American archery; a vade mecum of the art of shooting with a long bow

Preface

This book was prepared as an act of the National Archery Association of the United States, and its pubHcation authorized at the annual meeting of that body in 1916. It is made possible by the efforts of its principal author and its editor, both being Dr. Robert P. Elmer, present and for three years past Champion archer of the United States. American and other archers will be grateful to Dr. Elmer, not only for the filling of the great need for any current book at all on the sport, but for the excellence of his own contributions and for his diligence and discrimination in collecting the remainder of the chapters.

Two of the chapters are substantially of matter once published in Forest and Stream. Permission has been given for its reprinting herein. We are grateful

The format, the cover, the title page and other artistic requirements of the book have been made as they are by the advice and assistance of Mr. Arthur N. Hosking. We hope they are reasonably to his liking; and to him, also, we are grateful.

4 Preface

The medallion used on the cover and title page is from the medal designed by Mr. Cyrus E. Dallin. This beautiful work of art is pronounced by the Secretary of the American Numismatic Society to be the best medal ever produced in America. Frequent reference to awards of its replicas as prizes will be found in this book.

Acknowledgement is made of the work of the remaining authors.

The price of the book will be that necessary to support its publication. The wider currency it is given, the lower the price may be made for succeeding editions. If a profit is made, it will be the property of the National Archery Association of the United States. That profit will be expended for the furtherance of the sport. Therefore all promotion of the sale of this book and the making of gifts of it will work in a pleasing and profitable circle to the good of archery and archers. Verbum sapienti.

Samuel G. McMeen.

Table Of Contents

Chapter Author Page

I. History of American Archery. Dr. Robert P. Elmer. . 7

II. Study of Correct Archery. Dr. Robert P. Elmer 21

Chapter I

By Dr. Robert P. Elmer

IN THE minds of Americans the concepts relating to bows and arrows have two widely different derivations and yet, in the development of the sport of archery in this country, these sources are so intermingled that it cannot be said which has had the more potent influence. From prehistoric times to the present day the American Indians, though in constantly decreasing numbers, have used bows and arrows as their chief means of procuring food and as valuable weapons in war. Filled with tales of the frontier, boys without number have fashioned primitive imitations of the redman's equipment and have endeavored to emulate his prowess in the hunt and on the war-path. On the other hand the white man inherits legends of the bow from mediaeval Europe, with Robin Hood standing first in his imagination and behind him the archers of Crecy, Agincourt, the Wars of the Roses and the Norman Conquest, with hosts of others whom his reading of history and romance have furnished. More distant still are the classic bowmen of Greece and of the vanished empires of Africa and Asia.

These two streams of inspiration flowed together in the formation of the first archery club in America of which we have any record. "The United Bowmen of Philadelphia" was founded in 1828 by Titian Ramsey Peale. This young man, born in 1800, was a member of the famous family of artists of that name, and to secure drawings of the wild life of our West, he had accompanied, as assistant naturalist, the United States expedition under Major Long which explored the region from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains in 1 8 19. From the Indians he had learned a love for the bow which he cherished until, a few years later, it led him to gather together five friends and start the club. To harmonize the sport with the conditions of civilization they were obliged to take as patterns the organizations already existing in England.

That "The United Bowmen" was prosperous is well proven. Its membership was limited to 25 and, in all the years of its existence a total of 57 had joined. They must have presented a brave appearance as they stood in Hne, for they shot from under a long pavilion which was supported by 25 poles, from each of which flew the flag of the archer beside it, and they were dressed in frock coats of Lincoln green, ornamented with gold braid, broad straw hats covered with green cloth and turned up with three black ostrich plumes, black belts and white pantaloons. The club published a little book called "The Archer's Manual," copies of which may still be found in public libraries. Its annual competitions were attended by as many as two thousand spectators, and not until 1858 did it stage its last contest.

In 1888 the surviving members met for the last time and deposited their trophies and archives with the Pennsylvania Historical Society, where they may now be seen. The trophies are in a showcase which can be opened only by breaking the glass. Chief among them is a superb punch bowl, awarded annually to the champion. His name was engraved on a tag suspended from the rim and he was expected to embellish the outside with a heavy, silver acanthus leaf. Other lO American Archery trophies are a silver goblet for the second man, a smaller goblet for the man who made the hit nearest the center and a brooch for the sixth man. Strangely enough the third, fourth and fifth men received nothing.

In 1859 the secretary wrote: "No grounds, no shooting." After that came the stirring events preceding the onset of the Civil War and archery suddenly ceased, to remain in desuetude for twenty years.

Its revival then was very similar to its origin, for again a young man hunted among the Indians and afterward introduced the sport to civilization. Maurice Thompson, a young Confederate veteran who, in the closing days of the war, had been wounded in the chest, returned to his home in Georgia only to find it in ruins. Ordered by his doctor to an open air life in a still warmer climate, and too reduced in circumstances to live by other than his own efforts, he and his brother Will H. Thompson journeyed to Florida and there encamped with an Indian guide. Fire-arms were forbidden them because of their recent belligerency, so they made crude bows and arrows. With practice they became excellent shots, game was superabundant, and as their

History of American Archery ii

skill in hunting increased they also learned to fashion better weapons.

Fortunately Maurice Thompson was "a writer as well as a fighter" and a few years later, in 1877 and 1878, he published a series of articles in Scribner's Magazine which related, in exquisite prose, his experiences in the woods and which, soon afterwards, were collected in a volume named "The Witchery of Archery." People at that time had no other lawn sport than croquet and they eagerly welcomed this more active exercise. Archery clubs sprang into existence as though by magic all over the United States, armed with anything from Indian weapons to the finest imported EngHsh goods.

The Chicago Archery Association conceived the idea of coordinating all this energy and so they issued a call for a convention of archery societies to meet at Crawfordsville, Indiana, where Maurice Thompson was then living, to consider the propriety of creating a National Archery Association for the United States of America. The meeting was held on January 23rd, 1879, in the office of the mayor, and was attended by representatives of clubs in eight cities. The organization was duly effected, with Maurice Thompson as^'president, and it was voted to hold the first Grand National Tournament at Chicago, for three days in August, 1879.

This tournament took place, as ordered, at White Stocking Park, now a part of Grant Park. Archers gathered from far and near, armed with material of every description, to the number of 89, a record of attendance which still remains unbroken. A brass band furnished music, caddies collected the arrows while the luxurious archers sipped refreshments, Society, in force, lent the glamor of its presence and about two thousand dollars worth of prizes, in cash, medals and merchandise, was competed for. Precedents were established of deciding the Championship by the Double York Round, the Woman's Championship by the Double Columbia Round, and the Men's Team Championship by the American Round. The names of the winners of the chief events in this and the succeeding tournaments can be found in the tables elsewhere. Of the participants the only one who are known to be still shooting are G. F. Henry and Tacitus Hussey, of Des Moines, Will H. Thompson, of Seattle, and Dr. E. B.

Weston, of Tropico, California, but until recently of Chicago. Homer S. Taylor, who is still one of the most skillful archers in the country, was present as a spectator.

The chief eifect of this tournament was the general recognition of the N. A. A. as the center of influence in archery and of its annual tournament as the one preeminent archery event of the year.

The next two meetings were held in Buffalo and Brooklyn. They were both very successful but, after that time, interest in the game seemed to become centralized in Chicago, Washington and Cincinnati and the succeeding tournaments were held either in those cities or in places which might be considered as tributaries of them.

Changes in the program were made as experience widened. In 1881 the ladies began to shoot the Double National Round, as practiced in England, and thenceforward the championship was decided by that, instead of by the Double Columbia Round. Flight shooting was introduced in 1882 and, in the same year, the Team Contest was changed from a single American Round to its present form. The Team Contest for ladies was 72 arrows at 40 yards, in 1882 and 1883 and as at present, thereafter. In 1883 the Double American Round was invented, for the pleasure of those who did not care for the long range shooting, and the winner was recognized as the American Round Champion, although he was always acknowledged to be inferior in rank to the York Round Champion.

During the last decade of the nineteenth century the great popularity of tennis, cycling, and other fascinating sports did much to overshadow the lustre of archery, yet clubs continued to flourish, here and there, the annual tournaments were always held and the marksmanship of the contestants at them was almost uniformly meritorious. Until 1902 the chief stars were Maxson, Williams, W. A. Clark and W. H. Thompson among the men and Mrs. Howell and Mrs. Phillips among the ladies. The only records that survive from that period are the Flight Shot of 290 yards, by Maxson, the Single National of 68-398, by Mrs. Howell and the Double National of 132-756, also by her.

The year 1903 marks an epoch in archery in that it saw the return to the game of Dr. E. B. Weston, of Chicago. When it was decided that archery should have a place on the program of the Olympic Games, to be held in St. Louis in 1904, it was found that there was no one in the Middle West who was qualified to take the matter in charge. In this predicament Dr. Weston was persuaded to devote his energies to reviving the sport in that part of the country and he set about it with such vigor and persistence that his name is honored by every archer. After a rest of 19 years he shot at the tournament of 1903, atNiagara Falls, with amusing results. He himself delights in telling that out of 72 arrows at 100 yards he made 2-8, thus challenging the record of John Wilkinson who had made 1-9 in the previous year.

About this time, partly because of the Olympic Games, the spirit of vitality in archery became renascent and each succeeding year has seen it grow more robust. The 1904 tournament was held in the stadium at St. Louis and the shooting was done in a sea of mud. It had rained for fifteen hours before the contest began, so that it was necessary to furnish the archers with planks to stand on. At the end of the four days shooting some were still using them. During these two years the future champions Bryant and Richardson first appeared in competition.

In 1905 the tournament was held in Chicago, with the largest entrance list since 1889. Numerous archers of former days returned to the sport and new ones of great promise. became interested.

In 1906 a successful meeting was held at Boston and then for five years the archers mustered at Chicago, mainly for the reason that Dr. Weston was willing to do all the hard work. While all these meetings were on a high plane, in every particular, that of 1910 is chiefly memorable, for there, shooting in a high wind, Harry B. Richardson made the American records of 116-566 for the Single York Round and 231-1111 for the Double York ■ Round. In the Grand National of England this has been exceeded only once, in 1857, when Ford made the world's record of 245-1251.

At the end of this quinquennial it became apparent that the increasing number of archers in the East deserved recognition and so 1912 saw a highly successful tournament held at Boston, under the presidency of a new and enthusiastic archer, B. P. Gray. The range was laid out on the athletic field of Harvard University and luncheon was served in the adjacent stadium. The shooting was exceptionally good. G. P. Bryant made 230-1094 in the Double York Round, thus getting four figures for the second time in America, and he created the present records for the Single and Double American Rounds with 90-618 and 1 77-1 153. For the first time three contestants got over 1000 in the Double American Round.

In 1913 Boston was the host again. The only noteworthy performance this year was Mrs. Bryant's record flight shot of 251 yards and 2/10 foot.

Since 1910 considerable interest in archery had been developing in some of the suburbs of Philadelphia, along the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, so it was voted to accept an invitation from the Merion Cricket Club at Haverford, to hold the 19 14 tournament there.

The spacious house of this fashionable club offered every convenience to the archers and the velvet lawn, backed by stately trees, made a setting for the targets which has never been excelled in beauty. Although the entry list was unusually large, no important records were broken. The most interesting feature was the Double Columbia Round which was so closely contested that the relative position of the first three ladies depended on the last arrow.

Three successive tournaments in the East made it seem advisable to revisit Chicago in 191 5. This meeting was handicapped by execrable weather. A wet chilling wind, such as is only too common in Chicago, swept in continually from the lake and on the last day there suddenly descended a deluge as though the flood gates of heaven had burst. In a few minutes the field was ankle deep with water, making it necessary to strike from the program all the events scheduled for that day. In spite of the bad conditions Miss Wesson made the records of 72-510 for the Single Columbia Round and 144-998 for the Double Columbia Round. She was shooting in such wonderful form that with better weather the national records would undoubtedly have been in serious danger.

In archery there is no line between professionals and amateurs, so the members of the N. A. A. were able to express their unanimous choice by electing James Duff, our popular fletcher, to be president for the following year, in which the tournament was held in his home town of Jersey City. The Scottish American Archers and the Clan McLeod took the big event under their canny guidance and the delightful result is fresh in the grateful memories of us all. Although the attendance was very satisfactory it would have been much larger had it not been for the apprehension produced by the great epidemic of infantile paralysis in the neighboring cities of Newark and New York. However, the shooting throughout was of a very high grade. For the second time three men passed the thousand mark in the Double American Round, for the third time the four figures were obtained in the Double York Round and the flight shot was within six inches of the record. The comfort of the archers was provided for in every way, particularly by a long awning for the ladies to stand under while shooting, a feature which recalled the pavilion of the United Bowmen of Philadelphia.

At the closing banquet about forty braw Scots appeared in full Highland costume, their bows and arrows replaced by dirk and skean-dhu. Here good-fellowship reigned supreme until the piper had squeezed the last tune through his chanter and the whole assembly, with arms crossed and hands clasped, had fervently sung "Auld Lang Syne."

Chapter II

Study of Correct Archery By Dr. Robert P. Elmer

WHEN Roger Ascham, in 1542, wrote Toxophilus, "this Englishe matter in the EngHshe tongue for EngHshe men," he set the fashion for all future writers on archery by dividing the act of shooting with the long-bow into five parts, which he called, in the order of their occurrence, Standing, Nocking, Drawing, Holding and Loosing. As each of these is a step which must be mastered separately before the archer can rise to a plane of merit, I will still follow, in this short thesis, the "Scholemaster's" classic lead. At the same time I will try to present to the novice such other directions that he may know what to do from the moment he steps to the Shooting line till the arrow is quivered in its mark.

First of all he should study, with great care, the Constitution of the National Archery Association and, so far as possible, conform his shooting to its rules. After that, let us hope he may find what follows a guide to help him in practical shooting.

The six arrows, to be shot at one end, may be carried on the person, in a quiver or trouser's pocket, or they may be stood on the ground in front of the archer in some kind of receptacle.

To string the how, grasp its handle with the left hand, the back of the bow being uppermost, and place the lower end, just above the tip, against the hollow of the left foot. Place the "heel" of the right hand against the upper end of the bow, below the loop of the string, and take the loop lightly between the thumb and forefinger. Then, holding the left hand steady, push hard with the right, letting it slide toward the nock and carrying the loop up till it falls into its groove. All pressure should be exerted on the bow, not on the string. To unstring the bow, bend it in the same wa}^ and pick the string out, lightly, with the first finger.

The correct stand is very important. In archery one does not toe the mark, he straddles it. The heels should be about nine inches apart in the line the arrow is to follow, the archer, therefore, standing with his left side toward the target. The feet may be either in their natural position or, as taught by Dr.

Weston, the left foot may be at right angles to the line of the heels and the right foot point about forty-five degrees backwards. The weight should be borne evenly by both feet.

The body should be perfectly erect.

The position of the head must vary somewhat with the individual. Classically, it should first be erect, as with a soldier at "Attention," and then turned sharply to the left so that the target is seen over the left shoulder. Yet for some people it is necessary to crane the neck, or tilt the head slightly, in order to provide for two essentials in archery, one, that the nock of the arrow be directly under the right eye, and the other that there be a clear way for the string. Many archers, especially ladies., find that in the orthodox position the string hits the left arm, elbow, shoulder or chest, causing great pain and ruining the shot. Such people must hold the shoulder well down and back and sometimes must even face slightly toward the target, changing the position of the feet accordingly.

To nock the arrow, grasp the bow-handle exactly as it will be held in shooting, the hand being even with the top of the handle, and hold the bow horizontal. Take the arrow by the nock, with the thumb and forefinger, and lay it on the bow, just touching the hand. Then fit it to the string, with the cock feather out, at exactly right angles, remembering that this relation is to the string and not to the bow, which may be crooked. During this operation the arrow may be steadied by the left fore finger, but it is not at all necessary to do so.

To draw the bow, hook the first three fingers under the string (the bow still being horizontal), with the arrow between the first and second, so that the string rests on the middle of the pads of the first joints. Then, turning the bow to a vertical position, raise the left arm stiffly, with elbow locked, straight away from the body, like a pumphandle, till the hand is level with the chin. Regarding the grip on the bow-handle there is a difference of opinion. Most authors say to grasp it with all one's strength but, personally, I prefer a very loose grip, the arm, and wrist however, being stiff as steel. The reason is derived from the fact, experimentally proven, that when a bow is held in a vise the arrow will fly far to the left. In shooting by hand an arrow goes straight because it pushes the bow a fraction of an inch to the right and, obviously, this can be done more freely when the grip is loose than when it is tight. After thus elevating the bow proceed, with such quick movements as to save one's strength for the aiming, to draw the string back so that the pile rests on the hand and the nock is directly under the right eye, not necessarily near that organ but somewhere, on the face or neck, in the vertical line dropped from it. At every shot, no matter what distance from the target, the arrow must be drawn to its full length and held there, until loosed, without being allowed to creep forward so much as an eighth of an inch. In drawing, keep the elbow free from the body and fully as high as the hand. This allows the powerful muscles of the shoulder and shoulder-blade to do most of the pulling and makes one feel that he "puts his body into the bow," as Bishop Hugh Latimer expressed it. The hand must follow in the line of the arrow, bending sharply from the forearm at the wrist. The arrow must next be aimed, and the majority of archers do this with both eyes open. There are many, however, who close the left eye. It is probable that in target shooting one way is as good as the other, but in hunting it is quite necessary to use both eyes in order to judge distance. A beginner will often find, to his surprise, when his arrows are missing by wide margins, that he is not sighting with the right eye, as he thinks he is, but, inadvertently, is catching the aim with the left. In such a case he must shut the left eye until his vision be straightened out.

The most difficult thing in aiming and, indeed, in all archery, is the control of the nock end of the arrow. The tip can be seen, and its position accurately adjusted, but the rear end, which is just as important, must be controlled entirely by touch. Thus, some archers draw to the angle of the jaw, some to the corner of the mouth, some to a tooth (felt through the lip), some to the Adam's Apple and some to the end of the collar-bone but everyone, who wishes to shoot well, must find some part of his facial or cervical anatomy, in the line below the right eye, to which he can always draw the nock with unfailing precision.

The right hand being immovably fixed it follows that all variations in aim must be made by altering the position of the left hand, in either vertical or horizontal directions. This means that one must bear in mind two things, the line to the target, which is easily found by sighting along the shaft, and the elevation of the arrow. "Elevation" means the height of the tip with relation to the nock and is what determines the distance the shaft will fly. Forty-five degrees will give the greatest trajectory but much less is required for ordinary shooting. To get the correct elevation, and have it the same for each succeeding arrow, one must make use of an expedient originated by Horace Ford and called by him "The Point of Aim." The meaning of this term may be explained as follows.

When the arrow is fully drawn, and pointed in the line toward the target, the archer raises his left hand as much as his judgment directs and then, sighting over the tip of the pile, notes what his gaze falls on. Perhaps it is a dandelion, a lump of earth, a cloud or some other object. If, when shot from this elevation, the arrow hit the target, the object which the archer sees over his tip is his point of aim and he can get the correct trajectory for all his subsequent arrows by sighting their tips on that same point. If his arrow go too low, he must take a point of aim farther away, if too high, one nearer to himself. For most archers the point of aim at lOO yards is high in the sky and consequently impossible to find on certain shooting grounds. A special method of aiming, devised for this distance, is to paint a small white or black ring on the arrow, so placed that, when the elevation is right, the ring will be in line between the eye and the target. This is a good way but it requires considerable practice because, while the target is visible to the left eye, it is concealed from the right eye by the bow-hand. If, however, both eyes be kept open and the gaze centered fixedly on the target, there will be produced an optical illusion of looking through the bow-hand, with the ring on the arrow seen vaguely by indirect vision.

Authorities differ as to whether, in shooting at the shorter ranges, the gaze should be centered on the target, with the point of aim seen by indirect vision, or whether the latter should be in primary focus and the former seen only vaguely. Probably either way is correct, provided the archer be consistent and do not let his eye wander.

Holding is really a part of aiming. It refers to the time in which the arrow is held motionless just prior to the instant of flight, when that final coordination of eye and muscle is effected which is the acme of refined technique. Roger Ascham taught that this moment should be so brief as to be "better perceived in the mind than seen with the eye." Nevertheless, I have noticed that all the best shots in this country hold until they are perfectly certain that their aim is accurate and that all else is as it should be. In this connection I would say that a valuable, but difiicult, thing to learn is to relax the string, without loosing the arrow, and begin the shot again when one feels that something is wrong. The frequent remark, "I knew that was not right before I shot it," is a reproach to the archer.

If the archer has nocked, drawn, aimed and held his arrow precisely as he has been directed to do he is now ready for the final act which frees the shaft from his control and leaves it to be guided only by the laws ' of physics. Of all things in the art of shooting loosing is the most important. Without a good loose all that has been done before counts for naught. I emphasize this particularly because most beginners seem to think that the aim is everything, forgetting that the flight of the arrow depends wholly on its position at the moment when it finally quits the string and on the propulsive force behind it, and that both of these factors may be ruined by the slightest side pull or sluggishness in loosing. To secure a good loose remember that the string must be borne on the first pad of each finger, and never hooked in the joint itself. Furthermore, the weight of the pull must be even on each finger. Usually the third finger has a tendency to carry most of the strain and the second much less, while the first finger takes up its share of the burden so reluctantly that it has been nicknamed, by Will Thompson, "The Shirking First."