SWORD 



5666 



SYCAMORE 



SWORD, sohrd, one of the most ancient of 

 all weapons of offense and defense. The origin 

 of this weapon is lost in remote antiquity. As 

 soon as the art of working metals was discov- 

 ered the ingenuity of man was turned towards 

 the manufacture of destructive weapons. The 

 earliest forms cf swords of which authentic in- 

 formation is available were those of the As- 

 syrians, Gauls and Greeks. The swords used 

 by these people were made cf bronze, and were 

 short, two-edged weapons. The Roman sword, 

 a terrible weapon in the hands cf trained le- 

 gionaries, was of steel, short and straight, with 

 a sharpened point and two cutting edges. 



The invention cf gunpowder, which caused 

 defensive armor to be discarded, had the effect 

 of lightening swords, as a heavy blow was no 

 longer necessary. The light rapier, which be- 

 came the recognized dueling weapon, would not 

 resist the blow cf a heavy sword, yet against 

 opponents similarly armed was an effective and 

 deadly weapon. High art was exercised in the 

 tempering of rapier blades, Toledo, Spain, be- 

 coming famous for the fine quality of its prod- 

 uct. The favorite weapon of the East was the 

 scimitar, a blade with a pronounced curve. Da- 

 mascus was noted for its scimitar blades. The 

 long sword of the Japanese is thirty to thirty- 

 six inches in length, with a heavy, one-edged 

 blade and a round hand guard. The samurai cf 

 old carried a second sword, about half the 

 length of the long sword. 



The swords of modern armies are more or 

 less alike, differing only in minor details of 

 weight and length. The French cavalryman 

 carries a straight sword with a blade thirty-six 

 inches in length, weighing two pounds six 

 ounces. The German cavalry sword is heavier, 

 weighing two pounds eight and one-half ounces, 

 with a length of thirty-two and one-half inches. 

 The British cavalryman carries a sword 

 thirty-five and one-eighth inches long, weighing 

 two pounds thirteen and one-half ounces. In 

 the United States army the sword proper has 

 given place to the saber, which is designed for 

 both cutting and thrusting and is thirty, thirty- 

 two and thirty-four inches in length. 



The sword has been a favorite figure of 

 speech to denote strife and conflict since man 

 first began to regard the growth of civilization. 

 "He that liveth by the sword shall perish by 

 the sword" has a lesson for civil life as truly as 

 for the military. The Hebrew prophets sought 

 to have the swords of the nation turned into 

 plowshares, while the New Testament speaks of 

 the "sword of the Spirit." 



The Sword in Modern War. At the com- 

 mencement of the War of the Nations in 1914 

 the old controversy between lance and sword 

 was revived. Many noted leaders of cavalry 

 declared the lance to be the only effective 

 weapon for cavalry, while others defended the 

 sword as superior both for offense and defense. 

 Experience proved, however, that there was 

 little opportunity for use of the sword in that 

 war. There was practically no cavalry action, 

 and the best weapon for the intrepid charge 

 was the bayonet, which all soldiers were taught 

 to use with deadly precision. F.ST.A. 



SWORDFISH, sohrd' fish, a species cf ocean 

 fish having a long, flattened upper jaw that 

 resembles the weapon from which it derives its 

 name. The swordfish is allied to the mackerels. 

 Though found most commonly in the Atlantic 

 Ocean, it occurs also in the Pacific, and occa- 

 sionally is seen in the neighborhood of the 

 Santa Barbara Islands, Southern California. 

 The average length of a swordfish is seven feet, 

 and the weight is about 250 pounds, but larger 

 specimens have been caught which weigh 600 

 or 800 pounds. 



Their "swords," sharp-edged and strong, and 

 half as long as the body, are powerful weapons, 

 capable of driving into the side cf any sailboat 

 or rowboat. Fishermen enjoy capturing these 

 ficli because they are such c am e fighters. Off 

 the New England coast from 3,000 to 6,000 are 

 caught a year, chiefly by harpooning. The flech 

 is coarse, but it has a good flavor. S,vordash 

 prey upon menhaden, herring, mackerel and 

 other fish that travel in schools. These they 

 kill by striking out to the left and right with 

 their swords. 



SYCAMORE, sik'amohr, an attractive shade 

 tree of the plane tree family, whose hard, red- 

 dish-brown v:ood 

 is used in mak- 

 ing furniture and 

 various kinds of 

 woodwork. It is 

 found abundantly 

 in fertile bottom 

 lands and along 

 streams, and is 

 distributed from 

 Southern Maine 

 to the north shore 

 cf Lake Ontario, 

 west to Minne- 

 sota and Nebraska, and as far south as Texas 

 and Florida. This tree grows from seventy- 

 five to one hundred and fifty feet high. On 



SYCAMORE LEAF AND 

 SEED POD 



