his own experience or that of his contemporaries had accumulated. The five points of archery insisted upon by Roger Ascham- viz., Standing, Necking, Drawing, Holding, and Loosing— are exhaustively treated by Mr. Butt, who follows for the most part in the footsteps of Mr. Ford, but, penetrating further than be did, has taught much that was then unknown. Though not dogmatic on the subject of " drawing," he strongly advocates the rule of invariably bringing the loosing hand to precisely the same place, leaving to the bow-arm the duty of elevation or depression. Some archers have reversed this process ; but Ascham's maxim that "good menace faunas are not to be followed" is applicable here ; and we think Mr. Butt proves distinctly the superiority of the former theory. Like Ascham, too, he considers that " drawyne well is the best parte of shootyng," for without drawing well, it is almost impossible to take aim or loose with any chance of success ; but he does not contend that there is only one best method of drawing. A bad style of drawing is often traceable to the archer being over- bowed. This is too common a failing with beginners, and is due to their anxiety to see the arrows fly low. This, however, must not be indulged in at the expense of strength ; and as there is no necessity for any one to use a bow that cannot be kept under control, it is impolitic to tax one's strength unduly.
Mr. Batt enumerates three successful methods of drawing, viz.,—(1), to draw the arrow home at once, loosing when it has been aimed, without any further draw ; (2), to draw the arrow within an inch or a little more of home, aiming then, and loosing after the completion of the draw ; and (3), the method of com- bining the operations of drawing and aiming so continuously that the loose is the uninterrupted completion of the draw. We have not space to discuss fully the pros and cons of these three methods of drawing; but we may say briefly that if a man can contrive to get the point of the arrow on his point of aim simultaneously with the exact completion of the draw, and then loose without any perceptible pause, we think the third method would prove the beat; but such a combination requires reserve-power and extreme steadiness. The nature of the draw will be to some extent determined by the drawing. power of the shooter, for one method is less tiring than another, and a shooter will generally fall into the one that comes easiest. Mr. Ford recommended that the arrow be at least three-fourths drawn when brought upon the line of aim, but Mr. Butt considers this insufficient, and says that about nine- tenths of drawing should be by that time accomplished. He warns his readers against any movement of the bow-hand when drawing-np, from the left towards the right, as that movement tends to contract rather than to expand the chest. He warns them also against using adventitious helps or " dodges " in drawing, for though they may be useful as experiments, he con- siders they will prove distracting when used habitually. In this, however, we think he does not allow sufficiently for human instability. Sorely, anything that will assist in rendering more certain the distance drawn of every arrow shot, mast be ad- vantageous; and to all but the very strongest men, we imagine that the regular touching by the drawing-hand of some part of the neck or chin, or the friction of a roughened arrow against the bow-hand, would be such a distinct assistance as to counteract any slight drawback due to distraction of mind or eye. A man will begin the York Round well, feeling fresh and fit for his work, and his 72 arrows at 100 yards may be all drawn precisely alike without his drawing-hand having sought either neck or chin ; but when he begins the 80-yards range, it may be observed that his previous exertions have told upon him, whilst he, imagining from the effort it costs him that he is drawing as he did at 100 yards, would find he is drawing at least an inch less. In such a case, and there must be many towards the close of a day's shooting, it seems to ne that anything that would indicate to him exactly the then length of his draw would be a godsend to the spent archer. We think, too, it would cause less distraction than the alternative of having to move the direct vision from the point of aim to the point of the arrow, to ascertain how far it was drawn ; in fact, if a man, other than a Ford or a Nesham, made it a rule either to touch his chin (ander the aiming eye) with his drawing- hand, or to pull the roughened part of the arrow across the fore- finger of the bow-band, or even to do both, we think the process would by force of habit become part of the natural operation of shooting, and would have no distracting influence whatever. If so, such assistance does not deserve to be classed among "dodges," and fairly claims more recognition than Mr. Butt is willing to grant. To some archers it is an unfailing resource in times of need, and to many it is an absolute necessity ; more- over, we suspect there are very few of our crack shots who can depend on always pulling their drawing-hand to exactly the same place without allowing it to touch anything en route.
The very same eccentricities of style in shooting so humorously described by Ascham in the sixteenth century, and freely quoted by Mr. Butt, are to be seen at any large gathering of archers at the present time, and their extraordinary variety quite supports Mr. Butt's contention that no one archer has yet been found to combine all the excellences that might be centred in a perfect archer. He considers there are as many varieties of attitude in archery as there are archers to call them into existence, and that no two are exactly alike in all particulars. This is not surprising, if one remembers that even among those who have held champion. ship honours, there is a wonderful diversity of style. For instance, there is Major Fisher, the present champion, who:shoots in a way at once easy and attractive, with apparently little effort, and with no indecision or straining during any part of the draw, giving the impression that he could go on for hours without failing or flagging. Mr. Nesham, last year's champion, in a position firm and immoveable as a rock, and with an inex- haustible stock of strength at his command, combines wonderful steadiness and tenacity of purpose, and is a striking example of the success of a dead' loose following a prolonged pause with the arrow drawn home. The late Mr. Rimington, too, another ex- champion, affords an extreme instance of what may be done by drawing every arrow exactly the same distance and to the same place, though the process be not the prescribed one. There used to be at least five or six inches of his arrow nndrawn at the loose ; but that fault was counteracted by his using an extra-powerful bow, and by never varying his length of draw by a hair's-breadth. Differing as these three men do in almost every essential characteristic of standing, drawing, and loosing, they have ■yet found their way to the top of the tree; and each style, whilst possessing a marked individuality of its own, is one that cannot be condemned as a mannerism, whilst it fully bears out Mr. Butt's assertion about the diversity of attitude.
Without doubt, aiming is the most difficult part of archery to understand. "Unless," says Mr. Batt, "the archer acquires a perfect understanding of the science of aiming, an almost ins. passable barrier is presented to his progressing a single step beyond the commonest mediocrity." He may occasionally make good scores, but they will fluctuate in a most unsatisfactory manner, and he will have nothing more to fall back upon than the sort of innate sympathy between hand and eye that enables a bowler to hit the wicket with more or less fre- quency, but never with certainty. Such sympathy or under- standing cannot be made infallible by the utmost persistence, and archers who have no point of aim will soon find this to their cost when failure comes, and they have no data to assist them. Every archer must ascertain for himself where his point of aim will be ; no book can tell him that, for it must depend on the strength of the bow, the weight of the arrow, the nature of the loose, and other matters. There are, of coarse, certain rudiments applicable to all archers, and Mr. Butt's book will enable them to master these; but beginners mast not underrate the conditions of successful archery, nor, on the other hand, must they be deterred by the apparently intricate details of direct and indirect vision, or the elaborate instructions for ' eyeing' a bowstring.
Not only has the average shooting improved considerably during the last twenty years, but the whole paraphernalia of archery has notably advanced, both in utility and finish. There is finer workmanship in the bows and arrows ; the arm-guards and finger-tips are simplified and better adapted for the archer's requirements ; and there is a tendency to dispense with all unnecessary trappings. There is, however, one thing in which Mr. Butt tells us there is a falling-off, and that is in the quality of the bowstrings. It seems that the best are all of Belgian make, and that twenty-five years ago the very beat were obtained from a maker at Liege, by name Meeles, the last of his race, who, with his wife, kept most jealously the secret of the manufacture, which had been transmitted through many generations in the one family ; and they died childless without communicating it to any one. Mr. Butt gives plenty of excellent advice to all who require an archer's outfit, not only telling them how to regulate their selection of bows and arrows according to their strength of body and length of arm, but also instructing them with much pains how to manipulate for them- selves such minor matters as the second ' eye,' or the most durable 'lapping' to a bowstring. The superiority of the modern method of scoring is especially noticeable both in accuracy, and as a record, arrow for arrow, of the actual shooting. It is lees liable to mistakes, and it is also easier to detect and correct them when made. The obligation of writing a figure on the scoring-board will cause the'scorer to be more careful than the mere pricking, of a pinhole in a card. It is curious that in con- nection with the specimen given by Mr. Butt of the obsolete method of scoring, a slight mistake should have crept in ; but whether the fault is the scorer's or the printer's, we are unable to say. When Mr. Ford, in private practice, made 809 from 137 hits on the York Round, he scored 164 at 60 yards with two dozen arrows ; but in order to complete a St. George's Round, he shot another dozen at 60 yards, and with this dozen he scored 80, making a total at 60 yards of 244, not 246.
Mr. Batt evidently leans towards the proposal for a change in the colouring of the targets, and there is somewhat of reproach in his designation of the present targets as " gaudy." " Gay " would be a word more to our liking, and one fairer to targets that have done such good service. We are by no means satis- fied that the substitution of grey or some dull colour for the bright hues of the present facings would be a gain to the general cause of archery. It might be scientifically better adapted for making bigger scores, though we do not admit that ; but it would not add to the popularity of archery as a pastime, nor would it enhance the picturesqueness of an archery meeting. Grey uniforms have been pronounced safer and more man' for our soldiers than scarlet, in that they offer a less conspicuous mark to the enemy's riflemen ; but they do not become more popular on that account, and we believe no alteration has been made in the old-established Army uniforms, except in tropical countries. We feel sure, too, that lady archers will not approve the adoption of dull-coloured targets, and this is important, for archery will not prosper without the support and companionship of the other sex. Now that arohery is practised as an amusement, and not for purposes of utility or hostility, it would be unfortunate for the 'National' to sink into such a purely business meeting as the annual rifle contest at Wimbledon. The latter half of Mr. Butt's book contains some interesting records of the Royal Toxophilite and other archery societies, and the special feats of individual archers ; also the particulars of the Public Meetings of the last forty years, and the private-practice scores of our best archers, a collection of useful incidental information that must have involved considerable time and labour.
Veteran archers will welcome Mr. Butt's book as coming from one who, besides being one of themselves, is regarded as an authority on anything appertaining to archery. They will criticise it with a relish that nothing but long experience could give them, and it is not improbable they may alight upon a stray hint that will put them right upon some part of their shooting in which they never suspected anything wrong, but which had long militated against success. Recruits will welcome a book that can teach them all they want to know if they will read it aright. They may perhaps be alarmed at the nice distinctions between a ' slashing," dead," active,' or lively' loose, or may feel hopelessly lost amid the scientific lessons on the point of aim ; but they must not expect to do too much at first. As soon as the preliminaries are mastered, and it is seen with what ease their seniors shoot, mountains will sink into molehills, there will be no difficulty in battling with the essentials of successful archery, and steady practice will do the rest. In 1856, the year following the first appearance of Mr. Ford's book, there was a marked improvement in the shooting, and several of the leading archers attributed their high positions in the prize-list to observing the directions given in his book. We hope a similar result may follow next year from an attentive perusal of this book, which Mr. Butt has prepared with so much care and ability, and which certainly entitles him to the credit of having done more for the cause of archery than any one else in this generation.
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