Bow - Shooting. 859 



pastime and recreation. The physical exercise is better than fencing, 

 boxing, or lifting ; it has every feature of an exciting competitive 

 game, is attended with no danger, and "shows off" the human form 

 to the very best advantage, — all its poses being those of grace, ease, 

 and power combined. 



From the earliest days of successful archery in England, green 

 has been the bowman's favorite color, and all his metal decorations 

 have been of silver. Clubs have, therefore, generally chosen a 

 uniform in which leaf green is the prevailing color, and their badges 

 and medals have been wrought of silver, — a ring, a crescent, or a 

 richly chased arrow being the commonest device. 



In giving directions how to shoot, I cannot hope to improve on 

 the simple language of the old disciple of the bow, Roger Ascham, 

 who, in 1 545, wrote a little book on the subject of archery, entitled 

 " Toxophilus," in which he says: 



" The first point is, when a man should shoot, to take such footing and standing as 

 shall be both comely to the eye and profitable to his use, setting his countenance and 

 all other parts of his body after such a behavior and port, that both all his strength 

 may be employed to his own most advantage and his shot made and handled to other 

 men's pleasure and delight. A man must not go too hastily to it, for that is rashness, 

 nor yet make too much to do about it, for that is curiosity ; the one foot must not 

 stand too far from the other, lest he stoop too much, which is unseemly, nor yet too near 

 together, lest he stand too straight up, for so a man shall neither use his strength well, 

 nor yet stand steadfastly. The mean betwixt both must be kept, a thing more pleasant 

 to behold when it is done, than easy to be taught how it should be done." 



A little care at first will save you a great deal of trouble; and 

 annoyance. When you begin to shoot, learn at once to stand firmly 

 on your feet, the left slightly advanced, the head easily poised, the 

 upper portion of the body gently inclined forward, and the shoulders 

 neither lifted nor drooped. Hold the bow vertically with the lift 

 hand, the arm extended straight. Nock the arrow well on the string, 

 draw with all the fingers of your right hand, till you feel your right 

 ear, fix your eyes steadily on the target, and let fly. The shaft will 

 sing through the air with a sound peculiarly musical, and hit with a 

 force that will surprise you, even though at first you use a bow of but 

 forty pounds' weight, /'. e., one which requires a draft of but forty 

 pounds to draw a 28-inch arrow to the head. 



Forty yards from target to target is a long enough rang* to 

 begin practice with, and it might well be not over half that length. 



