Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/577

* FENCING. i most needed protection. An accident, l>y which n prominent instructor Ios1 the sighf of an eye, Boon demonstrated the necessity ol eye-covering, which i ii time led to the presenl meshwork ma I Ai the beginning of the nineteenth century the use of the glove, plastron, sandals, and mask had become general, and while gentlemen no longer carried the walking-sword, a form of it still holds sway in France, in the (p6e de combat, the favorite weapon of duelists throughout the world. Fencing in France. It is supposed that Henri Saint-Didier, who taught fencing in Paris about 1570, was the first to give names to the different thrusts then in use, such as main-drette, ren- rerse, fendante, estocade, and imbrocade. Pater, a later teacher, divided the various parries into live distinct classes, viz.: prime, si jide, tierce, quarte, and quinte; and similarly with few ex- ecutions every other term used in the art has had a French origin. Modern fencing in France owes most of its perfection to the military academy of Joinville-le-Pont. near Paris, established by tin' Government in 1872. and known as the High School of Military Gymnastics. In this institu- tion are trained the masters-at-arms, who on graduation are assigned to the various regiments and corps of the French Army. The number of men graduated each year, however, is in excess of the number of appointments to be filled, so that many of them are compelled to enter into competition for their livelihood with the prevota or lieutenants of the civilian masters throughout the country. In Italy fencing is not now so popular as it is in France, nor is the Italian method as practiced by its leading present-day exponents as distinct from the French as it was formerly (although the original Italian method is still enthusiastically taught at Naples), but is apparently being dispossessed by its French rival from all the countries in which it was formerly supreme. Fencing in tlir duel is influenced in France largely by the rules governing the use of foils in the suites d'armes. There is usually an umpire to enforce the rules and see that the combatants maintain the regulation distances from each other, so that only the hand or arm is in danger. Occasionally a duel will have a fatal termination, either designedly or by accident; but in the vast majority of encounters, shoidd either combatant make too desperate an attack or rush, the umpire interferes, and the first scratch ends the affair. In Germany the duel is more consistently pro- hibited than in France (see Dueling) ; but even there, duels with the rapier or dueling-sword are of occasional occurrence, ami are almost in- variably of a serious character. The student duels are fought with the Schlager, a pointed Bword with a long double-edged blade, sharpened only toward the point, and the fencing in vogue partakes more of the violence anil action of the Italian than the more reserved style of the French. Some of the more important positions and principles of fencing are as follows: Movements for attack are called thrusts, and those for de- fense parries; a feint is a movement designed to mislead an opponent. When on guard, the body is so placed as to present a profile to the oppo- nent; the right foot forward, the right arm half bent, with the elbow at the distance of about ten inches from the body, the left foot 20 inches behind, and at right angles to the right foot. -'."< FENCING. knees bent, body ereel and well poised on the hips, inclining Blightly to the left, o a to facilitate the right leg in the lunge. 'I he „ii.,, i i :ui endeavor in hit, either bj a simple ,,i :l composite thrust; simple when resulting from a single movement, and composite when re lilting from several. A straight thrust is a direct hit, obtained by straightening the arm- and lunging, ami a. disengagement i- a change of lateral lines followed by a straight thrust, which diffei - from the coupe or mi. in that it i, under instead of over the opposing weapon. To riposte is to attack after having parried — either immediately or after a single interval; and to COUnter-riposte is to attack after having parried a. riposte. The coupe-de-temps or time thrust is an attack an- ticipating or surprising an opponeni in the prepa ration of his own; and the cottp d'arrit or stop tlinist is a rapid attack developed during th.' advance of an opponent. Feeling the blade is an operation demanding long practice, as well as a delicate sense of touch: by it, contact without pressure is made with tiie opposing weapon, which together with the knowledge gained by the eyes will indicate the beginning of an attack, and enable the defense to deflect a thrust with- out unnecessary violence. An attack may be de- livered either at the breast, or on the right (the right side of the body or face), on the left (cor- responding to the right attack), and below, the region under the sword-arm. There are at least ten parries requisite to meet all the thrusts that can be directed at the body, designated by the old French ordinal numbers: prime, seconde, tierce, quarte. quinte, six, sept, octave, counter- fierce, and counter-quarte. To confuse an op- ponent by making a feint, or to secure position after retreating, resort is had to the appel, which is executed by striking the right foot smartly on the ground. The art of disarming an opponent by twisting or forcing his weapon out of his hands is but little practiced, owing to mod- ern fencing etiquette, which does not permit the striking of a defenseless man. The essence of good fencing is to exercise caution and prudence before attempting a thrust, and never to riposte until after the parry has been made. Retreats must be covered by parries, which should in- variably be well and closely made. To husband the strength and keep cool, together with a con- stant watchfulness for a successful lunge, con- stitutes almost certain success against even a superior swordsman, should the latter be im- petuous and indiscreet in his lunging. The use of the small sword is now principally confined to dueling, and proficiency in its play in non-duel- ing countries is sought more as an accomplish- ment, or recreation, than as a means of self- preservation. The small sword is for pointing only, which is of all attacks the most effective, since in fencing the point is made with the full force of the arm reinforced when lunging by the weight of the entire body: a combination impos- sible in the 'cut,' which can only be delivered by the force of the arm alone. The substitute for the short sword is the foil, and on no account should practice against an adversary he engaged in without the protection of a wire mask for the face. There should also be worn a leather breast- plate or pad. to cover the entire right side and hang a little distance over the lower part of the bod}'. It should also have stitched to it a leather