ARCHERY. Ages after the bow and arrow had disappeared in general use from Europe and many other countries, it was the universal arm both for war and sport in the Americas, from Patagonia to the Arctic Circle, and its use lingered on the borders of advanc ing civilization till within the memory of thou sands living. It may indeed be considered the most characteristic American weapon, yet the practice of archery as a recreation is limited. A few societies of Toxophilites exist and hold monthly meetings and annual contests. The principal clubs are in the neighborhood of Washington, D. C., and of Cincinnati.
A faithful band, too, of whom the late Maurice Thompson, author of of Old Vincennes,' was the exponent, have continued into this 20th century to take the bow and arrow into field and forest, and to live while in camp by the product of their skill in its use. Several charming pen pictures may be found in the pages of Scribner's, Harper's, Outing and the Badminton magazines, relating their hunts after turkeys, herons, wild duck, wood duck and squirrels, and even fish, in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana and other States. For practical purposes, however, the attention may be confined to archery as popularly under stood: that is, shooting at the target as a recreation and to acquire skill. This form of its use continued long after gunpowder had be come common: in fact the first book of in struction in archery, that of Roger Ascham, the teacher of Lady Jane Grey, and professor of Greek at Cambridge, 'Toxophilus or the Schole of Shooting,) was published in 1571, when the bow had practically become obsolete as a weapon of offense. The bow used for recrea tion is the long-bow and not the arbalest or cross-bow which was used by William Tell. That style of the bow was never popular in England. As gunpowder came more and more i into use in sports, the interest in the bow and arrow faded. About the year 1760 the pos
sibilities of archery as a builder up of the body and the eye-sight were rediscovered, and from thenceforward it had a lusty growth and has always had a considerable following of dev otees both in England and America. Bows are made either of one piece of wood, or two or more strips glued together, preferably of yew. A man s bow is about six feet in length, and a woman's some half a foot shorter. A man's bow requires a pull of from 40 to 50 pounds, a woman's about half that amount. The distance shot varies with the kind of con test. A Potomac round consists of 24 arrows at 80 yards, 24 at 70 and 24 at 60; a double Columbia round of 48 arrows at 50 yards, and 48 at 40. A double York round of 144 arrows at 100 yards, 96 at 80 and 48 at 60. A double National round of 96 arrows at 60 yards and 48 at 50, and a double American round of 60 arrows at 60 yards, 60 at 50 and 60 at 40. The arrow's shape and feathering is a matter of personal inclination. The targets are four feet in diameter, made of banded straw with a canvas front painted in five concentric rings, the centre gold, then red, blue, black and white; the value in counting shots being, respectively, 9, 7, 5, 3 and 1. There are in the National meet also competitions for longest flight and annual team competitions of 96 arrows at 60 yards for men and 96 arrows at 50 yards for women. Consult Ascham, Roger, 'Toxophilus, or the Schole of Shooting' (London 1868) ; Hansard, G. A., 'The Book of Archery' (ib. 1840) ; Morse, E. S., 'Archery, Ancient and Modern' (Worcester, Mass., 1792) ; Thompson, Maurice, 'The Witchery of Archery' (New York 1878); Roberts, T., 'The English Bow man' (London 1801) ; Waring, T., 'A Treatise on Archery' (ib. 1828).