Dec. 7, 1912 
FOREST AND STREAM 
725 
Airdheir y 
Scottish-American Archers. 
Jersey City, N. J., Nov. 30.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: The Scottish-American archers 
were much disappointed at the snow storm which 
overtook them on Thanksgiving day, making it 
impossible for them to shoot in the annual team 
contest. For although the shooters in this club 
are all in the novice stage still, they are to a 
man more enthusiastic archers, if that be pos¬ 
sible, than most of the shooters who have han¬ 
dled the bow for many years. However, fortune 
favors the brave, and that describes the boys 
who turned out on Saturday, Nov. 30, to add 
their small contribution to the Eastern League 
team shoot. The day was bitterly cold, with a 
strong wind blowing across the field, and the 
last twenty-four arrows were shot in semi-dark¬ 
ness. The final scores were: 
Hits. Score Hits. Score 
Tas. Duff . 73 309 Geo. Milne .41 111 
T. McRae . 54 226 Wm. McOwan... 30 130 
J. M. Cleland.... 49 189 
This is the first occasion, since the institu¬ 
tion of this club in September, that there have 
been less than ten shooters on the range at one 
time, which no doubt can be accounted for by 
the weather conditions. The Scottish-American 
Club has hitherto shot only one team round, 
but would have had more practice had it not 
been that the last few weeks have been devoted 
almost entirely to the breaking in of recruits 
for the formation of a new club in New York 
in connection with the Y. M. C. A., several of 
whom have been shooting with us for the last 
two weeks. In Jersey we have prospects of a 
club for next season of at least forty shooters, 
but as this seems too many to handle on one 
range, there is talk of starting another club in 
Newark, N. J. John M. Cleland. 
New York Archery Club. 
The New York Archery Club, organized last 
summer, has elected the well known and enthu¬ 
siastic archer, W. H. Wills, President, with F. 
Hamilton Hobbs, A. B., upon whom the further 
degree of P. P. (prominent and popular) might 
be conferred, as Secretary-Treasurer. A few 
members of the club have been shooting at 
Sheepshead Bay during the summer. A meet¬ 
ing will be called shortly for the election of 
additional officers and selection of range and 
permanent club rooms. Full particulars may be 
had by addressing Secretary at 76 Park Place, 
New York City. 
“Just Before the Loose.” 
The following article is taken from the 
Archer’s Register for 1879, and is as interest¬ 
ing to-day as when written: 
That the successful practice of archery should 
be so extremely difficult and attended by such 
numerous trials and obstacles that numbers of 
persons are deterred from attempting to attain 
proficiency in the pastime, while others who 
essayed the initial stages to success have, many 
of them, given it up in despair at not at the out¬ 
set becoming good shots is much to be regretted. 
But the fact that votaries of the bow should 
often so be discouraged cannot be considered 
surprising, when it is remembered that Horace 
Ford used to say that there were about four and 
twenty little difficulties to be surmounted before 
an archer could succeed in planting an arrow 
correctly in the center of the target. Archery 
is a sport which renders it necessary for the 
beginner to place himself in a position in which 
limbs and muscles take attitudes different to any 
which are peculiar to other athletic exercises, 
w. H. WILLS, 
One of the best and most enthusiastic archers in the East. 
and herein is one chief impediment to off-hand 
becoming an accomplished archer; for it is im¬ 
possible for the tyro when shooting to know his 
exact position, and this at once makes it appar¬ 
ent how necessary it is that someone skilled in 
the time-honored game should be at hand to 
give hints, bred of experience, as to the correct 
attitude to assume, and thus prevent ungainly 
habits being acquired, which are not easily got 
rid of, and which tend to prevent the learner, 
even after due practice, from becoming a really 
good shot. Unfortunately, however, how few 
there are who are qualified “to teach the young 
idea how to shoot” ; or who, knowing how, will 
take the trouble to do so! On the other hand, 
the beginner often seems to imagine that pro¬ 
ficiency in archery is a kind of divine gift, in¬ 
stead of an art to be acquired by good teaching 
first, and patient practice afterward. Indeed, I 
have often seen a friendly hint, given in the 
kindest manner, resented almost as an insult in¬ 
stead of being taken in good part. I remember 
once shooting at a public meeting, a good many 
years ago, with an old archer, and one who 
thought he knew all about archery. The range 
was 100 yards and the arrows of the gentleman 
in question were all well shot and straight to 
the mark, but nearly every one went just under 
the target. After this had gone on for the best 
part of that distance, I ventured to remark: 
“Mr. P., would it not be better if you raised 
your aim a little; most of those arrows would 
then go in, instead of under, the target.” Turn¬ 
ing round to me he rather angrily replied: “I 
tell you what, sir, I have been shooting with 
that aim for twenty years, and I am not going 
to alter it now,” quite forgetting that many cir¬ 
cumstances render it necessary to alter the ele¬ 
vation in order to hit the target. Even the bow 
itself does not shoot so quickly toward the end 
of a day’s shooting as at the beginning. An 
archer’s muscles must, moreover, give way a 
little from the strain put upon them in the 
course of a prolonged spell of shooting with a 
bow which, to shoot well with, must be well up 
to the archer’s power. These and other con¬ 
siderations have all to be taken into the reckon¬ 
ing if golds are to be made. 
I do not agree with the strictures in a re¬ 
cent number of The Field as to the method of 
shooting from the arrow fully drawn just be¬ 
fore the loose, and I think that the great im¬ 
provement which has taken place in the average 
scoring of both ladies and gentlemen is owing 
to this very cause. The chief thing in archery 
as in ride shooting is to do everything in the 
same way each time, and the most easy and likely 
way to accomplish this is to keep the aim for 
the very extreme point of the draw, as it is 
almost impossible with any length of loose to 
get rid of the string at exactly the same point 
at every shot. On looking over the field at any 
large public meeting, it will be found that those 
archers who use the former method are at the 
head of the list of successful shooters, although 
I am aware that Mr. Ford in his book upholds 
the contrary view. I admit you get a better 
flight of arrow the other way, still that is not 
what is wanted, but accuracy of elevation so as 
to hit the center of the target as often as pos¬ 
sible. Baal Hatzim. 
Archery in Pittsburgh. 
Pittsburgh, Pa., Nov. 26.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: An interesting shoot was held at 
the Oakmont Country Club, Saturday, Nov. 23. 
Sides were chosen, W. J. Holmes and O. L. 
Hertig being captains. Quite a little rivalry 
prevailed and no doubt the low scores were due 
to the unavoidable excitement incident to a con¬ 
test of this nature. Mr. Jiles had the misfor¬ 
tune to break his fine Barnes yew bow right 
in the middle of one of its limbs, while shoot¬ 
ing on his range, and consequently shot his score 
with a strange bow. Scores: 
■(8 arrows at 60yds., half team round: 
Hertig . 40 202 Holmes . 35 150 
O Sorber . 25 103 Tiles . 33 148 
M Sorber . 37 123 Patch . 26 SO 
Haines . 14 48 Holroyde . 24 74 
113 474 10S 452 
The same team will in all probability shoot 
