Jan. i8 , 1913 
FOREST AND STREAM 
81 
An Archer’s Confession of Faith 
By E. J. RENDTORFF 
{Concluded from last week.) 
W HEN the feathers are badly injured it is 
necessary to replace them. Be sure that 
you do not select a right-handed feather 
when the remaining two are left-handed, or vice 
versa. A good way for fastening these feathers 
is as follows: Purchase a 2j4-hich butt, or door 
hinge, and file the two halves until they are 
of the same width. Place the feathers between 
them with the fibre part projecting. Smoothe 
the fibre with a file, put on a rapidly drying 
glue and then place radially on the proper 
place of the shaft. Remove the hinge after the 
glue has set. The wood below the feather must 
be scraped, so as to remove all traces of paint 
from directly underneath the feather. It is, 
of course, also necessary to apply glue to the 
wood before the feather is put in place. 
The arrow should be of such length that, 
when fully drawn, the nock will be directly 
under the vertical axis of the eye. In this 
case the point can be moved to the right or left 
without throwing the arrow out of the hori¬ 
zontal axis of the eye, but if it is either too 
long or too short, every shifting of the point 
must be accompanied by a slight shifting of the 
nock. The length depends somewhat on the 
position at which the left arm is held, but it 
can certainly be determined within one-quarter 
of an inch. As a general rule, a long arrow 
v/ill shoot better than a short one. 
When it comes to the choice of weight of 
arrows, the general practice seems to be to 
select the lightest one that can be used. This 
I consider a great mistake. My first arrows 
were of 4-3 S. weight. They were gradually 
increased to 5 S., with a consequent increase in 
accuracy for every weight. For the American 
round, I believe, an arrow heavier than 5 S. 
would be a distinct improvement. This would 
put the point of aim on the target for sixty 
yards, and approach the conditions under which 
Maxson made his remarkable American round 
score of 90-666. 
Any lack of regularity in releasing affects 
a heavy arrow less than a light one. The same 
is true of the action of the wind. Further¬ 
more, a heav}^ arrow is generally a stiff one, 
so that le.ss energy is wasted in producing 
internal vibration and more devoted to its 
actual propulsion. Any lack of velocity of a 
heavy arrow is more than counterbalanced by 
a truer flight, less flirting and wobbling, and a 
higher point of aim, which is desirable for short- 
range shooting. 
The shaft of an arrow should not have a 
bright, lustrous finish, although a smooth one, 
for else the line of maximum illumination pro¬ 
duced by the light reflected from such a sur¬ 
face is apt to be mistaken for the true axis of 
the arrow. 
It is customary to hold the nock of the 
arrow below the chin, with the index finger in 
contact with it. I must confess that I do not 
like that method, and consider the hollow be¬ 
tween the mouth and chin a better position. 
There are two reasons for this. At the shorter 
T. R. WILLARD, WHO HAS MADE MUCH HISTORY FOR 
ARCHERY. 
ranges a point of aim on the target or near 
to it is far preferable to one far away. The 
closer the nock is held to the eye, the nearer 
to the target will be the point of aim for all 
distances up to eighty yards. There is a point 
in the hollow between mouth and chin which is 
directly below the vertical axis of the eye. If 
the arrow is of the proper length, and the nock 
is held at this place, then the point of the 
arrow can be shifted to the right or left at 
pleasure, without throwing the arrow out of 
(he horizontal axis of the eye. If. on the other 
hand, the nock is held under the chin, where 
there is no convenient place of reference, so 
that the fingers can instinctively feel when the 
nock is in the vertical axis of the eye, it be¬ 
comes necessary to look along the entire length 
of the arrow to insure that it is held in the 
proper position. In the one case it is held in 
the true position mechanically, and the point 
only need be watched to insure the proper di¬ 
rection and a uniform length of draw, while in 
the other case several different adjustments 
must be made and frequently altered. 
The length of draw should be such that 
the point of the arrow rests on the top finger 
of the left hand, but great care should be taken 
that the point does not slip below the level of 
the finger, for else an upward thrust is pro¬ 
duced that will throw the arrow higher than 
it is aimed. The draw should be completed and 
the left hand closed firmly before the aim is 
taken. If the rigid closing of the hand is per¬ 
formed after the aim is completed the point 
of the arrow is apt to be elevated. 
Now comes the important and much-moot¬ 
ed question of aiming. 
Taking it for granted that the draw is per¬ 
fectly made, both with regard to length and di¬ 
rection of the arrow with reference to the eye. 
the question arises how it should be held with 
regard to the target and the point of aim. I 
believe the novice will do best by riveting his 
attention on the point of aim and totally 
neglecting the target. It is good practice for 
the beginner to place a small white object on 
the ground at the position of his point of aim, 
and then move sideways until the line from 
the right eye through the point of aim inter¬ 
sects the center of the target. He should there¬ 
after neglect the target and consider his point 
of aim only. 
After an entire season of shooting, during 
which he has acquired a certain amount of skill, 
and can intuitively perceive when the various 
adjustments are properly made, he should re¬ 
gard his point of aim as of secondary consid¬ 
eration. He should focus his direct or primary 
vision on the center of the target, with his 
secondary or indirect vision on his point of 
aim. As a novice his point of aim gives his 
adjustments, both lateral and vertical, but as 
an expert the point of aim should be used only 
for the vertical adjustment, or elevation, at 
which the arrow is to be held. This will allow 
him to watch the arrow during its flight and 
thus avoid the shifting of the left hand, when 
the arrow is released, that would unconsciously 
be produced when the archer alters his vision 
from the point of aim to the target, in order to 
note the success of his shot. 
The release is the most difficult knack to 
be acquired in all archery. Many different 
methods are employed. Many good archers 
combine the final drawing of the arrow, and 
the completion of the aim, with the release. I 
believe firmly in first adjusting the arrow to the 
bow, then to the eye, next to the proper length 
of draw, then to the target, and finally to the 
point of aim, for elevation purposes; and then 
standing pat on all of these adjustments, in 
