CHAPTER VII 

 THE STORY OF THE COMMON YEW 



THE discovery of gunpowder with the result- 

 ant development of arms of precision may 

 at first sight appear to have little to do with 

 the planting of trees in general and with the Yew in 

 particular. As a matter of fact the connection is 

 close. For centuries long prior to the introduction 

 and general use of gunpowder the peoples of the 

 world used bows and arrows, and in temperate re- 

 gions where grows the Yew the best bows were made 

 of the wood of this tree. Certain simple people like 

 the Ainos of Hokkaido and Saghalien still use the bow 

 in the chase but in general archery is now regarded as 

 a pastime. It is, beloved by the Japanese, Koreans, 

 and Chinese; in the West associations and clubs have 

 been founded to preserve this ancient sport and in 

 Great Britain it is a favourite with women. 



But if archery be now regarded as merely a healthy 

 pastime its r61e in the grim affairs of human history 

 has been among the greatest. With the story of 

 William Tell every schoolboy of the West is familiar, 



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