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# SINGLE-STICK.The Exciting Game Which '‘Tom Brown, of Rugby,’* So Soppily Described.“It Is English. Ton Know.” and Therefore Is Growing In Popular* Ity in This Country.[BY a SFECIAIi CORRESPONDENT. ]Everybody who has read Tom Brown at Rugby”—and who has not?— will recall with pleasure the bright description which is there given of a contest between several yokels of the village at single-stick. It was the chief of the local sports, and a regular tour nament was held there yearly to contest the skill of the yonng men and the old men of the village in the pastime. It will be remembered that the laird of the village offered a prize for the winner, that each one had to put up his stake, *£iat all the pretty girls were on hand and eager witnesses of the disfiguring frayB, and that the men fought in pairs. The spirited contest made by the old “duller” will be remembered as the most pleasing feature of the day’s sports. No one was able to stand up successfully under the rattling fire of blows that he gave with the end of his “broomstick.Doubtless every reader of Tom Brown inferred from this description that single-stick was an old-fashioned sport, handed down, from generation to generation, and that it remains as one of the features of English country life. This is a fact, and single-stick is still practiced in the old country, in the rural districts, with as much vigor and enthusiasm as it was a half century ago. It is not a particularly prominent sport in this country, and yet it has its devotees, and in every principal gymnasiumFIRST POSITION.throughout the country there are thousands who indulge almost daily in the exercise. The Germans have taken it up, but whether they originated the game or whether it is of English origin is not known. At all events, in a Turners’ gymnasium it is one of the features of exercise. One of the best players of single-stick that this country has known is General Franz Sigel.Not long ago, the writer, happening into one of the Turners’ halls, found that a tournament of the Turn-Vereins of New York, Jersey City, and Brooklyn was in progress, in which the contests were limited to various kinds of fencing. Toward the close of the events. General Sigel came into the hall, and was publicly announced to the contestants and the audience. Single-stick contests were at that moment in progress, and when they were concluded the General made a little speech in which he said that he considered single-stick one of the best exercises for the development and training of the nerve and eye. He not only expressed his admiration for the old sport and advocated its more general use, but, taking a stick from one of the players, proceeded to show how, in his opinion, the weapon should be handled. He flourished the stick around his head, and went through several motions, to the pleasure and edification of all the beholders.In spite of the fact that the weapon used in this sport is a common-place looking affair, without embellishment of any kind, it does not by any means follow that the sport is simple. There are a great many movements recognized by the masters in past times, and skillful players develop considerable adroitness in the progress of the game, and, though it will be remembered that in the Tom Brown contests the van-play any wrath at being beaten. Assingle stick is cultivated to-day, it becomes rather fencing and exercise of parrying, and if blows are not parried theyseldom fall with any force on the head or shins or body of the unhappy player.The ancient origin and prominence of the sport is attested in a literary way by both Scott and Washington Irving. Each of those writers has devoted space to a special decription of the sport.The most scientific player at singlestick in New York is, undoubtedly, Begis Senac, the well-known fencing-master.A MOCI.INBT.Speaking of it and its kindred sports, he said:“Fencing is an art as well as an exercise. It is a gentleman’s diversion and the medium through which gentlemen at times protect tneir honor. The rapier has figured not only in countless novels but in many romances which have been made, not written. It will never die as a sport, even if the practice of dueling and the prevalence of wars should entirely disappear from the world, for the romantic drama makes such demands upon actors that no man can consider himself thoroughly equipped for stage life who does not understand fencing to a considerable degree; and most actors feel bound to cultivate it nntil they become as proficient as possible.“There are plenty of poor swordsmen upon the stage, but nevertheless some of the best handlers of the rapier are found in the dramatic profession. To any one who has ever seen two good swordsmen in a bout with the foils it is not necessary to bring proof of the value of fencing as an exercise. The Bharp, bell-like ring of the steel as the blades meet in the stroke and parry, usually with a great deal of strength put into each blow of the slender rod, or the swift lunge and rapid recovery to guard; the agile turns of the wrist to oppose the antagonist’s blows at the head or heart, all demand muscles that are strong, and pliant and elastic. There are sudden changes of movement, and not only quickness of corporeal motion, but also of eye, is called into play by the fencing bout. The greatest requisite, beyond facility of muscular motion, is coolness. Without coolness of nerve, one could never become single-stick. Your perfect fencer mustDEFENSIVE.qwished party always came off with a bloody and ‘scarred head, it does not follow, as the sport is cultivated now, that such apparent brutality is a necessary feature. In England and in all rural districts sports of this kind—in fact, of almost every otber where two persons alone are involved—partake more of an actual fight than they do here. There the parties at issue meet with a grim determination to come out ahead in the handling of the weapon— sometimes, perhaps, exhibiting a large degree of what might be called anger, although the contestants- rarely disexpert at any of the various kinds of fencing, frcm the most highly developed UBe of the foils to the practice with the ‘pink’ his man with adorable aplomb. The rapid exchange of blows, the springing backward and forward to make a lunge or avoid a thrust, will tax a man’s wind pretty effectually. The fencer, therefore, needs to be sound, and the stronger lungs he brings to the fray the less likely he is ever to be pierced, other thingB being equal. It might be presumed from this that in order to be-nme expert at any of the styles of loiicing, one Bhould be a well-trained athlete, and that the physical capacity for the sport would have to be attained by a special course of training in the gymnasium, or under a teacher. This is not the case, however, for, while fencing requires all these characteristics, yet, if the mental requisite is given, it will supply the training necessary for an expert. No one who has ever attempted to go through a given set of motions for several minutes needs to be told that weariness results when one iB not used to it, and that constant practice at it soon develops the muscles of whatever member is used in the exercise, to a wonderful degree.“The different kinds of fencing are known as the rapier, the broadsword, the saber, thequarter-staff, the ‘canne-royale,’ and the single-stick. The same qualities are required in each, for there is a family likeness in all fencing exercises. A few of tnem are theoretical exercises, so to speak, for the weapon with which they are carried on is not really a weapon—for example, singlestiok. No one uses a stick for a real fight and scientific gentlemanly contest, but the fencer is assisted very materially toward perfection in the use of the real weapon, by exercise in any of those various styles. And it need not be said that skill in the use of the single-stick may be exceedingly valuable to a gentleman in case of unexpected attack by I roughs or even robbers. If bo has hucane with him, and knows just how to parry and thrust and strike, he will be immensely better off than if he trusts simply to his muscular strength in beating off his assailants. For this reason, I should say that it was worth while for every man to acquire some expertness in the use of the stick. Although, of course, it seldom happens that there is any actual occasion to use it; yet when a man does want to use the stick for defensive purposes, he wants to use it very badly, to put it mildly.“Single-stick is an exercise which has its special uses to the fencer, though it is one of the simplest forms of fencing which he can practioe. It is an English exercise, and is not in any great vogue in this country; but it is a healthy, manly sport and one from which much profit may be derived. The stick is usually a Btout piece of hickory or some wood which is moderately light and very tough. When blows can be given so strongly with a foil as to break off two inches of the end of the instrument, something which occasionally comes to pass when I am contesting with an expert pupil, you can readily conceive that a heavy blow in single-stick demands tough wood to avoid breaking the instrument. The movements in single-stick are much the same as those in the saber, quarter-staff, and the ‘canne-royale.’ Quarter-stafl' is a kind of extended single-stick exercise. The staff reaches from the floor to the chin of an ordinary-sized man, while the Bingle-stick reaches not higher than his belt. The quarter-staff is grasped by both hands, the single-Btick is held with one only, like the foil, the fingers being clasped around the stick a few inches from the end.“In the ‘ canne-royale ’ .the ‘mou-linets ’ are more frequent and of wider sweep than in single-stick. Yon don’t understand what ‘monlinets’is. It is a technical term in fencing, and denotes a sweeping movement with the weapon in a circular direction, or is made horizontally above the head, or perpendicularly at the.side. Fre-PABRYIKO.qnently a double one is executed; namely, a sweep on each aide, with a view to confusing an antagonist as to the direction of the attack. In the canne-royale,” also, there is a oonstant pivoting on one foot or another so as to present face to attacks in the rear, as well as to those in front. Hence, the ‘monlinets’ are often a development from defense in one position to attack in another.“In a bout of single-stick the mask, and padded vest and gloves are not used, as is the case in a round with the foils. There is no doubt that a fatal blow could easily be given with the stick. A sharp blow on the temple would, undoubtedly, lay an opponent out. Most of the blows in actual contest are received about the legs, and one who has been unfortunate enough to slip on a parry, so as to receive a rap from his opponent, can come off with a very sore pair ot limbs.“I used to practice single-stick a good deal at college in Montreal, ” said a member of the New York Athletic Club, who stood near while the Professor was talking, “but I got to think that getting so bruised was paying too dear for the exercise.”“The movements of single-stick,” continued the Professor, “are not so varied as in many other fencing exercises, and an explanation of them would be very difficult to make without charts and diagrams, and without actual view of the party who makes them.“There are several first-class players in this city, and they enjoy the quick, strong exercise very much. The best player that I know of hereabout is Mr! E. Higgins, of Fifth avenue, who practices the sport regularly with me. He is also an accomplished swordsman. Ladies do not fall into line as single-stickers. It takes a man’s hand to get a firm grasp of the thick hickory stick and deal a rattling blow with it. And the almost necessary contusions that follow a very vigorous use of the stick will be enough to deter them from any practice at it I do not know of any lady anywhere that has ever undertaken to use the weapon, although a great many of them have become expert in the nse of the foils. Mrs. Langtry’s skill in this particular is well known, and Mrs. James Brown Potter is now becoming one of the beet swords-women before the public.”There is a suggestion is this last that would be worthy of the careful attention of some enterprising show manager. What magnificent audiences would gather at the Madison Square Garden, for instance, and pay high prices for the purpose of seeing Mrs. Langtry and Mrs. Potter contest with the foils for, say, ten thousand dollars and a medal.The Baling Passion.His life was fast ebbing away, and his mind was wandering.“Bill,” he muttered, “hold her up high an’ let her drop hard; she’s checked for Saratoga.“John, whispered hie wife* “do you hear me?”But the old baggagemsster lay dead. —New York fiun
Newspaper Details
Monroeville Weekly Breeze
Monroeville, Indiana, US
Thu, Dec 22, 1887
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Savate M.
NA, 04 Jan 2025
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