Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/58

* TARGET. 38 TARGTJM. the men in target practice is the direct respon- sibility of the company commander, although post commanders are required to exercise a close supervision also, and particularly over the skirmi.ih and field practices. There is an in- spector of riHe practice in each department se- lected for his special qualifications, whose duty it is to examine and report upon the target prac- tice work of the troops in his department. The United States Government encourages the hunting for large game wherever practical. The small arms practice regulations for the National Guard of the State of New York are fairly representative of the best methods employed in the United States. The Creedmoor bull's-eye targets are emplo_yed for all classes except in skirmish tire, when the figures of men standing, kneeling, and lying down are used. To qualify as marksman, the soldier must obtain forty-five out of a possible seventy-five points, making fifteen out of a possible twenty-five at each of the following distances: 100 yards (standing) ; 200 yards (kneeling) : 300 yards (prone). A sharpshooter is required in addition to make twenty-two points out of twenty-five at 500 yards and twenty out of twenty-five at 600 yards. The expert must make twenty out of twenty-five at 700 yards and at 800 yards must make a score sufficient to bring his total up to in or on top of the large gun. In all sub-calibre work the regular sights of the large gun are used, an allowance being made for the difi'erence in range (for a given elevation) of the two weapons. Nearly one-half the crew are expected to be- come sufficiently good shots to receive instruction and practice in all forms of sub-calibre work, but only the most proficient are given a chance with full-calibre ammunition. The number of shots fired by each man depends upon the class of gun for which he is being particularly trained; the larger guns are fired only a few' times each year, the medium and lesser calibres many more times. For full-calibre practice the target now used in most navies is 12 to 20 feet high, and 20 to GO feet long. It is of canvas, supported by two or more small masts, which are set in the timbers of a raft or float, as shown in the accompanying figure. The target is anchored in a manner to keep it broadside on and buoys are anchored at certain distances from it. The ship steams past from buoy to buoy at a fixed speed (usually more than 6 and less than 12 knots). Firing begins as the first buoy is passed and stops when the last ' buoy is "reached. See Gunnery j also, Guns, N.WAL. 1 '^^^^ f y / 4;- ..i.-i-;..LJ_j2l;FeE|C. !!;';! / 1 1 i i i i ! / 1 ! 6 j ; M : 1 1 U3 / H / w r^l i j i i
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i I / Z I; 1 i i i "O": TARGET A NAVAL TAHGET. forty, for both ranges. A distinguished expert is required to make the same percentage and under the same conditions at 900 and 1000 yards. Skirmish firing is at difTerent distances, and at figure targets. Shots on the prone figure count five each, and on the kneeling figure three each, while on any other place on the targets or on the standing target each shot counts one. TARGET PRACTICE, Naval. On shipboard target practice is the culminating feature in the training of men who are to become gun-firers, or 'gun-pointers' as they are usually called. The men are first taught to aim accurately with small arms. The promising candidate is advanced to work with heavy guns — first simple aiming and then practice with aiming machines such as the Scott 'dotter.' This instj-ument has a target which can be given a vertical movement past the gun sights which simulates the movement of a ship or other object past these sights when the firing vessel rolls, and it has a pencil which records the point at which the sights are directed when the firing key is pressed. The next step is sub-ealibre practice. A small-arm rifle is clamped to the gun or inserted in fixtures in the hore and fired at a target quite close at hand. Then larger sub-calibre guns or tubes are fitted ship's course past target MOVEMENT OF SHIP IN TABQKT PRACTICE TARGOVITZA, tar'go-vit'sa, Confederation OF. A union of Polish nobles under the leader- ship of Felix Potocki, formed at Targovitza (Russian Government of Kiev) on May 14, 1792, for the purpose of overthrowing the Constitution adopted in the preceding year. The organizers of the Confederation were entirely in the interests of Russia, and the adhesion of the Polish King to the Confederation was followed by the second partition of Poland (q.v.). TARGTJM (Aram, torgum, translation, ex- planation, from targem, to interpret). The gen- eral term for the Aramaic versions of the Old Testament, sometimes less correctly referred to as the Chaldee Paraphrase. The origin of the Targum is to be looked for in the Persian period of the Jews, when Hebrew ceased to be the popular language and gave way to the .ramaic. The first indication of the practice of explanation is to be found in Neh. viii. 8, where it is said that Ezra read the Law to the people while his assist- ants "caused them to understand the reading." The custom grew and gradually there arose a class of Meturgemans (mod. dragoman, inter- preter) and finally the system was regulated by the Rabbis. At first and indeed for many cen- turies the Targum from its very nature was not